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Updated visitor guidelines. You are here Home » Warts and Plantar Warts. Top of the page. Condition Overview Is this topic for you?
What are warts, and what causes them? How are warts spread? What are the symptoms? How are warts diagnosed? How are they treated? But if you have warts that are painful or spreading, or if you are bothered by the way they look, your treatment choices include: Using a home treatment such as salicylic acid or duct tape.
You can get these without a prescription. Putting a stronger medicine on the wart, or getting a shot of medicine in it.
Freezing the wart cryotherapy. Removing the wart with surgery electrosurgery, curettage, laser surgery. Health Tools Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. Decision Points focus on key medical care decisions that are important to many health problems. Warts: Should I Treat Warts? Cause A wart develops when a human papillomavirus HPV infects the outer layer of skin and causes the skin cells to grow rapidly. Can common warts on hands or fingers be spread to the genitals and cause genital warts?
But common warts don't cause the type of genital warts that lead to high-risk cancers. Symptoms Warts occur in a variety of shapes and sizes. Common warts usually appear singly or in groups on the hands, although they may grow on any part of the body. They usually are rough, gray-brown, dome-shaped growths. Plantar warts can develop on any part of the foot. As the callus and wart get larger, walking can become painful, much like walking with a pebble in your shoe. When pressure from standing or walking pushes a plantar wart beneath the skin's surface, a layer of thick, tough skin similar to a callus develops over it.
Sometimes dark specks are visible beneath the surface of the wart. Flat warts are usually found on the face, arms, or legs. They are small usually smaller than the eraser on the end of a pencil. There are usually several in one area. They have flat tops and can be pink, light brown, or light yellow.
Flat warts are often spread by shaving. Filiform warts , a kind of flat wart, can grow around the mouth, nose, and beard area. The surface of this type of wart has many flesh-colored, finger-shaped growths. Periungual warts are found under and around the toenails and fingernails.
They appear as rough, irregular bumps. What Happens Human papillomaviruses can live on healthy skin without causing infection. A wart can take many months to grow before it becomes visible. Warts, particularly newer ones, are easily spread. They can spread to other parts of the body or to other people. Plantar warts can be pushed beneath the skin's surface by pressure from standing and walking. A thickening of the skin slowly forms over most of the wart and looks and feels like a callus.
Periungual warts can affect nail growth. It may be hard to get rid of warts after they develop. But they generally go away on their own within months or years. Just before warts disappear on their own, they may turn black. Your age. Warts occur most often in children and young adults. As you get older, you may find that you get fewer warts or that your warts go away. Walking barefoot on moist surfaces, as in public showers and locker rooms and around swimming pool areas.
Sharing towels, razors, and other personal items with a person who has warts. Biting your nails or cuticles. Wearing closed or tight shoes that cause sweaty feet. When To Call See your doctor if: You aren't sure if a skin growth is a wart. If you are older than age 60 and have never had warts, consider seeing your family doctor or other health professional to check for skin cancer.
Nonprescription home treatment isn't successful after 2 to 3 months. Warts are growing or spreading rapidly despite treatment. Signs of bacterial infection develop, including: Increased pain, swelling, redness, tenderness, or heat. Red streaks extending from the area.
Discharge of pus. A plantar wart becomes too painful to walk on. You have diabetes or peripheral arterial disease and you need treatment for a wart on a leg or foot.
You have warts on your genitals or around the anus. For more information, see the topic Genital Warts. Watchful waiting Watchful waiting is a period of time during which you and your doctor observe your symptoms or condition without using medical treatment. Who to see Warts can be diagnosed and treated by most health professionals, including: Nurse practitioners. Physician assistants. Family medicine doctors.
Exams and Tests Warts are usually diagnosed based only on their appearance. Treatment Overview Not all warts need to be treated.
You may decide to treat a wart if it is: Painful. Easily irritated. Growing or spreading to other parts of your body or to other people. Treating the warts yourself Many people don't treat warts unless they are unsightly or painful. You can treat warts yourself with: Salicylic acid. Duct tape tape occlusion. Getting treatment from your doctor Your doctor can treat warts with: Cryotherapy.
