Warts are medically benign, and more than half of them disappear within two years without intervention. For those who don't want to wait, an arsenal of treatment options has emerged in recent years.

"There is no silver bullet for warts," says Joshua L. Fox, a dermatologist and founder of Advanced Dermatology and the Center for Laser and Cosmetic Surgery in New York. But with modern treatments, he says, "we are able to eliminate the warts" and that helps "prevent the spread from family member to family member and friend to friend."

A round of "benign neglect" is what dermatologist Randall Coverman prescribes in most cases. If standing pat isn't your style, he says over-the-counter wart liquids and patches that contain salicylic acid "do keep them from getting larger."

If after several weeks there is no change, a dermatologist can try freezing warts with liquid nitrogen, the gold standard for warts. But freezing can cause scarring and discoloration, and for kids, can be painful.

Cantharidin — an extract from the blister beetle — is another option. Doctors mix the extract with other chemicals, slather it on the wart and cover the area with a bandage. After a time, the wart sloughs off.

If cost isn't an issue, Coverman calls imiquimod cream (sold under the brand name Aldara) "a great treatment." It boosts the immune reaction to warts and helps the body battle HPV.

Stubborn warts might require more invasive options, such as injecting the diluted chemotherapy drug bleomycin into the wart. Coverman says the drug works, but "no more so than other things," adding that the injections can be painful.

When all else fails, wart-sufferers can try laser surgery or regular surgery to excise or destroy the wart; both are painful and potentially scarring.

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