What methods are available for the treatment of warts?

Over-the-counter methods for eliminating warts include topical applications of acids such as salicylic or lactic acid. These may be in a liquid form or may be incorporated into plasters (Table 26-2). When choosing a treatment plan for warts, the physician’s primary concern should be to not make the treatment worse than the warts. For example, a treatment worse than the disease would be to excise and suture a wart on the weight-bearing surface of the foot and then have the wart recur in the middle of a painful scar. Sometimes, the best treatment is benign neglect. Resistance and recurrence are common with all treatments.