Warts are benign skin growths that are caused when the human papillomavirus (HPV) infects skin cells. You are more likely to get one of these viruses if you cut or damage your skin in some way. Warts are contagious and can be spread by contact with the wart or something that touched the wart.
Types of Warts
Warts can look a lot of different ways, and this often depends on the type of wart.
- Common warts most often grow on the fingers, around the nails, and on the backs of hands. They are more common where skin was broken, such as from biting fingernails or picking at hangnails and most often feel like rough bumps.
- Plantar warts grow most often on the soles of the feet. They are often flat or grow inward and sometimes grow in clusters. A plantar wart can hurt, and it may feel like you have a pebble in your shoe.
- Flat warts can occur anywhere. Children usually get them on the face, while men get them most often in the beard area, and women get them on their legs. Flat warts are smaller and smoother than other warts and tend to grow in large numbers (20 to 100 warts at a time).
Treatment
In most people (especially kids), the immune system will eventually clear the virus and the warts will resolve. However, it can sometimes take several months to years for the immune system to clear the warts. There is a smaller group of people that tend to keep persistent warts, meaning that the warts are never cleared by the immune system.
Warts are often very difficult to treat; however, there are many different options available to try to clear them. No treatment works for everyone and it usually takes multiple visits to resolve the warts completely. Your provider will determine the best treatment option(s) for you.
