Wart and verruca treatment

Treatments to remove warts at home

Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid is applied on a daily basis to peel off the upper layer of the wart tissue.¹ If the treatment is successful, the wart should disappear within three months.

Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA)

TCA is a corrosive acid-based solution that, similarly to salicylic acid, peels away the upper layer of the tissue on the wart.¹ As TCA is a stronger acid than salicylic acid, it requires more safety precautions while applying the solution.

Monochloroacetic Acid (MCAA)

MCAA is also a corrosive acid-based solution and works in a similar way as salicylic acid and TCA.¹ MCAA is the strongest acid of the ones mentioned above and also needs higher safety precautions while applying the solution.

Formic Acid

Formic acid is a biodegradable, organic compound that can be used to treat warts by its dehydrating effects.¹ The solution only needs to be applied once a week, is easy to use and can be applied to warts on your hands, feet, elbows and knees. It is absorbed directly into the wart and leaves no trace on the skin. In one study² on formic acid, nine out of ten people reported that their warts had disappeared at the end of the treatment period, which lasted 12 weeks. On average, only 4-5 treatments were needed.

The formic acid in the wart treatment has a dehydrating effect. Formic acid can also be used by diabetics and pregnant and nursing mothers. However, we recommend you consult a healthcare professional to discuss any new symptoms during pregnancy. Formic acid is the key ingredient in EndWarts^® PEN and available from pharmacies. Formic acid in itself is corrosive and thus it has to be used with caution.¹

See the EndWarts^® section for more about EndWarts^® PEN.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy or freeze treatment can be done at home using different gases to freeze off warts. EndWarts^® FREEZE uses a colder gas than others (Nitrous Oxide) which rapidly freezes warts at -80C.

See the EndWarts^® FREEZE section for more about EndWarts^® FREEZE.

Treating warts in clinic

The following treatments can only be given in the clinic. They are often perceived as more painful, quite expensive and therefore usually resorted to only when long-standing warts cannot be removed by over the counter treatments.

Burning warts off

This is usually done in one of two ways:

• Laser surgery – this type of treatment is most commonly used for warts on the feet and is usually recommended only for long-standing large widespread and painful warts. During laser surgery, an intense beam of light is used to burn and destroy the wart tissue. There are various types of laser, with some quite painful and hence not suitable for children.

Surgery/Curettage

This involves scraping or cutting a wart out of the skin with a scalpel or similar tool. Sometimes a second round of surgery is required to remove the wart.

Monochloroacetic Acid (MCAA)

Although available for home use, MCAA is occasionally also used to treat children at clinics.