11 best remedies for warts

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

At the very beginning of the review of medications for warts, it is necessary to warn: only after taking a dermatologist, you can accurately diagnose, and find out if the formation is suspicious of malignancy. Not every elevation above the surface of the skin can be a wart, that is, a benign tumor and a derivative of the epidermis. In some cases (old age, pain, discoloration, bleeding), we are talking about malignant neoplasms of the skin, among which basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma are often found.

Attention! Any attempts to independently, without consulting a doctor, remove an unusual 'pseudo-wart' that worries a person can lead to an outbreak of metastasis and generalization of the malignant process, which will significantly reduce the life time.

Therefore, this rating is intended for those people who really have ordinary, or vulgar warts, which are most often found on the hands and feet, do not differ in color from neighboring skin areas, and have a rough surface. Additionally, there are such varieties of warts, such as flat and senile. Warts are separate formations. It makes no sense to deal with senile and flat warts, since in the first case they will reappear, and in the second case their localization often includes the face, and this should be dealt with by a specialist – a dermatocosmetologist.

In the same case, if we are talking about ordinary warts, then they can be removed on their own at home, without resorting to laser technology, surgical excision and electrocoagulation. This rating of remedies for warts includes local cauterizing drugs, agents that soften the skin, and facilitate subsequent removal – keratolytics. Also considered are means for removing warts using low temperatures, and some antiviral and immunotropic drugs aimed at suppressing a viral infection.

This rating of drugs for removing warts 'do it yourself' includes prices for each position. The price will be average for pharmacies of all forms of ownership, and is relevant for the end of 2018. Opens a list of drugs with cauterizing and mummifying activity against warts.

Rating of the best remedies for warts

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
The best cauterizing (coagulating) remedies for warts	1	Kollomak	272 r
	2	Verrukacid	203 RUB
	3	Solkoderm	954 RUB
	4	Kondilin	RUB 660
	5	Lapis pencil	123 r
Do-it-yourself cryodestruction of warts	1	Cryopharma and Wartner Cryo	849 RUB
The best keratolytics for warts	1	Vartox – cream paste	182 r
	2	Salipod	92 RUB
	3	Salicylic acid	RUB 19
The best antiviral and immune remedies for warts	1	Oxolinic Ointment (dioxotetrahydroxytetrahydronaphthalene)	RUB 30
	2	Isoprinosine (Groprinosin, Normomed)	585 RUB

The best cauterizing (coagulating) remedies for warts

Most often, active acids, intense oxidants, whose purpose of action is local necrosis, that is, tissue necrosis, act as cauterizing agents. Why are alkalis never used, which can also cause cell death? The fact is that acids have a drying effect and cause protein denaturation, while limiting the necrosis zone. They coagulate (coagulate) proteins. In the case of alkali, the opposite process occurs: in the depths of the tissues, saponification of fats begins, since the alkali dissolves the fat. If you try to reduce the wart yourself with the help of caustic potassium, you will get a loose zone of unrestricted necrosis, which will spread deep to the sides.

Therefore, in no case should concentrated alkaline solutions be used as self-medication to remove warts.

What means does the modern pharmaceutical industry produce that are cauterizing?

Kollomak

Rating: 4.9

Collomac is salicylic and lactic acid, which are quite weak in terms of chemistry, as well as polidocanol. But their combined effect on proteins is quite strong. Together they produce a keratolytic effect, destroy keratinized epithelial cells, loosen the wart and contribute to the chemical destruction of this formation. As for polidocanol, it causes microthrombosis, or hardening of the blood vessels suitable for the wart, and also has a mild analgesic effect.

