Seems like plantar warts plague a lot of people, so I figured it was time for an update on the plantar wart remedy I wrote about two years ago.
In case you haven’t seen the original post on using apple cider vinegar to remove plantar warts, I wrote about my friend Pete’s plantar wart and how he was using apple cider vinegar and duct tape to remove it. A recent commenter inspired me to see if it actually worked, so I sent off a message to my friend Pete and posed the question to him. Here is his reply:
“I switched to a mixture of salicylic acid and apple cider vinegar but yes it did go away, completely. No signs of it at all. I got the salicylic acid OTC (over-the-counter) and would apply it twice a day under the duct tape with a gauze soaked in cider. After 2-3 months it slowly started to dissipate and then one day when I pulled the tape off, the whole thing came off. It was a very slow process but it was the salicylic acid in the end which did the trick.”
Salicylic acid is a natural product that comes from the bark of the willow tree and has been used as an anti-inflammatory and analgesiac since ancient times. Nowadays it’s often used in treating acne, wrinkles, aging, and other cosmetic skin issues. Since salicylic acid loosens and removes aged cells, I can understand why it might be helpful for plantar warts.
Pete writes: “One other point which I forgot to mention. About half way through the process when it was incredibly tender, my doctors only concern when he saw it was that of infection. I made a point of cleaning it several times a day since it was on my foot.”
Let us know if this works for you, or if you have found other effective plantar wart remedies!
ACV works like a charm. Took about 2 wks to make the wart go AWOL–but it did. Don’t give up. Much more gentle than going to the doctor.
author of The Healing Powers of Vinegar
P.S. I used vinegar straight from the bottle. I applied the liquid to the bottom of my foot–probably about 4x daily.
Hey there. I had a plantar wart once or twice as a young teen — I cured it by placing my thumb over it and rubbing it in a circle, as many times per day as I could remember. The idea is, it irritates the roots of the wart and it dislodges and dies.
I have no idea if it has any founding in medicine whatsoever, but it worked — twice! They were gone — even the tiny mark — in less than three weeks.
I’ve tried everything. EVERYTHING. Even went to a foot doc who burned the two plantar warts I had out, by carving two big holes in my foot. The holes healed, of course, and those warts were gone. But within just a few months, there was a cluster of them right there in the same area.
So I started searching the web. Banana peels and duct tape, apple cider vinegar, liquid nitrogen… I tried it all.
What worked? Salicylic acid and occlusion (tape or band aid) and time. 10 weeks to be precise. Every morning, pull the old band aid off, take a pumice stone and shave off the dead skin and dried salicylic acid, sometimes even use some clippers to remove thick bits of dead skin over the wart. Then after my shower, apply more salicylic acid and apply band aid. At night before bed, just remove band aid, more acid, another band aid. Repeat in the morning for 10 weeks.
Nothing fast is a good idea. Slow is the only way to make sure that the virus doesn’t just jump from one wart to a new spot on the foot. The good news is that the majority of the pain was gone in just 2-3 weeks. Just remember not to stop the treatments just because the pain is diminished.
Bad news, once you’ve had one, you’re more prone to get them. So keep your tootsies clean and dry.
Personally I believe, warts are a severe skin issue, and the risks are in most cases underestimated! I believe proper treatment is important, better as quick as possible! Often many people are too ashamed, I guess, and do not make use of necessary treatment procedures fast enough. If you personally suffer from warts, better make sure to cure them as soon as possible!
Not long ago I found a unattractive minor wart on the side of my index finger. I seriously want to do away with it. So far, I tried a handful of cures however nothing helped. Perhaps a few of the procedures given by you actually provide help.