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What do banana skin, nail varnish and garlic have in common? They are said to help clear warts – and what’s more, there is some evidence that they might actually work.
Around 10 per cent of the population (30 per cent among children and young adults) are living with a wart.
Essentially bumpy skin growths, warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which leads to abnormal cell growth and, in some cases, encourages a hard protein called keratin to form in the top layer of the skin.
‘There are over 100 types of warts affecting different areas of the body,’ says Dr Adil Sheraz, a dermatologist at the Royal Free NHS Trust in London.
As well as the hands, they may appear on the legs and face, as well as the feet (when they are referred to as verrucas).
Often dome-shaped or flat, the black dots visible within some warts and verrucas aren’t the ‘roots’ but minute blood vessels that have been damaged by the growing wart.
Warts are easily spread through skin-to-skin contact or indirect contact – for example, via an infected towel or a contaminated surface around swimming pools, making them a problem at this time of year.
‘Although generally harmless, the unsightly nature of warts and the degree of social stigma associated with having them (not helped by their contagious nature) can lead to embarrassment and a lack of self-esteem,’ says Dr Sheraz, who is also spokesman for the British Association of Dermatologists.
Dr Adil Sheraz, is a dermatologist at the Royal Free NHS Trust in London and spokesman for the British Association of Dermatologists
Yet because they are benign growths, ‘the NHS usually declines to treat them,’ says Dr Sheraz – unless they’re on the feet and are making it difficult to walk, for instance.
Over-the-counter remedies – such as plasters and gels – often contain salicylic acid, which helps by destroying the top layer of thickened skin tissue.
‘Treatment is generally all about destroying the warty tissue, either by triggering an immune response to the virus to get rid of the wart – or by using drugs that inhibit cell growth, thereby destroying the tissue,’ he adds.
Some GPs will perform cryotherapy, using liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart in the hope of killing it. If successful, the wart will fall off within two to four weeks.
But not all GPs offer it and having it done privately can cost hundreds of pounds or more and there’s no guarantee it will work, explains Dr Sheraz.
‘Warts can be very tricky to treat – even the well-known treatments used by dermatologists such as immunotherapy, where a chemical is painted [on to] or injected into the wart to stimulate the body’s own immune response to destroy the virus, can fail,’ he says.
‘This is partly why there are so many old wives tales for remedies, many of which people swear by.’
Because these patches are benign and don’t become cancerous, removal is usually considered cosmetic and not funded by the NHS
Around 10 per cent of the population (30 per cent among children and young adults) are living with a wart
Although typically the wart will clear in time, persistent warts that don’t budge even with treatment should be checked by a GP, as it may suggest an underlying immune deficiency condition.
A fast-growing wart should also be checked as warts can resemble skin cancers or actinic keratoses (pre-cancerous growths).
But if you have a slow-growing wart that you are keen to get of and ‘nothing else has worked’, then there are a few home remedies that might be worth a try, says Dr Sheraz. ‘You certainly have nothing to lose.’
So which home ‘cures’ are worth a go? Dr Sheraz talks us through the options.
DUCT TAPE
This waterproof adhesive tape is actually recommended for use on warts by the NHS.
The theory is that covering the wart with tape creates a warm, moist environment, which leads to the skin beneath the tape breaking down, stimulating an immune response.
A 2002 study concluded that covering a wart with duct tape was more effective than cryotherapy
One study back in 2002, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, concluded that covering the wart with duct tape was more effective than cryotherapy; 85 per cent of warts treated with duct tape cleared as opposed to 60 per cent with cryotherapy.
However, Dr Sheraz points out that more recent research has found the evidence to be quite mixed.
If you’re going to give it a go, cut a piece of the tape the same size of the wart and stick it on top.
Leave it for six days, then remove it, soak the area in warm water and rub off any dead white skin with a nail file. Leave it for one night then repeat the process until the wart goes away.
TEA TREE OIL
Used by some to help with acne and athlete’s foot, tea tree oil has antimicrobial properties – meaning it kills microorganisms including bacteria and viruses, says Dr Sheraz.
A case report in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice in 2008 found that dabbing a wart with tea tree oil once daily for 12 days got rid of the wart for good.