You need to apply Kollomak naturally, only externally, with the help of a special shaving brush attached to the package, which is built into the bottle cap. One drop of the solution should be dripped onto the wart twice a day. In the case of common lesions, when it is necessary to apply the drug to large areas of the skin, at a time, more than 1 ml of solution, or 10% of the entire package, should not be consumed. If the product is used in children, it can be applied to only one wart. In addition to warts, this drug is indicated for the treatment of chronic calluses, softening rough areas of the epidermis on the skin of the feet. Usually, the course of this remedy does not last longer than 1 week. This product is produced by the Egyptian company Heinrich Mac, and 10 ml of solution in a bottle with a lid will cost 350 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

During treatment, there is usually a slight reddening of the swelling area on the healthy skin around the wart. It usually disappears after two days, and you shouldn't be afraid. This is normal. Treatment with Kollomac is painless, and after a few days a dark brown scab appears on the wart. In no case should it be removed, the scab should fall off on its own. In addition to these minor unpleasant symptoms, intolerance to salicylates, acid interactions with certain other drugs, for example, sulfonylurea derivatives, which are used for diabetes, are possible. Also, a relative disadvantage will be the need to wait until the solution dries, the drug cannot be used in children under 1 year old, and, most importantly, you need to apply the product only on simple warts, and it is forbidden to apply Collomac on birthmarks, genital mass, face or covered hairs.

Verrukacid

Rating: 4.8

This is a domestic remedy for combating warts, which has a very simple composition: aromatic alcohol phenol and metacresol. Together, these two active chemicals cauterize, coagulate the skin, and have an antiseptic effect. Verrukacid is shown not only for ordinary warts located on the skin of the hands and feet, but also in the presence of papillomas, dry calluses, keratomas and genital warts.

This drug must be applied once with a thin wooden stick on small warts and papillomas, the size of which does not exceed 2 mm. If the formations are larger, then you need to lubricate them several times, usually from 3 to 4, repeating the application after each drying. Usually, for the complete reduction of warts on the hands and soles, it is necessary to apply Verrukacid 7 to 10 times with an interval of 3 minutes. In order not to cause a burn of the surrounding normal skin areas, it is necessary to lubricate the wart with zinc paste around the circumference, for prevention purposes. As for genital warts, it is recommended that the procedure for their removal with Verrukacid be carried out by a dermatovenerologist or urologist. As in the previous case, a scab develops on the warts, which disappears on its own, on average, after a week.

If, after its disappearance, it turned out that the formation was not completely removed, you can re-process it. If necessary, the number of such repeated procedures can be up to 4 or 5. This drug is produced by the domestic pharmaceutical company Retinoids, and it is produced in a 2 ml bottle, and its cost is 240 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The disadvantage of Verrukacid will be a rather gross action, since the ingredients are not specific or dermatotropic. But, despite their high overall activity, the effect may not develop immediately, and in extreme cases, treatment can be carried out up to 5 courses, which will take more than a month in total. Verrukacid is contraindicated in the presence of formations on the mucous membranes and border of the lips, in children under seven years of age, and there is also a limitation on the area of ​​the lesion. It should not be applied to the skin with a total area of ​​more than 20 square centimeters in order to avoid systemic resorption. On the other hand, the advantage is ease of use and low cost.

Solkoderm

Rating: 4.8

The real 'hellish mix' for warts is Solcoderm. It contains copper nitrate, strong nitric and acetic acids, as well as lactic and oxalic acids. It is produced in liquid form. One package is just one ampoule with a volume of 0.2 milliliters, practically 2-3 drops. Such a small volume is dictated by security reasons. Very strong acids can cause severe burns, especially when splashed into the mouth and eyes, and in everyday life they can cause damage to property.

When treated with Solkoderm, drying and necrosis of the affected tissue rapidly develops. At the very beginning, when applied to the skin, it discolors, and then turns pale or yellow. This is a characteristic sign of drying and mummification. The tissue is already considered dead, and then it only needs to lose water and acquire a dark brown color. The resulting scab after a few days peels off by itself painlessly.

Solkoderm is applied to common and plantar warts, it can be used if the patient has genital warts, with certain types of nevi, but with obligatory confirmation of its good quality. If you ineptly reduce the wart, then there may be effects of an overdose, and damage to the deep layers of tissue, therefore Solkoderm should be applied either by a doctor or directly under medical supervision, with preliminary treatment of the skin area with ethyl alcohol or ether. First you need to remove the stratum corneum on the warts, if any. To improve the necrotization of the epidermis, it is desirable after application of Solcoderm and its drying up to 3 times a day, these areas should be treated with 70% ethyl alcohol.

