Those people who have used tea tree oil on warts consider it as one of the best available treatment options for the infection. Read this article to gather more valuable information about tea tree oil for warts removal.
Warts are small abnormal growth on the skin surface. They are caused by a certain type of virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). This virus attacks the top layer of the skin surface by entering it through a broken part of the skin.
This infection then promotes rapid growth of the outermost layer of the skin, which results in formation of the warts. These non-cancerous growths are often found in clusters and are of different shapes and sizes. A wart can be identified as a skin bump,which is about one-fourth inch in diameter and its surface is either rough or it could be flat and smooth.
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It can grow in any part of the body like face, hands, legs, soles of the feet, genital area, etc. They are usually painless but when they get pressed or rubbed repeatedly, then they may become painful.
Benefits
Tea tree oil is also referred to as tea tree essential oil and it is obtained from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia tree found in Australia. This oil has a pale yellow color and has an aroma of nutmeg. Traditionally, it has been in use for treating cuts and infections of the skin.
Today, research studies have found that this oil has strong antiseptic qualities. It contains terpenoids, a component that can kill bacteria, fungi and viruses equally well. It is because of its excellent antiviral properties that tea tree oil is being used for warts treatment.
Most of the medicinal treatment involves destroying the warts but the medicines fail to kill the virus that causes the infection. As a result, warts tend to return after some time. If you are using tea tree oil for warts treatment, its antiseptic qualities eliminate the root cause of the infection and provide complete relief.
How to Use Tea Tree Oil for Removing Warts?
Warts may take a few months to few years to disappear on its own completely. People want to get rid of them fast either because they hurt a lot or simply because they look ugly. Moreover, if it is left untreated, they may spread from one part of the body to another as they are highly contagious in nature.
Tea tree oil is applied topically for treating warts. First of all, the infected part of the skin should be washed thoroughly. You cannot use the oil directly on it as it may cause skin irritation. Therefore, you must dilute the oil with equal amount of water or aloe vera gel and apply it on the warts. You should repeat this treatment twice a day. When you are applying the oil at night, you should cover up the area with a duct tape to ensure better penetration of the oil throughout the night. The applied tea tree oil dries out the area surrounding the warts due to which blood supply to the warts get cut off. As a result, the skin cells of the warts will die soon.
While treating genital warts with tea tree oil, you have to be more careful as the area is highly sensitive. Prepare a solution by mixing up equal parts of tea tree oil and water. Soak a gauze bandage into this solution and then squeeze out the extra liquid from it. Now, place this oil soaked gauze on the infected area and leave it untouched overnight. If you feel that the 50:50 solution is causing skin irritation, then you can add some more water to the oil.
Plantar warts, which appear on the soles of the feet are often very difficult to treat. To obtain a fast relief from them, you can take a foot bath along with the usual tea tree oil treatment. Add 10 drops of tea tree oil into the foot bath water and soak your feet into it for 20 minutes. This treatment should be repeated three times in a week for good results.
Tea tree oil for warts is considered as a safe treatment because it does not contain any toxic substance that can cause any damage to the skin. The treatment for warts has to be continued for 2-4 weeks before the warts fade out or drop off. However, in some cases, where the warts are stubborn, it may take 3-4 months to disappear completely.