How do wart removers work?

Answer by  bl834 (1317)

The "old fashioned" liquid stuff you dab on usually is salicylic acid; it kills cells by corroding them. The new "freeze off" stuff contains something like liquid nitrogen; it kills cells by literally freezing them. Since warts often have a layer of dead skin on top it's most effective to cut that away before applying either remedy.

Answer by  Rathi (108)

The wart removers have Salicylic acid in them. This salicylic acid is a keratolytic and acts as a peeling agent. Thus the outer layer of skin is shed alongwith wart.

Answer by  brian7754 (243)

There are two types of wart removers - the kind that freeze the wart, and the kind that have to be repeatedly apprived. The freezing kind does just that - freezes the tissue to allow it to be removed. The other kind is a strong acid, which slowly eats away the wart tissue.

Answer by  G12345 (1808)

There are two types. The spray on freeze works by directly killing the skin cells that are infected by the virus via formation of ice crystals in the cell. The apply and leave are essentially chemo drugs that kill fast growing cells, like wart cells.

Answer by  countrygal (164)

All the wart removers I have bought freezes the core and then it drops off. It would take a few days of applying the remover to the area where the wart is for it to be effective.

Answer by  bitchstewie (489)

Wart Removers work by covering the wart with a bond that does not allow air to get to the wart. Without air the wart dies.

Answer by  fatkid (105)

To remove a wart you can apply a squaric acid and cover it with a band aid.so that over a period of days it will dissolve the infected skin or tissue.