Solkoderm is produced by the Valeant company, and such a small ampoule costs 955 rubles, which makes it one of the most expensive in a wide pharmacy sale. If the quantity was 2 ml (only 2 cubic cm), then this ampoule would cost about 10 thousand rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of Solcoderm is the speed of action, high activity, and side effects include a slight short-term burning sensation, and, possibly, the subsequent formation of a scar. The disadvantage of Solcoderm is its extremely high cost, given the extremely small volume of packaging, and the cheapness of the initial components, which are produced in tens of tons at chemical plants. The inconvenience will be the need to involve medical personnel in the process, the subsequent use of strong ethyl alcohol, as well as the chemical instability of the solution. This fact means that one ampoule is only meant to treat one wart, and only once. It is definitely very expensive. Otherwise, this remedy is very effective, and in the event that the patient has a single and small wart, then Solkoderm is an excellent choice. Of course, if there is a thousand rubles for a 'one-off' procedure.

Kondilin

Rating: 4.7

As the name suggests, this drug, produced by Yamanouchi, is designed to eliminate genital warts. And, although warts are not exactly warts, it is necessary to include in the rating at least one remedy specially created for the treatment of genital warts. Condilin contains podophyllotoxin, which has not only a cauterizing and mummifying effect, as in the past, but also the so-called antimitotic. In illiterately written articles on the Internet, they sometimes write 'antimycotic', that is, antifungal, but fungi have absolutely nothing to do with it. Antimitotic – means 'prevents mitosis', is the division and reproduction of cells. That is why Condilin is much more expensive than its predecessors, because in addition to chemical destruction, it 'inhibits' cell division and prevents relapses.

You should know that Kondilin is specially created for the treatment of genital warts only, and should not be applied to warts, this is unlikely to lead to any desired effect. Special applicators, which are attached to the package, are a plastic ring with a long handle. It must be dipped in the solution and then put on the warts, thus, smearing it from all sides. Condilin should be applied in this way within 3 days, in the morning and in the evening, after 12 hours. Then they take a break for 4 days, and then continue again. In this case, the course should not exceed 1 month. The cost of one package of Condilin with a volume of 3.5 ml with an active ingredient content of 0.5% is, on average, 3000 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

Kondilin is a powerful modern remedy that lasts for a long time. But it is advisable to apply it exactly on warts, since the drug is quite allergic. Side effects include itching, burning, small ulcers, inflammatory signs, swelling, redness and soreness. Therefore, it is advisable to carry out treatment under the supervision of a physician. Before you start applying the drug, you should smear the surrounding healthy tissue around (for example, on the head of the penis), zinc ointment, or petroleum jelly.

Lapis pencil

Rating: 4.6

Lapis is silver nitrate, which also belongs to cauterizing compositions. Lapis pencil is used not only in medicine, but also in jewelry: its application to metal allows you to distinguish between gold and fake. It is almost forgotten by modern medicine, but in vain. In addition to the bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effect, the lapis pencil still cauterizes and necrotizes the epidermis very well. If small warts appear on the hands or feet, then if you immediately use a lapis pencil, you can get rid of them without any expensive drugs. Silver nitrate has a bactericidal effect and prevents human papillomavirus (HPV) from developing in warts.

How to use a lapis pencil to remove warts? To do this, you need to wet the tip in cold water, and rub the wart once or twice a day. An instruction is attached to each pencil, and the duration of the course of treatment should be determined based on this instruction. It is produced by OOO Ignacamp, Russia, Manturovo. One pencil costs 145 rubles, which is very inexpensive.

Advantages and disadvantages

Pencil is an inexpensive first-line treatment that can reduce common vulgar warts as soon as they appear, and is very effective. Perhaps only the hypersensitivity to silver does not allow its use. A contraindication would be the presence of warts near the mucous membranes, the red border of the lips, and the eye area.In addition, in no case should you lubricate healthy skin with a pencil pencil, as this can cause a chemical burn, albeit not so pronounced.

