A wart is caused by the HPV virus. In order to kill the wart you need to kill the virus. How you approach wart removal will determine the outcome.

One of the most common types of wart removal systems can be found in your local drug store. It's usually in the form of a liquid. You simply apply the liquid to the wart once or twice a day and over time; the liquid will penetrate the root's surface reaching into its core where it will kill it. You'll end up with a small hole in your skin where the wart once was. This will heal over and the wart will be a distant memory by then.

This same type of treatment is available in the form of medicated adhesive strips. The strips come with the solution pre-applied to them and all you do is open them and stick them to the wart. The time frame involved is about the same as are the results.

If you don't want to wait to get rid of your wart you can visit a doctor for treatment. Doctors normally employ a couple of different approaches when it comes to warts.

One is to use a technique that freezes the wart. This is painless and through the use of a special chemical the wart is frozen to the point the virus dies. This is especially effective if you have more than one wart. Often warts grow in groups and having a doctor freeze them reduces the risk of them spreading even further.

Another technique that doctors use for wart removal is called electrocautery which in simpler terms means burning the wart. The doctor uses a special tool that burns the wart and within a few weeks it develops into a scar which falls off. Either of these treatments are effective ways to remove warts.

In extreme cases where a wart is not responding to treatment your physician might suggest surgery. This would involve freezing the immediate area and then cutting the wart and the surrounding tissue out. The main concern with this approach is that there is a risk of you developing an infection. It's important to note though that a doctor generally won't suggest this unless he feels it's the only way to permanently remove the wart.