Introduction
This information will help you understand your choices, whether you share in the decision-making process or rely on your doctor's recommendation.
This Decision Point is not for people with genital warts. If you have genital warts, talk with your doctor about your treatment choices.
Key points in making your decision
- Warts are harmless and will not become harmful.
- Your wart will probably go away on its own. Research shows that most warts do go away within months or years.1
- You cannot be sure that any particular wart treatment will work. Although there are many treatments for warts, little is known about their effectiveness.2
- Even if you treat your wart successfully, warts often return, either in the same place or on a different part of your body.
Medical Information
What causes warts, and how are they spread?
A wart develops when a human papillomavirus infects the outermost layer of skin and causes the skin cells to grow rapidly. The virus can then spread from an existing wart to other areas of the body, causing more warts. Various types of this virus thrive in warm, damp environments such as showers, locker room floors, and swimming pool areas.
You are most likely to develop a wart where you have broken skin, such as a cut, hangnail, closely bitten nail, or scrape. Plantar warts are common in swimmers whose feet are not only moist and softened but are also scratched and broken by rough pool surfaces.
Warts are easily spread by direct contact with a human papillomavirus. You can reinfect yourself by touching the wart and then another part of your body. You can infect others by sharing towels, razors, or other personal items. It is unlikely that you will develop a wart every time you are exposed to a human papillomavirus. Some people are more likely to develop warts than others.
Why treat warts?
Many people do not treat warts. Warts do not cause cancer and generally go away on their own. But you may consider treatment if you:
- Have a plantar wart that is painful to walk on.
- Have a wart problem that is getting worse, is easily irritated, or embarrasses you.
- Are concerned about spreading the virus to others.
The benefits of treating warts should be considered with the drawbacks. Warts often come back, treatment is not always effective and may take a long time, and the cost may not justify the benefits. Some treatments can cause scarring.
How effective is treatment for warts?
Although there are many treatments for warts, little is known about how effective treatment is.2 Even with treatment, warts often return.
Nonprescription salicylic acid is as effective as or more effective than other treatments, with minimal risk and pain.3
- A review of research suggests that salicylic acid is a safe treatment that effectively eliminates warts up to 75% of the time. By comparison, placebo or no treatment eliminated warts about 50% of the time.1
- There is currently no evidence that cryotherapy is any more effective than salicylic acid.3
If you need more information, see the topic Warts and Plantar Warts.
Your Information
Your choices are:
- No treatment—wait to see whether the warts go away on their own.
- Home treatment with salicylic acid or tape.
- Treatment prescribed by a doctor, such as cryotherapy.
- Surgery, such as curettage and electrosurgery.
Immunotherapy and bleomycin are generally considered experimental treatments and are usually only used if all other treatment fails. See a chart comparing these treatment options.
The decision about whether to treat warts or plantar warts takes into account your personal feelings and the medical facts.
| Reasons to treat warts | Reasons not to treat warts |
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Are there other reasons why you might try wart treatment? |
Are there other reasons why you might not try wart treatment? |
If you decide to treat your warts, it is important to know the advantages and disadvantages of different types of treatment.
| Type of treatment | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
Salicylic acid (nonprescription) |
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Tape occlusion(duct tape) |
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| Type of treatment | Advantages | Disadvantages |
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These personal stories may help you make your decision.
Wise Health Decision
Use this worksheet to help you make your decision. After completing it, you should have a better idea of how you feel about treating warts or plantar warts. Discuss the worksheet with your doctor.
Circle the answer that best applies to you.
I consider warts to be a problem. |
Yes | No | Unsure |
I have noticed that warts are spreading on my body or from me to other people. |
Yes | No | Unsure |
I understand that warts go away on their own, that treatment may not be successful, and that my warts may return, but I still want treatment. |
Yes | No | Unsure |
I prefer a quick, painful treatment, even if it's no more likely to succeed than a slow, painless treatment like salicylic acid. |
Yes | No | Unsure |
I have health insurance that covers wart treatments, or I have the financial resources to pay for them. |
Yes | No | Unsure |
Use the following space to list any other important concerns you have about this decision.
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What is your overall impression?
Your answers in the above worksheet are meant to give you a general idea of where you stand on this decision. You may have one overriding reason to try or not try treatment for warts or plantar warts.
Check the box below that represents your overall impression about your decision.
Leaning toward treating warts |
Leaning toward NOT treating warts |
Return to the topic Warts and Plantar Warts.
References
Citations
Luk NM, Tan YM (2007). Warts (non-genital), search date November 2006. Online version of BMJ Clinical Evidence. Also available online: http://www.clinicalevidence.com.
Gibbs S, et al. (2002). Local treatments for cutaneous warts: Systematic review. BMJ, 325: 461–468.
Gibbs S, Harvey I (2006). Local treatments for cutaneous warts. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (3). Oxford: Update Software.
Focht DR III, et al. (2002). The efficacy of duct tape vs. cryotherapy in the treatment of verruca vulgaris (the common wart). Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 156(10): 971–974.
Sterling JC, et al. (2001). Guidelines for the management of cutaneous warts. British Journal of Dermatology, 144(1): 4–11.
Credits
| Author | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman, MATC |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Alexander H. Murray, MD, FRCPC - Dermatology |
| Last Updated | September 11, 2008 |
