Home wart treatments may have unintended side effects

Would you use a flamethrower to attack a wart?

Well, you just might be if you choose certain OTC devices to “freeze” it off.

According to an NPR report, cryogenic wart removers contain a “highly flammable” liquid ether and propane mixture that can easily ignite.

As a result, the FDA has gotten reports of 14 people either being burned or starting fires with such devices since 2009.

Despite label warnings, you may not be aware of just how dangerous they can be when used near a heat source. Besides starting fires, overuse of these products can damage skin, causing redness, blisters and tissue death.

By contrast, salicylic acid wart removers that do the job gradually don’t pose a fire hazard. Nor does using duct tape to peel away layers of the wart. (Could that be the millionth use found for duct tape?)

And if those methods don’t work, you can always go for laser surgery or liquid nitrogen treatments from a dermatologist.

But remember — it’s only a wart, don’t turn it into a “burning issue.”

Sources:
“One downside of home wart treatments: bursting into flames” Linda Poon, January17, 2014, NPR, npr.org