Do-it-yourself cryodestruction of warts

The use of cauterizing drugs is not entirely safe. There is a completely different direction for the destruction of warts, namely, with the help of ultra-low temperatures. Usually liquid nitrogen is used for this. No preparation is required, you can do everything yourself, since there is no special technique for this. Instant freezing of warts immediately relieves pain, or, in extreme cases, causes only a feeling of slight discomfort.

The cold instantly coagulates the vessels, and therefore bleeding does not occur with such methods of removal. If liquid nitrogen is applied correctly, then cryodestruction does not cause the development of scar tissue. What modern drugs are sold in pharmacies for removing warts using extreme cold? This choice is small. On the modern domestic market, these are two Western drugs: Cryopharma and Wartner Cryo. Let's consider them. Since the drugs are very similar, it makes no sense to study them separately. The only difference is that Wartner Cryo has a 15 ml bottle larger, has a different name and is produced in Ireland. Their price is about the same: more than 900, but less than 1000 rubles for the end of 2018.

Cryopharma and Wartner Cryo – European quality of cryodestruction

Rating: 4.8

Cryopharma is nitrogen in a 35 ml aerosol can, manufactured by Pharma spray, the Netherlands. This drug is able to remove small and medium warts, including old ones and plantar ones. The active ingredient is liquid nitrogen, which is ejected from a cylinder under pressure at a temperature of minus 196 degrees. You should carefully study the instructions: a special applicator is applied to the can, which must be put on the can, and then applied tightly to the wart, and then press the can. A sign of correct application is a slight burning sensation, and complete whitening of the wart after exposure to nitrogen.

Typically, the duration of cooling varies with the size of the wart. In the case of small formations, this is 10 seconds, in the case of plantar formations, which are covered with a thick layer of keratinized epidermis, the exposure time can be up to 40 seconds. Most often, one time is enough. If the wart is old, or has a too keratinized surface, then two or even three sessions of cryotherapy may be needed. In the event that after 3 sessions the wart has not been removed, then a specialist consultation is necessary. The average cost of one cylinder is 950 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The general benefits of cryodestruction have been described in the introduction to this section. The preparations are really very convenient, the applicator (Wartner Cryo is also available with an applicator) allows you to completely cover the wart, and does not cause nitrogen leakage. However, it is not always possible to remove the wart correctly right away. In some cases, it is not possible to treat hard-to-reach localization, for example, a wart on the back wall of the armpit. A large wart should be removed in several steps, and one bottle is enough for only 12 warts, and this is provided that they are not large. It is also quite difficult to control the depth of penetration: if the cold damages tissues deeper than necessary, then the possible development of a scar.

Quite often, within a few days after the procedure, there is a slight soreness, burning sensation and flushing of the skin. Unlike a chemical scab, there is a longer healing time with cold freezing, which can last even up to a month. Finally, cryodestruction is an 'imprecise' treatment and can be compared to shooting at squares. If the application of the same Solcoderm can be performed very accurately, then it will never be possible to spray liquid nitrogen under pressure with such precision, and the cooling area will be much larger than a wart. Almost always, during cryodestruction, healthy areas are also affected.

The best keratolytics for warts

Keratolytic drugs often come to the rescue of both the first and second groups of funds. If the wart is covered with a large and thick layer of hard stratum corneum, then it is difficult to etch with chemicals, and may not freeze immediately. Therefore, before applying cryodestruction or chemical necrosis, in some cases it is necessary to cleanse layers of both dense plantar warts and neoplasms of other localization, covered with a thick stratum corneum. For this, a group of keratolytics is used.

Vartox – cream paste

Rating: 4.9

Vartox is a cream paste, a cross between liquid and thick. It can easily cope with small warts and spines on its own, and does not require the use of aggressive chemical methods or cryodestruction methods. Its action is that urea, or urea, intensively softens the skin, removes horny layers, and glycyrrhizic acid, which is found in licorice root, helps to suppress the human papillomavirus.

