Warts: Using Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid to remove warts is available in many forms. These may include a liquid, gel, ointment, pad, or patch that you put on the wart. Be sure to read and follow the instructions that come with the medicine, or follow your doctor's instructions. Salicylic acid may take weeks to months to get rid of a wart.

Here are some tips for using salicylic acid.

• Soak the wart in water before applying salicylic acid. This helps loosen and soften the skin so the medicine can get to the wart.
• Gently file the wart with a disposable emery board or pumice stone. Make sure that you don’t use this item anywhere else on your body. The wart tissue you file off has the virus in it, so dispose of this dead skin carefully. And the stone or emery board you use will have the virus on it too, so throw it away after using it, to avoid spreading the virus.
• Dry the wart.
• Apply salicylic acid to the wart when you go to bed. Cover the area with a bandage or sock, and wash off the medicine in the morning.
• Avoid getting salicylic acid on your unaffected skin. The medicine should touch only the wart.
• Repeat these steps every day, except for filing the wart. Filing down the wart should be done every few days. Over time, salicylic acid causes the wart tissue to become soft so that it can be rubbed off easily.
• Stop using the medicine for a few days if the area becomes too tender.