Unwanted Warts (Verrucae)
May 19, 2009
Most of us have a wart at some or the other body part. Though harmless and usually painless, warts are really annoying, especially when they tend to occur on one’s face.
Warts (or Verrucae) are local skin growths that are caused by human papillomavirus (warts virus) infection. These viruses may affect any part of our body, but usually attack warm and moist places.
Warts are contagious; only source of infection being other infected person. One can get warts by touching anything that someone with a wart uses (towel, surface or any other object). The virus enters the body through minor cuts or injuries over the skin.
Types of Warts
Common warts are small, hard, skin coloured growths, with a rough surface (looks like cauliflower). These are usually found on hands and fingers.
Flat (or Plane) warts are smooth, flat topped and slightly raised. These may be pink, yellow or skin coloured. Flat warts are usually found on hands and face of children. Plane warts sometimes appear in clusters and have a tendency to recur.
Plantar warts are located on the plantar surface (bottom) of the foot and have an irregular surface. These are painful and often mistaken as corns (which have a smooth surface).
Filiform (or Digitate) warts are finger shaped, skin coloured with an irregular surface and are usually seen on the face (around the eyes, mouth or nose), neck or scalp.
Genital warts appear in the genital region and can pass from a person to another through sexual transmission (vaginal, anal or oral). This variety tends to grow faster than others due to the moist place of occurrence.
Treatment of Warts
There is no way of preventing warts, but washing hands regularly minimizes the spread of the virus. Warts generally disappear spontaneously over a period of time. But some warts don’t go away on their own and their treatment demands patience. Removal of a wart is sought, if it is painful or causes discomfort.
Treatment of warts is directed at destructing the infected area with medications (topical creams), keratolysis (removal of dead skin cells), burning (electric cautery), freezing (cryosurgery), or lasers.
Warts demand immediate medical attention, when these occur in a child or if in adults, the surrounding skin becomes painful, red or bleeding.
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