Warts On Face – Causes & Home Remedies

Nearly half the population may face facial wart problems at some time or the other in life. These warts may turn bothersome as they grow. Hence, it becomes imperative to get rid of warts on the face as early as possible. However, the treatment for warts on face should begin with finding the reason for which the warts began to appear on the face and head.

Read through our HealthSpectra post to learn everything about the causes, prevention and home remedies for wart removal on the face.

What Are Warts? How To Identify Them?

A wart is a skin growth caused by some types of the virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV enters the body from the broken area of the skin and infects the top layer of skin.

Warts are to be identified carefully. They should not be mistaken or confused for moles, pimples, warts, and malignant neoplasms. Below are a few indications to help identify warts:

• Colorless, white, flesh colored warts develop. They may be dark brown or gray when they are young.
• They appear uneven or rough
• They are raised above the skin
• They may cause pain when pressed.

Causes For Warts On The Face?

If we dig into the causes for warts on face,

1. The main reason is found to be the human papillomavirus spread from its carrier/ from the other person.
2. Second common cause for facial warts is due to other viruses because of poor hygiene.
3. Other secondary reasons include:

• Metabolic disorders;
• Weakening of the immune system, hence the warts often develop in older people, adolescents, pregnant women, or people with poor health;
• Nervous breakdowns

Types of Facial Warts:

Warts can be broadly classified into common warts, flat warts, and filiform warts. Common wart is a dense rounded growth with a papillary surface that in light brown or gray in color. It is a little elevated above the skin and is usually formed around the lip area. Flat wart has a smooth surface and is in pink or light-brown color. They form as multiple and affects adolescents and children. Filiform warts develop in the ridge shape and one to four millimeters long. They usually are vulnerable to injuries.

Any of such warts on the face may lower one’s self-esteem and may avoid you making communication. Many warts tends to grow in size gradually, which may be even more bothersome. So it becomes essential to get rid of warts in a secured way. Check below for pictures of warts on face.

Home Remedies to Treat Warts on Face:

To treat facial warts at home, first thing to do is to remove external irritants. Follow these steps, before following any home remedy, wash your body only with liquid soap. Do not rub or shave to eliminate inflammation; never use any tonics or alcohol to get rid of the warts, as they may become vulnerable to infections.

Check out the popular home remedies which are widely used natural remedies for wart removal on the face. These are generally safe. However, check for the sensitivity of your skin before proceeding. To be even more cautious, discuss with your physician before proceeding.

1. Use Natural Disinfectors
2. Use Aloe Vera
3. Apply Salicylic Acid
4. Apple Juice
5. Wormwood Or Celandine Juice
6. Simple Sea Salt And Horseradish Juice
7. Hydrogen Peroxide
8. Use Potato
9. Aloe juice, Goat fat, Beet and Horseradish Juice
10. Defect Lemon Essential Oil

1. Use Natural Disinfectors:

Onions and garlic work as the effective natural disinfectors. Husk both onions and garlic, grate and mic them.

How to Apply:

Apply the mixture on the wart, fix bandage and leave for 40 minutes and then wash off. Repeat this 4 to 5 times a day. Adding a teaspoon of vinegar to the mix may make it even more effective.

The method is not suitable on the sensitive face parts like face, eyes, nose, etc.

2. Use Aloe Vera:

Aloe vera is known for its anti-inflammatory properties that can be very effective in treating warts.

How to Apply:

Chop aloe vera leaves and apply the resulting puree on a gauze or plaster. Apply bandage. Apply it overnight. Repeat if necessary.

Read More: Benefits of Aloe Vera Here

3. Apply Salicylic Acid:

The most common treatment, salicylic acid, removes warts by destroying the skin layer by layer.

How to Apply:

Immerse a ball or cotton swab in salicylic acid and apply on to the damaged area.

4. Apple Juice:

Apple juice of sour apples on the area that has warts. The medicinal properties of apple juice can help your skin become free of warts.

How to Apply:

Apply apple juice as smear on the small brown facial warts. Repeat regularly to see the propress.

5. Wormwood Or Celandine Juice:

Cauterize small warts with wormwood or celandine juice. Ensure to avoid contact with eyes.

How to Apply:

To take out the juice, crack a stem of celandine or wormwood and apply on the growth. Ashberry or calendula juice can be applied in a similar fashion.

6. Simple Sea Salt And Horseradish Juice:

The mixture can help skin get rid of warts.

How to Apply:

Mix 1 teaspoon salt and two tablespoons horseradish juice. Rub the mixture on the affected area and leave for around 20 minutes. Then, rinse with cold water. Repeat twice a day.

7. Hydrogen Peroxide:

Hydrogen peroxide can help remove warts by making them to fall off.

