How can I get rid of warts that have suddenly developed on my daughter's face and hands

asks jayne b-t:
A. Warts are very common - especially in young children - and very easily spread. They are caused by the human papillomavirus HPV and there are at least 30 known types. Common warts are small firm, well-defined brown or flesh-coloured growths, often with a rough surface, which appear on hands, face and knees.

Q. What's the best way to get rid of them
A. Your immune system will deal with them eventually. About half of all warts disappear in six to 12 months, although it may take up to three years. You can buy wart-removing treatments from pharmacies or health food shops. If the warts are very unsightly or are in an awkward place, they can be removed by your GP or local hospital using cryosurgery (liquid nitrogen freezes the wart solid and it falls off eventually), or electrocautery (heat applied by an electric current has the same effect), or they can be cut away.

Q. What about alternative treatments
A. There are some traditional remedies straight from your garden. Greater celandine - or wartweed - is known in herbal circles as a wonder wart cure. Squeeze some leaves to get the juice and rub just a little directly on to the wart. If you do this regularly, the wart is supposed to disappear within a few days. (The plant is safe to use externally only.) The white sap of a dandelion is reputed to be useful, too, when dabbed directly on to the warts.

Q. What about the lemon juice cure
A. Another traditional remedy, and very simple: just rub the warts with fresh lemon juice every morning until they disappear. Other kitchen cures include onion: chop up an onion, put it in a bowl, cover with salt and leave overnight. Dab the warts twice a day with the resulting juice. Pineapple, too, contains an enzyme that is supposed to break down warts - rub some on several times a day.

Q. Can you charm your warts away
A. Many people have got rid of warts by simply willing them away, especially in the days before wonderdrugs. In the 1940s, for example, children with warts were taken to Bellamy & Wakefield, a chemist's in Birmingham. There, the child's name and number of warts were solemnly recorded. Many of these children - now adults, of course - remember that their warts quickly disappeared, never to return...

Do know of a good cure for warts Post it here

By Sheena Miller