Recently, my daughter developed a wart on her elbow. They’re such funny things, appearing out of nowhere and growing into these peculiar, in-the-way bumps on the skin. Depending on where they choose to sprout, warts can be very annoying, especially in my daughter’s case, as she kept knocking it, and her attention was drawn to it every time she rested her elbows on a table. Ordinarily, we leave things to sort themselves out, but this one was a real pain for her.
A quick look at warts
Common warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, also called HPV. There are more than 100 types of this common virus. (source)
Here’s how it happens:
- HPV enters the body through a cut or scrape on the skin.
- The virus infects the skin cells, causing them to grow abnormally.
- The infected skin cells multiply rapidly, forming a wart.
Warts are contagious and can spread through:
〉Direct contact with an infected person’s wart
〉Touching contaminated surfaces or objects
〉Sharing personal care items like towels or razors
While warts can be unsightly and uncomfortable, most of them are harmless and can be treated with natural remedies, like the apple cider vinegar (ACV) method, which I’ll discuss below. If you don’t find success with this method, or prefer to see a medical professional, you might be keen to explore other options such as cryotherapy.
Of the different types of warts, the apple cider vinegar treatment is one we have only tried on your average wart (on legs, arms, hands etc.). You might like to investigate further if you have plantar warts or warts on the face, neck or sensitive areas, or if this method doesn’t work for you and your warts are bothering you.
How to use ACV to remove warts
It’s quite simple really, and yet the results continue to astound us.
- Apply a small amount of ACV to a cotton ball and secure it with a waterproof covering.
- Leave it overnight, removing the covering and cotton ball in the morning. My daughter is currently wearing long-sleeve shirts as it’s winter, but you might like to keep it covered to protect it and prevent any spreading of the virus.
- Repeat this process until the wart turns black and eventually falls off.
I didn’t bother taking photos, and now I wish I did!! The images below have been shared by a member of my community, and they are of her son’s wart.
How does it work?
Well, the acidity in ACV helps break down the wart tissue, making it a potent natural remedy. It has been used for centuries to treat various ailments.
Personally, other great uses for ACV, personally rated by me, include:
- a teaspoon swallowed neat as a cold/flu preventative, cough syrup and sore throat remedy (you might like to chase it down with water to preserve your teeth enamel)
- spritzed onto clean skin as a facial toner
- in a roller bottle and applied to zits (soooo good!)
- digestive aid and general wellbeing (I use it as a salad dressing every day)
An extra story for you (I haven’t tried this myself yet) – I just received a DM from the same community member that shared the images and success story above, to say “Another random thing I did with the ACV, was put it on a lump on my daughter’s foot and you would never believe it brought the splinter to the top. We didn’t even know it was in there.” Pretty cool hey?
So, give it a try and see the results for yourself! ACV’s effectiveness in treating warts is quite impressive. With patience and persistence, you can kick warts to the curb in a natural, non-invasive and affordable way!