For more information, see Other Treatment. Medicines, such as retinoid cream, cantharidin, or imiquimod. Surgery, such as electrosurgery and curettage and laser surgery.
Chemical peels with glycolic acid, tretinoin, or a stronger formula of salicylic acid. What to think about It's important to distinguish a plantar wart from a callus before choosing a treatment.
Before treating your warts, think about: The potential for scarring. Scarring is the most important thing to think about when choosing a wart treatment. Scarring from treatment may be permanent and can be as painful as the wart itself.
The bottom of the foot is especially sensitive, a consideration in the case of plantar warts. And scarring changes the way your skin looks.
Treatments that are less likely to leave a scar include salicylic acid, cryotherapy, and laser surgery. Other strains of HPV can cause different types of warts to appear on different parts of the body, including sexually transmittable genital warts , or different conditions altogether, including, in rare cases, cervical cancer or anal cancer. Q: Are common warts the same as genital warts?
A: No, common warts are not the same as genital warts. Though both types of wart are caused by the HPV group of viruses, the strains that cause each type are different and so are the methods of transmission. Common warts cannot spread to the pubic area and genital warts cannot spread to the hands or other parts of the body. Q: Can you get a common wart on your arm?
A: Yes. Though common warts often develop on the hands or fingers, they can also appear anywhere else on the body other than the genital area. Q: What is the difference between common warts and plantar warts? A: Both common warts and plantar warts are a product of the human papillomavirus HPV group of viruses. Unlike plantar warts, however, common warts can develop anywhere on the body, though most typically grow on the hands and fingers.
Plantar warts are found on the feet only. Q: What is the difference between common warts and water warts? A: Common warts are caused by infection with HPV. Water warts, also known as molluscum contagiosum, are caused by infection with the molluscum contagiosum virus.
The infection causes small, painless raised bumps or lesions on the skin, which often appear in groups and typically clear up on their own. Q: What kind of wart do I have? A: If you are concerned about a wart or another skin condition, you can use the Ada app to find out more about your symptoms. To receive a confirmed diagnosis, however, it is necessary to see a licensed doctor. Q: Do common warts bleed? A: A common wart should not bleed unless it is scraped, scratched or injured in some way.
If a wart bleeds without a clear cause or bleeds profusely after injury, it is important to consult a doctor without delay. Q: Can common warts be painful? A: While most warts do not cause pain, some can, especially if they grow in an area which is pressed on often, e. If a common wart is painful, it is recommended that you see a doctor to make sure it is not serious and to receive appropriate treatment.
Q: Can a common wart get infected? A: A wart itself is the result of infection of the skin with HPV. Warts do not generally become infected with bacteria, unless they are scratched, cut or otherwise injured in some way. In such cases, it is possible that bacteria may enter the wart or surrounding area, and a bacterial infection may result, causing pain, discoloration and other symptoms.
If you are concerned that a wart may be infected, it is advisable to consult a doctor. Q: Should I be concerned about common warts during pregnancy? A: No, infection with HPV should not pose any risk to your baby. As in any case of common warts, no treatment may be necessary, though options are available over the counter and from doctors. Q: Does duct tape work on common warts?
A: Occasionally recommended as a home remedy for warts, duct tape has not been confirmed as an effective treatment. Research is conflicting, but some people believe that doing the following may help to get rid of a common wart:.
Results may only be seen after a number of weeks, if at all. Duct tape can cause skin irritation, bleeding and pain when removed. It should never be used in sensitive areas, such as the underarms or face. Q: What are the signs that a common wart is going away? This may happen on its own or with treatment.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed October 16, Using barriers like condoms and dental dams may help to prevent transmission during vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Mothers can transmit genital herpes to their babies during childbirth; so pregnant women with genital herpes should discuss prevention with their doctors before their due dates.
To learn more about warts, herpes, and other skin concerns, spend a few moments browsing the American Academy of Dermatology website. If you are in an urgent situation, please visit our Emergency page to view a list of 24 hour support services and hotlines. All About Alice! Go Ask Alice! In Your Box. Dear Alice, Both my boyfriend and I have warts on our hands. Dear Reader, The viruses that cause warts on the hands are different from the viruses that cause genital warts.
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