Warts are small, usually painless growths on the skin caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). They are generally harmless. However, warts can be disfiguring and embarrassing, and occasionally they itch or hurt (particularly on the feet).
The different types of warts include:
- Common warts: Usually found on fingers, hands, knees, and elbows. These are dome-shaped of grayish-brown color and have a rough surface that may look like the head of a cauliflower, with black dots inside.
- Filiform warts: These are finger-like shape of flesh-colored, and often grow on or around the mouth, eyes, or nose.
- Flat warts: These are about the size of a pinhead, are smoother than other kinds of warts, and have flat tops.
- Genital warts: These are often transmitted sexually and predispose to cervical, penile and vulval cancer.
- Mosaic warts: Mosaic warts on the sole of the foot are in clusters over an area sometimes several centimetres in diameter.
- Oral warts: It can affect the lips and even inside the cheeks.
- Periungual warts: This type of wart grows at the sides or under the nails and can distort nail growth.
- Plantar warts: Usually found on the bottom of the foot it can be very uncomfortable like walking.
Causes of Warts:
Warts are a type of infection caused by viruses in the human papillomavirus (HPV) family. There are more than 100 types of HPV. Warts can grow on all parts of your body. They can grow on your skin, on the inside of your mouth, on your genitals and on your rectal area. Common types of HPV tend to cause warts on the skin (such as the hands and fingers), while other HPV types tend to cause warts on the genitals and rectal area. Some people are more naturally resistant to the HPV viruses and don’t seem to get warts as easily as other people.
warts on the skin may be passed to another person when that person touches the warts. It is also possible to get warts from using towels or other objects that were used by a person who has warts.
Warts on the genitals are very contagious and can be passed to another person during oral, vaginal or anal sex. It is important not to have unprotected sex if you or your partner has warts on the genital area. In women, warts can grow on the cervix (inside the vagina), and a woman may not even know she has them. She may pass the infection to her sexual partner without knowing it.
Signs And Symptoms:
- Common warts: usually begin as tiny, smooth, flesh colored eruptions and grow into rough growths perhaps 1/4 inch across or in clusters
- Flat warts: small flesh colored or pink growths with flat tops
- Genital warts: tiny eruptions that grow to resemble common warts
- Plantar warts: rough, flattened, callus like growths, often with tiny black dots in the center; frequently tender; can disrupt your posture, resulting in leg or back pain
Diagnosis of Warts:
A doctor usually can tell if a skin growth is a wart just by looking at it. Your doctor may take a sample of the wart and look at it under a microscope (a skin biopsy). This may be done if it is not clear that the growth is a wart. It may also be done if a skin growth is darker than the skin surrounding it, is an irregular patch on the skin, bleeds, or is large and fast-growing.
Treatment of Warts:
Over-the-counter medications can remove warts. These are applied to the wart every day for several weeks. DO NOT use these medications on your face or genitals. It helps to file the wart down when damp (for example, after a bath or shower) before applying these medications. DO NOT treat warts on your face or genitals yourself. See your health care provider.
Pain and pressure from plantar warts can be treated with special cushions that are available at drug stores.
Your health care provider may use stronger (prescription) medications, such as podophylin or salicylic acid, for removal of persistent warts. Surgical removal or removal by freezing (cryotherapy), burning (electrocautery), or laser treatment may be needed.
Immunotherapy, done by injecting a substance that causes an allergic reaction, may also be considered by your health care provider. A topical medication calledimiquimod may also be used.
A vaccine called Gardasil prevents infection against the strains of viruses that often cause genital warts and cervical cancer in women.
DO NOT attempt to remove a wart yourself by burning, cutting, tearing, picking, or any other method.