However, Dr Sheraz warns that tea tree oil can be an irritant for the skin, so advises trying it on a test patch of skin first.
CLEAR NAIL POLISH
Painting a wart with nail varnish may help prevent the wart from spreading, as it prevents you from touching the infected area and passing the virus to other parts of your body or on to others, says Dr Sheraz.
Some argue that it can also help eliminate the wart by somehow cutting off the oxygen supply.
‘Unfortunately, I cannot see how this could work,’ says Dr Sheraz.
‘The wart derives its oxygen from the blood supply around it, so oxygen from the air is not required.’
Painting a wart with nail varnish may help prevent the wart from spreading, as it prevents you from touching the infected area and passing the virus to other parts of your body or on to others, says Dr Sheraz
GARLIC
Not the most fragrant of treatments but one 2014 study showed garlic extract to get rid of warts in 96 per cent of patients – and they didn’t come back, reported the journal Dermatologic Therapy.
The results were possibly down to the compound allium sativum in garlic, which has antiviral properties.
‘It sounds impressive,’ says Dr Sheraz, ‘however this trial only had a few patients in it.’
To give it a go, simply crush one garlic clove and place it on the wart – then cover with a plaster. Repeat daily and file down any dead skin in between applications.
However, garlic can be irritating – causing allergic skin reactions or blistering in some – so test it on a patch of skin before giving this remedy a go.
CRUSHED UP ASPIRIN
Aspirin contains acetylsalicylic acid, which is produced from salicyclic acid – the same acid recommended to treat warts, says Dr Sheraz.
A 2012 Cochrane review of topical treatments for non-genital skin warts concluded that salicylic acid was more effective than a placebo.
However, the home remedy version will contain considerably less in aspirin than there is in specific wart remedies.
One 2014 study showed garlic extract to get rid of warts in 96 per cent of patients – and they didn’t come back
If you want to try it, crush and mix the aspirin with a bit of water to make a paste. This can then be applied directly to the wart and kept in place with a bandage or plaster, then left overnight, says Dr Sheraz. Repeat and file down as you would with standard treatments.
SANDPAPER
This, along with a pumice stone or nail file, can be used to ‘sand down’ the wart, removing any thickened or dead skin.
Doing this helps to expose the underlying tissue which can make the application of any topical treatment more effective. Sandpaper is often used in conjunction with duct tape.
One benefit of sandpaper over nail files is that you can throw away the bit you’ve used, stopping the wart-causing virus from being spread, adds Dr Sheraz.
BANANA PEEL
This is one of the better-known wart remedies. The idea is you tape the inner side of a piece of banana peel over your wart, then leave it overnight, file down any dead skin and repeat for as long as it takes.
A 2016 study in Australia, published in The Journal of Health Design, tested how effective it was versus cryotherapy.
After one year neither treatment was more successful than the other. The only real difference was that cryotherapy was significantly more painful – and expensive. Exactly how banana peel works isn’t known, although it does contain some salicylic acid.
Using banana peel is one of the better known wart remedies – you tape the inner side of a piece of banana peel over your wart, then leave it overnight and file down any dead skin
FASTING SALIVA
One of the more unsavoury remedies, this involves applying the saliva in your mouth when you wake up, before brushing your teeth or eating, directly onto the wart – which is said anecdotally to ‘cure’ warts within days.
Morning saliva contains raised digestive enzymes and ‘there’s a theory that these could, somehow, eat away at the wart due to their mildly acidic content’, says Dr Sheraz. ‘Although I still find this extremely implausible.’
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
While the studies to back the use for this to remove warts is lacking, ‘it is acidic and therefore may work in similar way to the conventional treatment of salicylic acid to get rid of warts’, says Dr Sheraz.
Salicylic acid destroys the warty tissue layer by layer and irritates the skin, encouraging the body’s immune system to respond.
‘Be aware, however, that whilst apple cider vinegar is one of the milder vinegars, containing between 4 to 8 per cent acetic acid, it can still irritate the skin and even cause chemical burns,’ adds Dr Sheraz.
Should you wish to try it, mix two parts vinegar with one part water. Soak a piece of cotton wool in the mixture and place it on the wart; cover with a bandage. Leave on for a few hours and repeat as necessary.
