Warts

Just so you know warts are caused by a virus.

The best way to describe a wart: it is generally a small, rough tumor, typically on hands and feet, that can resemble a cauliflower or a solid blister. Some people seem to have more resistance to the virus, and are less like to get warts. Others are more susceptible, and may get them frequently.

Warts on the skin can be passed from person to person and from skin to skin contact, or from the using of the same towels or other objects that have touched the wart.

Genital warts are highly contagious, and may be passed from person to person when obvious symptoms aren’t necessarily present.

A range of different types of wart has been identified, varying in shape and site affected, as well as the type of human papillomavirus involved These include:

* common wart (Verruca vulgaris): a raised wart with roughened surface, most common on hands and knees
* flat wart (Verruca plana): a small, smooth flattened wart, tan or flesh coloured, which can occur in large numbers; most common on the face, neck, hands, wrists and knees
* filiform or digitate wart: a thread-or finger-like wart, most common on the face, especially near the eyelids and lips
* plantar wart (verruca, Verruca pedis): a hard sometimes painful lump, often with multiple black specks in the center; usually only found on pressure points on the soles of the feet
* mosaic wart: a group of tightly clustered plantar-type warts, commonly on the hands or soles of the feet
* genital wart (venereal wart, Condyloma acuminatum, Verruca acuminata).

If treatment is needed, options may include removal or medication designed to shrink the wart. The warts often regrow after the skin has headed.

There are of course a number of treatments that may be prescribed by a medical professional: Imiquimod, keratolysis, cryoscurgery, surgical curettage of the wart, laser treatment, Cantharidin.

There are also several over the counter options. The most common ones involve salicylic acid and silver nitrate.

Household remedy: duct tape occlusion therapy involves placing a pieces of duct tape over the affected area for a week at a time. It can be 85% effective.