What are warts?

Generally, warts can be defined as small skin growths or bumps that most often appear on your hands or fingers. Typically, they should not cause any pain. Some warts may be itchy or even hurt if you have them on your feet or on places that rub against closing or jewelry. As a rule, they have quite a rough texture and are most often represented as a pattern of small black dots (also known as clotted blood vessels). Nowadays, different types of warts have been identified, and all of them vary greatly in form, shape, color, and location. Some are cauliflower-like, others are flat or bumpy. As to the color, they can be pink, flesh-colored, brown, grey, or even be a mix of all the mentioned above colors. Some warts go away on their own, whereas others need some at home or even require some medical treatment. In order to make sure which wart do you have and what has caused it, keep reading this article.

Types of warts

In order to find the most effective way to treat your wart, you should first identify the type of the wart you have. You can find all the most common types of warts below:

• Common warts typically appear on your hands
• Flat warts would mostly appear on either your forehead or face
• Genital warts will appear on the skin surrounding your genitals or even on them. Sometimes genital warts occur between tights
• Filiform warts are flesh-colored bumps that often grow on or next to the eyes, nose, or mouth
• Subungual and periungual warts can be found under or next to the finger- and toenails

Are warts contagious?

Since warts are considered to be benign or, in other words, non-cancerous growths that are most often caused by some virus when the top layer of the skin is affected, the answer is yes. There is a particular name for all the viruses that cause warts – Human Papillomavirus, otherwise known as HPV. People who tend to get warts more often are more sensitive to it, and usually get it through the scratches on the skin. HPV viruses are contagious and can easily contribute to the spread of the warts, if:

• Wart was rubbed or scratched
• Wart was not covered with a bandage or a tape
• The area covered with warts was brushed, clipped, or shaved
• Your hands were not washed right after you touched the wart
• You have a weak immune system that cannot fight the virus

How to prevent warts?

Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent warts currently known. However, it is much more effective to minimize the risk of getting potential warts or spread already existing ones by increasing your awareness and knowledge about them, rather than spend time treating them afterwards. According to the Cleveland Clinic, you should take the following steps in order to prevent warts:

• If you are under the age of 26- get the HPV vaccine, in case you are older- consult with your doctor about the alternatives
• Use condoms- this will lower your risks of getting genital warts
• Make sure your feet are always kept dry- this will help you avoid plantar warts
• Wear flip-flops when taking public showers and locker rooms

Here are also some DON`Ts to keep in mind:

• Do not shave over the wart
• Do not bite your nails or cuticles
• Do not scratch or cut a wart
• Do not touch anybody else`s wart

Best essential oils for warts on the market

We have made a comparison of the best essential oil products existing on the today`s market in order to facilitate your decision:

Best home remedies to treat warts

Medical remedies can seem quite aggressive and even scary to some. Some people are shy to schedule an appointment with their home doctor or dermatologist and might seek for alternative natural and easily implementable home remedies. Therefore, we have gathered all the relevant alternatives below:

Salicylic acid

One study, where the patient with a couple of reoccurring warts was advised to apply 12% w/w salicylic acid in combination with lactic acid (4% w/w) had successfully got rid of all the warts and got the clean and healthy skin in just 12 days. However, due to the lack of research, there is not enough evidence to prove the fact if this method was equally efficient for the larger target group.

Essential oils

Another common method to get rid of warts is essential oils. If you want to remove a wart with the help of one of the essential oils, make sure you are patient enough, as the process requires some time and certainly a lot of dedication. The reason behind the worldwide popularity of the essential oils for wart treatment is due to their antiviral properties and irritants that are effective at killing the wart. Basically, the main principle behind the essential oils is that they burn off the wart entirely after some time. One of the universally applied principles to apply the essential oil is to:

1. Dilute the concentrated essential oil with a bit of apple side vinegar or coconut oil
2. Soak it in a cotton ball and place it topically on the wart
3. Cover it with tape or a band on the wart

We recommend diluting the oil with the apple side vinegar, as the acids contained in the latter help to burn warn itself, while essential oils cure the virus causing it. You will not notice instant results, but you will be pleased with an ultimate outcome if you are patient and persistent enough.

Tea Tree Oil

Not sure which essential oil to choose to kill a wart? Tea tree oil is one of the best essential oils on the market that is known for its antiviral properties that come in handy when fighting the warts. Being a source of the tea tree oil, Australian Melaleuca alternifolia bush has been known for centuries and successfully used to treat various skin conditions. In the modern world, the bush is used to extract the tea tree oil. It is important to note that not only can the tea tree oil be found as an independent beauty product that is sold in various concentrations, diluted or not, but it is also contained in a number of beauty products, ranging from body soaps to shampoos. Some scientific studies have proven that the tea tree oil has the following benefits for your skin:

• Antibacterial properties, which is good for healing wounds
• Anti-inflammatory properties, which can cure pimples and other skin inflammations
• Antiviral properties, which makes it an effective tool in treating warts

If you are curious what is the best way to treat the wart with the tea tree oil, make sure it is diluted with some carrier oil and you use it not more than twice a day, applying it directly on wart. As a rule, the results can be seen in just a couple of weeks, in some cases it can take up to several months until you notice any improvement. Many doctors confirm that the tea tree oil has an influence on the hormonal activity, therefore pregnant, breastfeeding women and children should avoid using it, unless prescribed by their dermatologist. Make sure that tea tree oil is always applied topically and not taken orally.

Oregano oil

You might have heard about oregano used in cooking; however, it is also quite good when it comes to warts. This essential oil is derived from a flowering plant of the mint family. Same as the tea tree oil, oregano essential oil has anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antioxidant properties. What makes it different to the tea tree oil, is its pain-killing properties. As this essential oil is highly aggressive, we recommend first diluting it with a carrier oil and trying it out once a day. If you see that your skin reacts good to it, then you can continue using it up to 2 times a day. Pregnant women should not use oregano oil.

Cypress oil

Even though cypress oil is mostly known for its wounds, acne, muscle pain, and respiratory infections treatments, it is also a good tool at fighting a wart virus, namely virus-1. Make sure to use it not more than 2 times a day. Pregnant and breast-feeding women should not use it.

Are essential oils for warts really effective?

According to several case studies conducted by American and European leading scientists, essential oils can actually be highly effective in treating warts. One study examined a patient with six reoccurring warts caused by HPV, who was offered the following treatment: the 100% topical M. alternifolia oil had to be applied each evening after the bath and before the bedtime. After just 5 days the wart has noticeably decreased in size and in the course of the next 7 days all the six warts have disappeared from the affected area with no reoccurrence. Even though the results of this study imply that essential oils for warts can be really effective for some, there is still not enough evidence to suggest this natural remedy is effective for everyone.

Read this before applying an essential oil

Most of essential oils are quite aggressive, therefore make sure you always dilute the essential oil with a carrier oil. The best is if you do a patch test prior to using any of the essential oils to eliminate the possibility of the allergic reaction. Apply it topically on the wart and place a tape or band on it. Wash your hands immediately after applying the oil and touching the wart. If you notice intense skin itching or irritation next to the affected area, stop using the oil immediately and visit your doctor. Some other allergic reactions may include shortness of breath or wheezing, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, anaphylaxis.

When to see your doctor

You might consider visiting your doctor`s office if you:

• Noticed any skin irritation or itching after using any of the mentioned above products
• Are allergic to any of the ingredients contained in the wart-removing essential oils
• Have accidentally shaved off or scratched the wart
• Are not sure what type of growth you are having
• Are pregnant or breast feeding and have noticed a wart
• Under the age of 26 and did not get an HPV vaccine yet