How to get rid of warts with duct tape and other at-home methods

Ashley LadererMay 9, 2020, 01:26 IST

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Common warts are often found on hands.tomczykbartek/Getty Images

Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus and can be transmitted through open sores or skin-to-skin contact.
You can remove warts by leaving duct tape on it for three days or applying salicylic acid to it.
If it still doesn't go away, you should see a doctor who may treat it with cryosurgery or lasers.
This article was medically reviewed by Debra Jaliman, MD, a board-certified dermatologist with a private practice in New York City.
Visit Insider's Health Reference library for more advice.

Warts are growths on the skin that are notoriously stubborn to remove. Although warts are harmless most of the time, they are contagious and often unsightly. In this article, we discuss what causes warts and tips on how to get rid of them.

What are warts?

Warts are the result of a viral infection caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). It is possible for HPV to spread through direct skin-to-skin contact, but it would be much more likely for you to get infected if you had a cut or other break in the skin barrier.

That's because HPV targets the basal layer of the epidermis, called the basal keratinocytes. A cut or other opening offers a direct path to that layer of skin, says Sara Hogan, MD, dermatologist at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica.

Once HPV enters the skin cells, it reproduces rapidly, says Hogan. HPV incorporates its DNA into the infected skin cells which changes the skin cell's activity. This causes them to mature and divide more rapidly than normal, forming warts. The wart itself is basically a bump made up of many infected skin cells.

So, a likely scenario for contracting HPV would be if you have an open sore, like on your hand, and then touch it to a surface that was exposed to warts. HPV can live on surfaces from hours to days, says Hogan. But you can reduce your risk of contracting warts by disinfecting surfaces to kill germs like HPV.

The types of warts

There are several different types of warts that vary in structure, color, and location. The most common types are:

Common warts: These appear as raised bumps, or hyperkeratotic lesions, which is when the outer layer of skin becomes thickened and hard. They're most often found on the hands. If they're on the palm of the hand, they're referred to as palmar warts. They usually won't cause you any discomfort but can be mildly painful in some cases.
Flat warts: As the name suggests, these are flatter than common warts. There is less buildup of thickened skin, and diameter is usually smaller too. They are often painless and most commonly found on the face of children.
Plantar warts: Plantar warts are rough lesions on the bottom of the feet. They usually appear flattened due to the pressure of standing and walking. These are usually the most painful type of wart, since you are constantly putting pressure on your feet, and therefore, the wart.
Genital warts: This type of wart is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) meaning it's caused by sexual contact with someone who has HPV. They appear on or even inside the genitals. The trademark appearance is usually described as looking cauliflower-like. They are more likely to be itchy and uncomfortable than painful. Some of these warts are associated with cancer, so it is important to see a doctor. They can cause cancer of the cervix, vulva,
vagina, penis and anus.

How to spot a wart

If you aren't sure if the growth is a wart, one telltale sign, especially in common warts, is the presence of small black spots, Hogan says. Some people will wrongfully call these "wart seeds" but they're actually blood vessels, or more specifically, small hemorrhages into the top layer of the skin.

To tell the difference between a mole, a wart, and a skin tag, check out this chart:

Ruobing Su/Insider

Home remedies to get rid of warts

There are a number of home remedies that dermatologists recommend for patients – but at-home freezing kits sold at drug stores are not one of them, according to Hogan. "Often, [these kits] do not deliver the correct temperature needed to effectively treat warts. Home freezing kits are also easy to misuse, and can result in significant damage to the skin."

Do not try home remedies on genital warts. The area is too sensitive and burns may occur.

Hogan recommends checking with your doctor first, but some remedies you can try are:

Duct tape

Believe it or not, household duct tape can help treat warts. Hogan recommends cutting duct tape to size and placing it over the wart and surrounding area. This can seal off the wart and stop the HPV from infecting surrounding skin cells. Additionally, the adhesive layer lifts off the top layer of the wart as you peel off the duct tape.

How to remove a wart with duct tape in 5 steps

Ensure the skin is clean and dry.
Cut the piece of duct tape to a size that will cover your wart and a bit of the surrounding skin.
Apply the duct tape to the skin, and leave it on for about three days.
After three days, take the duct tape off and let the skin breathe for a couple hours, then apply a new piece.
Repeat until the warts go away.

Hogan recommends being careful with this since duct tape can possibly be very irritating to some people's skin.

Salicylic acid

This chemical helps lift off and remove skin that's been infected. You can apply it as a gel or liquid or get bandages already saturated with salicylic acid.

"Mediplast, Dr. Scholl's Clear Away and Duofilm are helpful because they are bandages impregnated with salicylic acid and can be cut to the size of a wart," says Hogan. It's best to soak the wart in warm water for a few minutes before applying the salicylic acid or bandage. Follow the package instructions for each product. You will have to do this multiple times, until the warts go away.

Aspirin

If you already have aspirin in your medicine cabinet, salicylic acid is the main ingredient. Hogan says you can crush it up, add a little bit of water to make it into a paste, apply to the wart, and cover with a bandage. However, she says this method will not be as effective as the above salicylic acid treatment. But if all you have in your medicine cabinet is Aspiring, then you can give this method a go.

For all of these methods, Hogan recommends being cautious, as any of these may damage the skin. You'll also want to treat the area of skin directly surrounding the wart, since HPV can be present there too, even if the skin appears normal.

When you should see a doctor

If you've tried home remedies and your warts won't go away or they continue to spread, you should make an appointment with a board-certified dermatologist. Additionally, seek a physician if you're experiencing pain or extreme discomfort from the wart.

According to Hogan, there are various methods a doctor might use in-office to get rid of warts:

Cryosurgery: This is usually the first line of defense in treating warts and is a very common procedure which involves using extremely cold temperatures to destroy the infected tissue. You'll hear this referred to as "freezing" the wart. The doctor will apply liquid nitrogen, a chemical which is -320.8º Fahrenheit to the affected area. This may need to be done over the course of several visits for the warts to fully disappear.

Paring: The dermatologist may resort to cutting, scraping, or "paring" the top layers of the warts away with a blade or a curette. According to Hogan, this can make the wart more accessible to treatment.

Injections: Warts that don't respond to other treatments may be treated with injections.
"Injections can be performed with cantharidin, which causes irritation of skin, candida antigen, which stimulates the body to clear warts, or bleomycin, which blocks wart proliferation," says Hogan.
Lasers: Laser treatment is often used for treating genital warts, but can be used for other types as well. Hogan says the laser targets the vascular component of the warts, curbing their blood supply and killing them.

Warts are persistent, and no matter the treatment, they can return weeks or months after they were all gone. You might have to go back to the dermatologist for multiple visits. Stick to your doctor's treatment plan and advice, and with time, you can get rid of your warts for good.

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