How to Apply:

Soak a cotton swab in 30% hydrogen peroxide and apply on the face to reduce chronic or subcutaneous facial warts. Hold for a couple of hours. Repeat twice day.

8. Use Potato:

Another popular method that is using the potato to treat the warts.

How to Apply:

Grate a potato with its peel and mash. Apply the potato mash on the face and leave it to dry. Repeat this atleast once a day.

9. Aloe juice, Goat fat, Beet and Horseradish Juice For Wart On Eyelid Or Nose:

How to apply:

Immerse cotton swab in any of the selected juices and insert on the eyelid or into the nostril. Hold 20 minutes and wash off. Repeat this 3 to 4 times a day.

10. Defect Lemon Essential Oil:

Astringent properties of lemon essential oil can reduce excess sebum on the skin by shrinking large pores.

How to Apply:

Apply the defect lemon essential oil on the affected area and cover it with the plaster. Repeat the procedure every 3 hours.

Note: It is advisable to treat with home remedies after consulting your doctor, as ideally, infectious warts are removed faster with medicines. Prescribed ointments effectively treat infections like candidiasis.

How to Get Rid Of Warts Medicinally:

Warts on the face are treated professionally based on its type like Common wart (Verruca vulgaris); Flat wart (Verruca plana); and Filiform warts.

1. The basic treatment for common warts on the face is by removing with liquid nitrogen or through the laser.
2. The conventional flat wart removal methods include the use of retinoids, liquid nitrogen, or laser.
3. Self removal of the filiform warts is highly prohibited due to the high probability of injury. Basic solutions include:

1. Directly apply salicylic acid onto the wart every day. This OTC is largely recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology as the wart remover for treating facial warts.

How it works:

The medication essentially peels away the layer after layer of the wart and totally removed. However, ensure to keep the solution away from the rest of the skin while applying.

2. Your doctor may apply cantharidin solution over the wart.

How it works:

This blistering agent lifts away the wart from the skin. Thus, the dead portions of the wart are removed and the growth may be removed by another treatment.

3. A prescription for tretinoin, a medicated cream, is generally used as acne treatment.

How it works:

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the tretinoin can help treat and remove facial warts. It should be applied directly to the wart to hinder the cellular growth.

4. Cryotherapy may be an option, but many do not consider this as an appropriate method for facial wart removal. A few doctors may prefer this assessment based on the severity and the location of the wart.

How it Works:

This method involves the application of a liquid nitrogen solution on the wart, to destroy its cells. Thus, the dead portions are removed followed by another application.

5. Surgical removal is the last option. Surgery is typically done with a scalpel due to decreased chance of scarring compared to laser.

How it Works:

The procedure involves scooping out the facial wart out of the skin. However, it is the last option only in reserved for extremely difficult warts.

Radio wave therapy,  cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen; photodynamic therapy, or laser therapy may become the last options if everything else fails.

Whatever be the treatment, it can be followed by implications like inflammation, irritation, or selling at the treated area. However, in most cases, they subside in a couple of days. If they not disappear, consult your doctor.

Tips to Prevent Formation of The Warts:

To prevent the recurrence of warts or avoid the chances on development on the first hand, follow a few simple measures listed below

• Maintain regular hygiene.
• Do not scratch wounds, moles, pimples, and papillomas.
• Get your regular appointment with dermatologist, it may help identify initial symptoms and thus increase the chances for prevention.
• They key is the nutrition. Consume highly nutritious diet and avoid junk and unhealthy food to lessen the chances of development of unnecessary warts on the face.

Overview:

Warts on the face can cause serious discomfort and it may not be easy to get rid of them. Follow all the doctor recommendations and maintain hygiene to avoid possible development of the Warts. Home remedies work out big incase of the facial warts.

FAQs:

• What Does a Wart Look like when it starts?

A wart may look like a small bump on the flat surface of the facial skin. Blood supply to the wart is facilitated by the tiny blood vessels that grow into it. The blood vessels look like dark dots at the center of the wart, in both plantar and common warts. However, the warts are generally painless.

• Are Warts Contagious? Do they spread from person to person?

As mentioned earlier, human papillomavirus (HPV) are the causative agents for the formation of facial warts. Even though they are benign, they are contagious is nature.

According to several studies, common warts can be spread through skin to skin contact. However, not all the viruses are contagious and the susceptibility of the opposite person to the virus depends on a his or her immune system. Studies revealed different reactions to HPV by members of same family.

• Where Do Warts Occur?

Apart from the face, warts usually occur on hands, feet, genitals, and any other part of the body. Warts occurring on the genitalia are Genital wart. A group of tightly clustered plantar-type warts called mosaic wart occurs on the hands or soles of the feet. Cauliflower-like cluster of warts called Periungual wart occurs around the nails. Plantar wart only found on pressure points on the soles of the feet.

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