What Are Warts?
Warts are benign (not cancerous) skin growths that are quite common. They appear when a virus infects the top layer of the skin. Viruses that cause warts are called human papillomavirus (HPV). They can appear anywhere on the skin, including on the feet, face, legs and genitals. You are more likely to get one of these viruses if you cut or damage your skin in some way.
Wart viruses can be very contagious and can spread by contact with the wart.
Types of Warts
The type is determined by where it grows on the body and what it looks like. The following describes the signs and symptoms for different types of warts.
Common Warts (also called vurruca vulgaris)
- Grow most often on the fingers, around the nails, and on the backs of the hands.
- Are more common where skin was broken, such as areas a person has been picking at hangnails, or biting fingernails.
- Can have black dots that look like seeds (often called “seed” warts).
- Most often feel like rough bumps.
Foot Warts (also called plantar warts)
- Most often grow most on the soles (plantar surface) of the feet
- Can grow in clusters
- Often flat or grow inward (walking creates pressure, which causes the them to grow inward)
- Can hurt, feels like you have stones in your shoe
- Can have black dots
Flat Warts
- Can occur anywhere. Children usually get them on the face. Men get these most often in the beard area, and women tend to get them on their legs
- Are smaller and smoother than others
- Tend to grow in large numbers – 20 to 100 at a time
Filiform Warts
- Looks like long threads or thin fingers that stick out
- Often grow on the face: around the mouth, eyes, and nose.
- These often grown quickly.
Who Gets Them?
Anyone can get warts. However, some people are more susceptible to getting the virus (HPV) than others. These people are:
- People who bite their nails or pick at hangnails
- Children and teens
- People that have a weakened immune system
- In children, they often can go away without treatment. A dermatologist should treat them if they bother or hurt the child, or quickly multiply.
What Causes Them?
Viruses called human papillomavirus (HPV) cause warts. It is easier to catch the virus when you have a cut or scrape on your skin. This explains why so many children get them. They also are more common on parts of the body that people shave such as the beard area in men and the legs in women. They can spread from one place on your body to another.
Warts can also spread from person to person. You can get them from touching one on someone’s body .Your more likely to get HPV from wet surfaces, such as pool areas, shared showers, or a towel an infected person has used. You can find some prevention methods here.
If you have warts or begin to see the signs of them contact the experts at Bay Dermatology today and we’ll get to work right away to bring your skin back to it’s original you.