Warts are at the same time a very simple complaint and also somewhat mysterious. They are a tissue reaction to a virus, human papillomavirus (HPV). That has been known since before antiviral medications had been developed (and there are still no antivirals for the HPV that cause common warts).
What is surprising is that so many different treatments can sometimes work. So far as we know, no treatments work all the time. Plantar warts are often quite resistant to treatment, and so are the warts around the fingernails that troubled this reader:
Q. I had fingernail warts for 19 years. The dermatologist first burned them electrically and then froze them with liquid nitrogen. He even tried acid.
Nothing worked. The warts kept returning.
Getting Rid of Fingernail Warts:
I finally decided to try a home remedy instead. I applied Vicks VapoRub under and around the nails and then wore rubber gloves to bed. It took awhile but now I have healthy hands.
A. Growths that form around or under nails are called periungual warts, doctorspeak for fingernail warts. Nail biters are especially prone to develop these hard-to-treat lesions.
Dermatologists use a variety of techniques to treat periungual warts, including a laser procedure, surgery, acid applications or injections of a chemotherapy drug called bleomycin. All these approaches can be painful, however.
Many Uses for Vicks VapoRub:
People have used Vicks VapoRub for many sorts of skin problems including nail fungus, paper cuts, mosquito bites and dandruff. Yours is the first report we have received of success with Vicks for periungual warts.
We appreciate this unique approach but caution that it may not work for everyone. We offer a range of other wart remedies in our book, Quick & Handy Home Remedies. Some of them may also work for fingernail warts.
