Warts 101

What They Are and How to Get Rid of Them

Affecting about 3% to 5% of adults and 10% to 20% of children, warts are a common albeit unwelcome occurrence. While 65% of wart infections go away on their own, the remaining 35% can be stubborn and difficult to resolve. Depending on their type and location, warts can also be painful making the need to deal with them all the more important.

Before we dive into how to get rid of warts, let’s spend a moment understanding what they are and what causes them.

To begin with, warts are small, harmless growths on the skin caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). They can appear anywhere on the body, but they're most common on hands, feet, and faces. Warts come in different shapes and sizes, but they're usually rough to the touch and may look a bit like a tiny cauliflower. 

There are four different types of warts distinguished by where they show up and their appearance. These include:

• Common warts: Appearing most often on the fingers, around the nails, and on the backs of the hands, common warts feel like rough bumps and may have little black dots embedded in them caused by clotting blood. 

• Plantar warts: Most often found on the soles of the feet, these warts appear in clusters and grow inward, which may cause it to feel like you’re constantly stepping on a pebble. Like common warts, they may also have black dots.

• Flat warts: Smaller and smoother than other warts, flat warts can show up anywhere on the body. Commonly found on children’s faces, women’s legs, and the jaw and cheeks of men, flat warts tend to grow in colonies of 20 to 100.

• Filiform warts: These fast-growing warts are often mistaken for skin tags due to their protruding, thread-like appearance. They commonly grow around the mouth, eyes, and nose. 

Warts are contagious and spread through skin-to-skin contact or by touching surfaces where the virus is present—think locker rooms, public pools, gyms, etc. Because most people's immune systems are pretty good at fighting off the virus, not everyone who comes into contact with it develops warts.

However, if you’re one of the unfortunate few who develop warts, you can take heart in the fact that there are several options for dealing with them.

First, you can wait it out. As noted, 65% of warts go away on their own over time. If you choose this option, you need to take precautions to prevent spreading the wart-causing virus on your body, to shared surfaces, and to other people. Here’s where to start:

To help prevent warts from spreading to other parts of your body:

• Don’t scratch or pick at warts

• Keep warts dry

• Try to avoid contacting your warts with your razor while shaving

• Cover your warts with a Band-Aid or bandage tape

To help prevent surface-to-person spread:

• Always wear water shoes, like slides or flip-flops, in public places like locker rooms, pool decks, and showers

• Don’t share shoes, towels, or other items that have been in contact with warts

To help prevent person-to-person spread:

• Wash or disinfect your hands regularly

• Don’t touch other people’s warts and don’t let them touch yours

• Consider covering your warts

If your wart is bothersome or you simply want to speed up the process of making it go away, consider these treatment options:

• Over-the-counter treatments: Look for products containing salicylic acid. These work by gradually peeling off the infected skin.

• Cryotherapy: This is a fancy word for freezing the wart off. It's usually done in a doctor's office and can be quite effective.

• Prescription medications: Your doctor might prescribe stronger versions of salicylic acid or other topical treatments.

• Electrocautery: This involves burning off the wart with an electric current. It sounds scary, but it's usually quick and effective.

• Laser therapy: For stubborn warts, laser treatment might be recommended.

 Again, warts can be stubborn. Don’t hesitate to see a doctor if your warts:

• hurt, bleed, burn or itch

• are bothersome or interfere with activities

• appear on the face, feet or genitals

• resists treatment or they spread or come back after treatment

Lixia Ellis, MD, PhD is dermatologist at SVMC Dermatology.