Warts

Warts are the result of a viral skin infection called a human papillomavirus, or HPV. Found throughout the general population, the small solid bump typically found on the fingers or toes of many is said to be one of the most common skin complaints. Although warts are contagious, passing them on is not guaranteed and usually requires prolonged contact. Openings in the skin make it easier for the virus to be passed along. Even then, a wart can take a number of weeks or months to develop. With time, warts are known to disappear on their own. However, if they become bigger or spread, many do not wait for this to happen and have them removed.

Though they consist of the same virus, there are many different types of warts. The common wart is the run of the mill wart found on fingers and toes. A flat wart is smooth and even and is commonly found on the face or neck. A filiform wart is threadlike and found in the eye area or near the lips. Plantar wart has a black spot in the center and is found on the soles of feet. A mosaic wart is a cluster of plantar warts found on the hands or feet. Genital and vaginal warts are a sexually transmitted disease that affects the genital area.

The most serious types of warts to take heed to are genital warts. Because they are not always apparent they can be easy to miss and easy to catch. Women can carry genital warts on the cervix and never see any genital warts or symptoms unless and until an examination with a doctor makes a confirmed diagnosis. Genital warts can look like either small groups of lumps or growths in a single location or they can spread quite extensively throughout the genital area. Pictures of genital warts will show groupings around the anus. There have been times when gential warts have spread to the mouth through oral sex with an infected partner.

Although 25% of skin warts will go away on their own left untreated, many find they do not want to wait and opt for wart removal procedures. Treatments using salicylic acid are the most common and also the most successful. Cryosurgery freezes the wart through the use of liquid nitrogen. Laser treatments are also an option when warts are widespread on a certain part of the body. The treatment of plantar warts has proven tricky using only one method. Often, it requires a podiatrist or dermatologist to plan a successful course of treatment. In order to effectively remove planters warts, a combination of treatments over a period of time is often required. Many sufferers are quite happy to cooperate with these treatment options as a planters wart is one of the most painful to deal with.