Plantar warts are hard growths caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). They typically form on the pressure-bearing areas on the soles of your feet, like the balls of your feet or your heels. As long as you don't have health problems that impact the circulation in your feet, like diabetes, you can treat these painful growths at home. Here are three home remedies for plantar warts.
Duct Tape
Duct tape has a huge variety of uses, and surprisingly, removing warts is one of them. This process is quite simple. Place a piece of duct tape on top of your wart, and leave it for six days; if the tape falls off, replace it. Once six days have passed, take off the tape, soak your affected foot in the tub, then scrub the wart with a pumice stone. Let your wart breathe for 12 hours, then replace the duct tape. You need to keep repeating this process until your wart goes away.
This duct tape treatment may seem too good to be true, but studies have proven that it works. A study compared duct tape treatment to traditional cryotherapy (freezing) and found that duct tape was not only more effective but worked faster.
Banana Peels
After eating a banana, don't throw out the peel: use it to destroy your wart. This method is unusual, but it's recommended by dermatologists.
For this treatment, you need to soak your affected foot in the tub to soften the skin, and then use a pumice stone to remove the dead skin covering the wart. Once the wart is exposed, moisten it with a few drops of tea tree oil. This is where the banana comes in: place a piece of peel on top of your wart, yellow side facing out. Secure the banana peel with a bandage, and leave it in place until the peel dries out. If your wart is large, you may need to repeat this process until you see results.
This unusual treatment works by keeping your wart moist. When warts are moist, the virus that causes them is more vulnerable. This allows the tea tree oil (a natural antiviral) to reach and destroy the virus.
Salicylic Acid
If duct tape and banana peels don't work for you, or if you'd rather try a more traditional method, use salicylic acid to treat your wart. Salicylic acid is a topical treatment that is painted onto the affected skin.
Like other wart treatments, you need to soak your foot first and then rub your wart with a pumice stone. Next, paint the salicylic acid onto your wart, taking care not to get the paint on the healthy skin that surrounds your wart. Once the paint has dried, cover the area with a dressing such as plaster or duct tape to protect it. This process is generally repeated every day, and after twelve weeks, 70% of warts are gone. If the paint makes your skin sore at any point during this process, halt the treatment until the area feels better, then resume your treatment.
Salicylic acid works by softening and removing the dead skin that covers your wart. The acid then irritates the soft skin underneath, which alerts your immune system. Your own immune system then fights the virus causing the wart.
If you have a plantar wart on your foot, and don't have any conditions that impact your circulation, you can try to treat it by yourself at home. Duct tape, banana peels, and salicylic acid can all be used for this purpose. If you have trouble getting rid of your wart by yourself, see your doctor for professional wart treatments. For more information, visit sites like http://www.footfirstpodiatrycl.com.
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