Skin Wart 

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A skin wart is a skin problem that many people have experienced during their lifetime. Although warts are bothersome in some ways, most are harmless. However, this does not mean that warts should simply be ignored. Most people do not want any complications developing and they do not want warts affecting the appearance of their skin.

Warts are often confused with other types of skin growths such as corns and calluses. Despite the similarity to these skin growths, warts are different.

What is a Skin Wart?

Basically, a skin wart is a benign tumour or growth of the skin that is caused by a wart virus. The wart virus accelerates the growth of keratin in the topmost skin layer leading to the growth of a rough and hard bump.

The specific virus responsible for warts is the Human Papilloma Virus or HPV of which there are several different strains. Different strains cause different types of warts and other strains of this virus can also cause other problems such as cervical cancer or skin cancer. Just because you have skin warts does not mean that you have or will have these other health conditions. However, when considering wart removal, you should consult your doctor to ensure that your wart is not malignant or misdiagnosed.

Quick Facts About Warts

• A wart can have many different sizes and shapes and can appear anywhere on the body. A size range is from 1 mm to 10 mm. They often appear on the hands and feet.
• Warts are usually skin colored
• Warts do not have roots and grow in cylindrical columns.
• Warts tend to affect kids and teenagers more often than adults.
• The wart virus exists in the skin cells of the wart. Therefore, warts can spread by direct contact with the wart or if the wart is scratched or picked at, leading to the virus spreading to other skin areas. The virus can also be spread by close contact with contaminated items such as towels or shower floors.
• It may take several months for skin warts to appear after contact with the wart virus.
• A suppressed immune system favors the formation of warts.
• Many warts are not painful, but some do cause pain.
• Black dots are occasionally present in warts. These dots are blood vessels in the wart that have clotted.
  

Types of Warts on Skin

There are several different types of viral warts, each with their own unique characteristics.

Common Warts, Verruca Vulgaris
Common warts are the type most often encountered. They are found on the fingers, hands, knees, and elbow skin areas.

Plantar Warts, Planter Warts, Foot Warts, Verruca, Verruca Pedis
Planter warts appear on the sole of the feet and are often painful to walk on.

Mosaic Warts
A mosaic skin wart can be found on the hands and feet and are basically a number of tightly clusters plantar type warts.

Flat Warts, Plane Warts, Face Warts, Verruca Plana
Plane or flat warts have a smooth flat top, are small, appear in multiples, are often yellowish or tan colored but other colors are possible, and appear on the hands, face, knees, and other areas.

Periungual, Subungual, or Finger Warts
Periungual warts are skin warts that grow underneath or near the nails.

Filiform Warts, Verruca Filiformis
Filiform warts are long and flesh colored. They often appear on and near the eyelids and lip areas as well as the neck and armpits.

Oral Warts
Oral warts are found on the lips and the inside of the cheeks.

Genital Warts, Condylomata Acuminata, Donkey Wart, Venereal Wart, Condyloma Acuminatum, Verruca Acuminata
Genital warts are transmitted sexually and are found on the genitals and around the anal area.

Wart Prevention

Although warts are a fairly common skin problem, there are certain steps that can be taken to lessen the risk of getting warts. In addition, individuals already with warts can prevent the spreading of the warts by following a few basic procedures. These preventative measures are outlined in the prevention of warts page.

Skin Wart Treatments

Anyone who has or has had warts in the past is aware that they can be very persistent. Warts can be very difficult to eliminate. However, there are various wart removal remedies or treatments that can be used to eliminate warts from the skin. Examples of these wart remedies include: occlusion or use of duct tape, chemical treatment, cryotherapy, electrosurgery, regular surgery to cut out the warts, laser treatments, and others.

For many people, the above treatments are not effective. In addition, nowadays all natural remedies are the preferred choice of treatments for individuals with skin problems and in general many other types of health problems as well.