Treatment of warts by keratolysis

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Two viral warts on a middle finger, being treated with a mixture of acids (like salicylic acid, brand name Aporil®) to remove them. A white precipitation forms on the area where the product was applied.

Keratolysis is the removal of dead surface skin cells and is a treatment for several types of wart. The most common keratolytic treatment of warts available over-the-counter involve salicylic acid. These products are readily available at most drugstores and supermarkets. There are typically two types of products: adhesive pads treated with salicylic acid, or a bottle of concentrated salicylic acid. Removing a wart with this method requires a strict regimen of cleaning the area, applying the salicylic acid, and removing the dead skin with a pumice stone or emery board. It may take up to 12 weeks to remove a stubborn wart.

1 Formulations
2 Molecular basis of therapeutic effect
3 Complications
4 References
5 External Links

[edit] Formulations

Some formulations are:

alcoholic solution containing glycerol
collodion which dries to a celluloid film / Duofilm
simple ointment
absorption ointment
oil in water cream

The amount of salicylic acid reaching the wart varies substantially depending on the formulation used^[1].

[edit] Molecular basis of therapeutic effect

salicylic acid reaches warts, lactic acid and collodion do not^[2]. Therefore these additional components have only an indirect role in therapy.
the molecular structure of the skin is altered at the centre of the wart^[3].
experiments indicated that salicylic acid bonding within the human papillomavirus-containing verruca tissue is more likely than simple acid dissociation upon dissolution in water within the tissue^[4].

[edit] Complications

Some cases of allergic contact dermatitis have been observed when using collodion formulations^[5]. This was found to be due to colophony in the collodion.