What You Need To Know About Wart Medication

As you can probably guess from the title, gentle readers, today's topic is about wart medication. I'm going to focus on common warts which appear almost everywhere on the body except the rectum, genitals, palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Those uncommon warts need to be treated by a doctor as soon as possible. But the common wart - which can be smooth or rough - can often be treated at home with the help of over the counter wart medication.

Brand Names Verses Store Brands

If you go to a pharmacy, supermarket or major chain department store, you will most likely find store brand wart medicine right next to national brands like Compound W, Doufilm and Dr. Scholl's. The store brands often work just as well as the name brands, usually because they are often made by the name brand companies, but in different packaging.

In order to be sure of the wart medication you want, pick up the name brand you are thinking of getting. Look at the active ingredient. Compare that active ingredient to the store brand. If it's the same, you have yourself a wart medication winner. The most common wart medication in over the counter medications is salicylic acid. Yes, this is a kind of acid and it will burn.

You must follow the directions of any over the counter wart medication carefully. Salicylic acid works to dissolve the wart tissue. However, if you use too much of it, it will give an irritating chemical burn to the parts of the skin you don't want to remove. You won't burn a hole all the way through your body, but it may be painful. Sometimes it takes up to two months to get rid of the wart.

When To See The Doctor

Over the counter wart medications often work very well for most people with common warts. But they don't work all of the time. This could be a sign of something more serious happening to your body. Warts are caused by a virus, which people usually become mostly immune to when they are reasonably healthy. Getting a lot of warts can be a sign of an immunity problem.

Go to the doctor or dermatologist when your warts won't go away after two months or if you suddenly start growing a lot of warts, or if your warts are getting painful and not just merely itchy. If your warts are getting thicker instead of thinner or smaller, then you also need to see a physician.