This paste is used in some cases, together with steaming the wart in hot water, after which it is delicately processed with a pumice stone or a foot scraper. After the wart has become soft and the stratum corneum has significantly decreased, you should take a cotton pad, apply cream paste on it, and apply an application to the softened and steamed wart. After that, the affected area must be sealed with a plaster, and avoid accidental ingress of water. The duration of the ointment is one day. After that, the remnants of the paste are washed off, and everything is repeated again. Usually after several sessions, but no more than five, the wart disappears. Between the application of Vartox cream paste, you can also use folk remedies, for example, the application of a clove of garlic, or alternate this paste with the application of a special keratolytic patch. A tube with 20g cream paste costs 270 rubles, produced by ZAO Zelenaya Dubrava, Russia.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of Vartox cream-paste is its low cost and widespread availability, and the disadvantage is the rather long process of eliminating the wart, the need to keep your hand dry. And if the wart is on the body, then it is necessary to periodically refrain from water procedures during treatment. The downside is the need to treat the wart with either a special scraper or pumice stone. If it is not enough to steam it, then it is possible to damage the formation, cause bleeding or even infection, therefore, during the first application, you need to be especially careful, do not rush, steam the wart as best as possible, and use an antiseptic before using the scraper: hydrogen peroxide, a weak solution of potassium permanganate, or even a regular cologne.

Salipod

Rating: 4.8

If you go to the pharmacy and ask for a patch for plantar warts, then, most likely, you will be offered Salipod. These are the products of the domestic company Veropharm, which are widely represented in pharmacies, and are inexpensive. So, a plaster with an area of ​​60 square centimeters (610) costs, on average, only 80 rubles. It contains an effective keratolytic – salicylic acid, which intensively softens the keratinized surface and prevents fungi and microorganisms from multiplying on it. Additional components are sulfur, which dries out and prevents weeping calluses. Additional ingredients are rosin, lanolin and organic rubber. They soften the skin, disinfect and stimulate the formation of new tissue, while the rubber provides elasticity and adhesion of the patch to the skin.

The scheme of using Salipod for plantar warts and various types of cornified calluses, including core ones, is exactly the same as when using Vartox cream paste described above. First, you need to steam the corn or wart, carefully after disinfection, treat it with a pumice stone or a special scraper, and then fix the adhesive plaster on the affected area for 24 hours. After that, the place is processed again, and everything is repeated anew.

Advantages and disadvantages

In the event that you combine the use of Salipod with the subsequent application of a cauterizing drug, for example, Solcoderm, or you can achieve a double effect: both removal of the wart, and less consumption of expensive Solcoderm due to the fact that the wart will be pre-prepared. Therefore, despite the fact that Solkoderm is a 'one-time' remedy, the use of Salipod will allow Solkoderm to reduce not one, but two or even three warts.

Salicylic acid

Rating: 4.8

Finally, salicylic acid can also be used to soften warts. However, its concentration should be high, not less than 10%. At the same time, in pharmacies you can find an acid of a rather weak concentration, which does not exceed 1 or 2%. But if you manage to find a suitable remedy, then it can be applied to the wart once a day, and treat this place before applying in the same way as in the case of Salipod and Vartox cream paste. This cheap method is suitable for small warts, since salicylic acid, applied alone, has a greater risk of burns, does not improve skin trophism and healing, and if applied, then only on very small areas. Perhaps this is the cheapest of all means, since you can buy a bottle of salicylic acid with a strength of 10 to 60% for an amount not exceeding 50 rubles, and it lasts for a long time.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of using salicylic acid is simplicity and cheapness, but you should not save on your health, and to soften and reduce small warts, it is better to use special preparations, for example, Vartox paste, or Salipod. There are also special contraindications. So, salicylic acid is contraindicated in the presence of severe chronic skin diseases, with psoriasis, with decompensated diabetes mellitus and with suspicion of malignant degeneration of the wart.

