# F---ing warts **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868 "2002-04-26T23:06:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bryanmcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@bryanmcc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmcc)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/1 "2002-04-26T23:06:06Z")
OK, I’m getting sick of these things. It started out with a wart below and to the right of the nail on my right pinky finger. I’ve tried several times to burn the thing off with salicylic acid (your standard over the counter remedy), but it’s still there, big as life. And I think I pissed it off, because now I’ve got one on the _front_ of my right pinky finger, as well as one on my right knee. So, how did I get these things? Being barefoot on pool decks or in public showers? Am I risking giving these things to other people through kissing, sex, or oral sex? Should I stop donating blood? Can they only appear on “normal” skin, or can they show up in places like the inside of my mouth or on my eyeballs? (Grossness ahead) Also, I have a tendency to gnaw on the original in frustration, and to just minimize its size generally. Am I re-infecting myself with the virus, causing the new warts in new places? Most importantly, how do I get rid of these things? Is salicylic acid the only treatment I can get at the drug store? Is there nothing stronger I can get? Over the counter, maybe? Any brand in particular that has worked for people? And if I must resort to going to the doctor, how much is he going to charge this poor lad? -b ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2002, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/2 "2002-04-26T23:19:11Z")
I’ve got a veruca that wont go away. Fucking annoying! ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Salads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mr\_Salads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Salads)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/3 "2002-04-27T00:55:02Z")
There’s no “cure” per se. You can have surgery, but someone I know did that and they just returned. Warts are from bacteria that get in through an opening in your skin, like a cut or a rash. I had some for a good while on my left sole, and then after some months they just disappeared. I was gonna go in to see a doc about them, but they just…left. My advice is to keep a consistent cleaning pattern. Wherever the warts are, wash them on a consistent basis. That’s really the best advice I have, but I did it, and it worked. Dont know how else they upped and left. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/4 "2002-04-27T02:31:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr Salads \* > \*\*Warts are from bacteria that get in through an opening in your skin, like a cut or a rash. \*\* They’re caused by a virus. For more info: [www.aad.org/pamphlets/warts.html](http://www.aad.org/pamphlets/warts.html) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/5 "2002-04-27T02:35:26Z")
Which type of salicylic acid treatment are you using? I had a planter’s wart on my toe, and I treated it for about 2 months with the brush-on type of salicylic acid. It didn’t do much of anything for it. So I decided to try the one with the little “concentrated” patches that look like bandaids. It was completely gone in less than a week, and never came back. I examined the packages, and the bottled acid is only 1/3 of the concentration as the patches(least between the brands I used) which might explain why it was having so little affect in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![ejrn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a6a055/32.png) [@ejrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ejrn)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/6 "2002-04-27T02:37:51Z")
Warts are caused by a virus and you can spread them aroud your body doing all that weird stuff. One interesting study showed that it takes about 11 months to manufacture enough antibodies against the common wart to cause it to resolve. So one solution is to LEAVE IT ALONE and wait for your immune system to do its thing. Another interesting study was done by a pediatrician. He painted a brightly colored solution (food coloring and water, IIRC) on kids’ warts and told the children it was a very powerful magic medicine that would make the warts go away in 5 days. Lo and behold, it worked every time. There are various caustic/acidic remedies that work fairly well. Check with a dermatologist if the over-the-counter meds don’t do the trick and you don’t want to wait for the antibodies. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/7 "2002-04-27T03:05:28Z")
I had numerous warts on my hands as a child, and they spread, too. We treated them with Compound W repeatedly, with little effect. Then one time, it worked, and they’ve never come back. Go figure. Warts must be funny that way. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/8 "2002-04-27T03:07:20Z")
I had one on the inside knuckle of my right ring finger a few years ago. I finally got rid of it by, um, chewing it off, but it returned about a week and a half ago. A couple days after I noticed it, I got some wart remover from the grocery store (17% salicylic acid) and it’s coming off, layer by layer. Salicylic acid basically works by dissolving the skin, so I’m sure there are any number of creative methods you can use to get rid of warts. I have a few questions to add. I’ve done some web searched but they’ve come up with conflicting information… Just how worried should I be about spreading the virus? Is washing my hands likely to spread it elsewhere? How about, er, intimate touching of myself and others? (Is “genital warts” the same virus?) How will I know when the wart is “gone” enough that I don’t have to worry about spreading it? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_The\_Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Buck\_The\_Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_The_Diver)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/9 "2002-04-27T03:47:09Z")
Years ago I had a number of warts on my left hand. My doc used **liquid nitrogen** on them. Yep, sprayed on or daubed on. Cold, but painless. About 30 minutes after application the area became a big blister. A day later the blister sloughed off and the wart was gone. And they never came back. Fast, painless and guaranteed to work. Yessir, liquid nitrogen-what’s not to like? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![bender](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@bender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bender)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/10 "2002-04-27T04:10:03Z")
bryanmcc Agree with Buck The Diver about Liquid Nitrogen, and it’s still in use today (well here in NZ it is). Tried the over the counter stuff, but found it a bit of a process to follow, so swung off to the Doctor, who nailed the little b’strd in one dab. Took a week or so of blistering , then off she fell, no scaring or nothing (after a couple of months or so) ---
**Author:** ![Tattva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@Tattva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tattva)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/11 "2002-04-27T14:16:01Z")
Well, I won’t agree that liquid nitrogen is painless, but it is effective. If you’ve got the money/insurance, go see a dermatologist to get it removed. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/12 "2002-04-27T17:58:31Z")
The liquid nitrogen isn’t always effective. I had a big wart on the palm of my hand years ago that I had frozen off a couple of times. It came back each time. It finally went away when the doctor gave me local and burned it off with a gadget that looked like a miniature arc welder. Stunk like hell while he was doing it. A couple decades later, I’ve still got a little scar, but no wart. ---
**Author:** ![bryanmcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@bryanmcc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmcc)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/13 "2002-04-27T18:50:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elfkin477 \* > **Which type of salicylic acid treatment are you using?** I’ve used several different treatments. Brush on and those band-aids with the medicated pads, especially. Basically, whatever I’ve happened to grab in desperation in the supermarket medicine aisle. Was just wondering if anyone could provide specific brand/treatment options that were particularly strong or effective. **Mr2001** , I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who chews on these things to try to get rid of them. I just hope it’s not dosing me with further viruses. It probably is, so I suppose I’ll have to stop. God I hate these things. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2002, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-ing-warts/105868/14 "2002-04-27T19:40:16Z")
I had great success with a dermatologist, apparently even better than he expected. I had a wart in the middle of the back of my right hand for years. Then, about a year ago, I got these ugly crusty things on three of my right fingers along the edge of the nails. The salicylic acid pads would eat away at them but they always came back. The dermatologist said that the ones on the fingers were actually clusters of numerous small warts. He used the arc-welder type thing to burn off the one on the back of my hand. He used the liquid nitrogen on the fingers. After he finished I had an open wound where he burned the one off. The ones on my fingers looked exactly the same. He had me make an appointment for two months later for a second treatment. After about 6 weeks the wound had healed to a small scar but the ones on my fingers were still exactly the same, they had never visibly blistered or anything. Then suddenly, over a period of about a week, they all fell off revealing new pink healthy tissue underneath. When I saw the doctor he was expecting to do another treatment. When I showed him my hand and told him what had happened he said something like “eventually the immune system takes over” and that no more treatments were necessary. What I’m wondering is; was it simply the immune system or did his treatment have something to do with it? Would they have gone away without the treatment? Could it be that burning off the big one exposed the immune system to larger amounts of the virus and sort of immunized me?