Inspirational Messages Series

Written by Pastor Richard Pfeil of WCCPC
June 2008

What are common warts?

Common warts are local growths in the skin that are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Although they are considered to be contagious, it is very common for just one family member to have them. In addition, they often affect just one part of the body (such as the hands or the feet) without spreading over time to other areas.

Believe it or not, as I researched ways to get rid of warts, because I myself have had one on my knuckle for several years, I came across a home remedy that I just had to share as a helpful tip to other parents who may not like to spend alot on ailments that can otherwise be cured for free!

I intend on starting today (October 27, 2008) trying this new treatment, and I will document my progress as I go.

March 2009 Update: As of this date, I successfully and surprisingly have completely removed my once-annoying wart on my left finger's knuckle. Yes, it was a bit tedious to keep putting new tape on each day, as it easily would come off in showers or washing dishes. But was well worth the effort. In as little as two weeks I already could barely notice the wart. It had flattened out and was almost completely unoticeable...but keep at it until it is all gone!

Here are the instructions for this home remedy:

Using this duct tape treatment, you:

cover the wart with duct tape for six days (if the duct tape comes off early, simply reapply it to the wart)
next, remove the duct tape, soak the wart, and use an emery board or pumice stone to remove skin on top of the wart if possible
reapply the duct tape after twenty-four hours and repeat the steps 1 and 2

Using the duct tape method for one or two months, some experts report that over 80% of people will find that their warts are gone, with many seeing signs of improvement in just 2 weeks.

Can other tape work? It has never been documented that any other tape will have the same results. Scientifically, it is not exactly understood why this semi-heavy fabric tape works, but it is believed that non-porous tape, such as duct tape suffocates the wart.

Duct Tape Method Treatment Tip

Many kids don't want to walk around with a gray piece of duct tape on their skin, especially if their wart is on their finger or some other part of their body that is easily visible.

Using duct tape in their favorite color, such as red, pink, or blue, can make the duct tape method for treating warts a lot easier for your kids to handle, especially since they may need to keep the duct tape on for a month or two.

Other Popular Over-the-counter Remedies:

Salicylic-acid preparations

These are available as drops, gels, pads, and plasters. They are designed for application to all kinds of warts, from tiny ones to great, big lumpy ones. Salicylic acid is a keratolytic medication, which means it dissolves the protein (keratin), which makes up most of both the wart and the thick layer of dead skin that often tops it.

Nonprescription freezing methods

Aerosol wart treatments available over-the-counter use sprays that freeze warts at a temperature of minus 70 F (minus 57 C). This compares with the liquid nitrogen used by most dermatologists, which is considerably colder (minus 320 F or minus 196 C).