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Warts

Warts: It is common for warts to grow on the hands.

Warts: Overview

Warts are benign (not cancerous) skin growths that appear when a virus infects the top layer of the skin. Viruses that cause warts are called human papillomavirus (HPV). You are more likely to get one of these viruses if you cut or damage your skin in some way.

Wart viruses are contagious. Warts can spread by contact with the wart or something that touched the wart.

Warts are often skin-colored and feel rough, but they can be dark (brown or gray-black), flat, and smooth. 

Image used with permission of the American Academy of Dermatology National Library of Dermatologic Teaching Slides.


Wart under a child's nose: Children frequently get common warts.

Warts: Signs and symptoms

There are a few different types of warts. The type is determined by where it grows on the body and what it looks like. The following describes the signs (what a person sees) and symptoms (what a person feels) for some of the different types of warts.

Common warts

(also called vurruca vulgaris)

If you see a wart on your child's face, check your child's hands for warts. The virus that causes warts can spread from the hands to the face through touch or nail biting.

Common warts have these traits:

Plantar warts: These warts appear on the sole of the foot and can be hard to treat.

Foot warts

(also called plantar warts)

Plantar warts have these traits:

Flat warts

Flat warts have these traits:

Warts: This boy has HIV, and warts cover his hands and other parts of his body.

Filiform warts

Filiform warts have these traits:

HIV weakens the immune system, so the body often cannot fight the virus that causes the warts.

Images used with permission of the American Academy of Dermatology National Library of Dermatologic Teaching Slides.


Warts: Who gets and causes

Who gets warts?

Anyone can get warts. Some people are more prone to getting a wart virus (HPV) than others. These people are:

In children, warts often go away without treatment. A dermatologist should treat warts that hurt, bother the child, or quickly multiply.

What causes warts?

Viruses called human papillomavirus (HPV) cause warts. It is easier to catch a virus that causes warts when you have a cut or scrape on your skin. This explains why so many children get warts. Warts also are more common on parts of the body that people shave such as the beard area in men and the legs in women. You can spread warts from one place on your body to another.

Warts can spread from person to person. You can get warts from touching a wart on someone’s body. Some people get a wart after touching something that another person’s wart touched, such as a towel. It often takes a few months for warts to grow large enough to see.


Warts: Diagnosis and treatment

How do dermatologists diagnose warts?

A dermatologist can tell whether you have a wart by looking at it. In rare cases, a dermatologist may need to perform a skin biopsy to be certain. If a dermatologist needs to perform a biopsy, the doctor will remove the wart and send it to a lab. At the lab, a small piece of the wart will be looked at under a microscope.

A biopsy is a safe and quick procedure for a dermatologist to perform. It should not cause any anxiety.

How do dermatologists treat warts?

Warts often go away without treatment. This is especially true when children get warts. In adults, warts may not disappear as easily or as quickly as they do in children. Although most warts are harmless, dermatologists do treat them.

You should see a dermatologist if you cannot get rid of the warts, the warts hurt, or you have many warts. Dermatologists have many treatments for warts. The treatment used depends on the patient’s age and health as well as the type of wart.

A dermatologist may use one of the following treatments:

If the warts are hard-to-treat, the dermatologist may use one of the following treatments:


Another type of immunotherapy involves getting shots of interferon. The shots can boost the body’s immune system, which gives the body the ability to fight the virus.

Outcome

There is no cure for the wart virus. This means that warts can return at the same site or appear in a new spot.

Sometimes, it seems that new warts appear as fast as old ones go away. This happens when the old warts shed virus cells into the skin before the warts are treated. This allows new warts to grow around the first warts. The best way to prevent this is to have your dermatologist treat new warts as soon as they appear.


Warts: Tips for managing

Warts can often be treated at home. The following explains when you can safely treat warts at home and when you should see a dermatologist.

Self-treatment

You can get some wart remedies without a prescription and treat the warts yourself. This may be enough to get rid of the warts. The only problem with self-treatment is that you might mistake another kind of skin growth for a wart. Some skin cancers look like warts.

You should see a dermatologist when you have:

At-home remedies

You can use the following at home:

Ask your dermatologist if you are unsure about the best way to treat a wart.

Prevention

To prevent warts from spreading, dermatologists recommend the following:


© 2019 American Academy of Dermatology. All rights reserved. Reproduction or republication strictly prohibited without prior written permission. Use of these materials is subject to the legal notice and terms of use located at https://www.aad.org/about/legal

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