The best antiviral and immune remedies for warts

Finally, in conclusion of the rating of drugs for the reduction of warts, it is necessary to consider drugs that affect not only topically, but also produce a systemic effect. This is a group of antiviral and immunomodulating drugs. It is appropriate to use them in the complex therapy of warts, when the human papillomavirus persists in the body against the background of a low immune response. They are shown for various immunodeficiencies and other pathological conditions.

It makes no sense to prescribe immunomodulatory and antiviral therapy to a person who has a single vulgar wart, which, most likely, can be dealt with on their own. But in the event that there is a recurrent condylomatosis with damage to the anogenital zone, with the presence of a herpes infection in the body, such funds will be shown.

By themselves, they do not cure warts, and after taking pills or injections, these formations do not dissolve and do not fall off. But immune drugs prevent recurrence, or the formation of warts in new places. Consider tablet and topical preparations, the most famous of which is the common oxolinic ointment.

Oxolinic Ointment (dioxotetrahydroxytetrahydronaphthalene)

Rating: 4.9

We are all accustomed to the fact that oxolinic ointment is produced to lubricate the nasal passages as a preventive measure during a flu epidemic. But for antiviral effects on warts, a completely different ointment is needed, with a concentration of 6 times stronger, or 3%. If you managed to buy such an ointment, then it is necessary to lubricate the warts from one to 3 times a day for a long time, which can be from a month to two months. It is possible to lubricate the wart with ointment at night, followed by applying waxed paper under the bandage so that the ointment works for a long time. This remedy helps to significantly reduce the activity of herpesviruses, papillomaviruses and molluscum contagiosum. The Tula Pharmaceutical Factory produces oxolinic ointment, and a tube weighing 10 g with a concentration of 3% costs 340 rubles. This is much more expensive than the usual 0.25% nasal ointment, which costs 20-30 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of oxolinic ointment is its chemical inertness, the ability to combine antiviral treatment with the application of keratolytic drugs, and also use it as a preliminary therapy before cryodestruction. So, if the patient noticed that chemical removal of the wart or destruction with liquid nitrogen causes a relapse (which indicates the activity of the virus), then the preliminary use of oxolinic ointment can significantly reduce the ability of the wart to recur. The downside is a rather inconvenient and long course, more calculated in order to 'starve out the virus' in conditions of immunodeficiency. Therefore, if a person wants a quick effect, then this method does not suit him.

Isoprinosine (Groprinosin, Normomed)

Rating: 4.8

Isoprinosine is a potent immunostimulant and is used in many viral diseases, such as acute, because chronic form. The former include influenza, measles, chickenpox, monocytic angina (or infectious mononucleosis). And among chronic viral conditions there is papillomavirus infection, which is most often the cause of the wart. The drug is available in tablets of 500 mg, and the immunostimulating effect is associated with the expression of receptors in the T-helper population, and with an increase in the activity of cytotoxic lymphocytes. It is necessary to use the drug in 6-8 tablets per day for an adult, with the existing dosage of 50 mg per kilogram of body weight per day, if divided into 3 doses. The duration of treatment is from 1 to 2 weeks. A package of 30 tablets, which is unlikely to be enough for an adult for a week, is quite expensive – 1,100 rubles. It is produced by the company Lusomedicament of Portugal.

This remedy should be prescribed by a doctor, based on low immunogram readings, and usually one or two warts are completely insufficient to waste 1,000 rubles. Therefore, the appointment of isoprinosine will be justified only in the case of high activity of the virus according to the results of tests, for example, the determination of antibodies in blood plasma and PCR for the human papillomavirus.

Advantages and disadvantages

The disadvantage of this remedy, as mentioned above, is the inability to cope with warts without topical treatment. All immune agents are prophylactic. Isoprinosine can be 'covered up' against the background of high viral activity in the body, and this will avoid relapses and the appearance of new warts instead of old ones that have been reduced. A relative disadvantage is the high price, and the advantage is the ability to influence immunity in a systemic way and develop the body's resistance not only to the human papillomavirus, but also to increase resistance during the period of influenza and adenovirus infection.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.