Warts and verrucas
Warts and verrucas
Overview
Warts are small lumps that often develop on the skin of the hands and feet. They vary in appearance and may develop singly or in clusters.
Most people will have warts at some point in their life. They tend to affect children and teenagers more than adults.
Types of wart
There are several different types of warts. These vary in size and shape.
Common warts (verruca vulgaris)
If you have a common wart, it will:
- be round or oval-shaped
- be firm and raised
- have a rough, irregular surface
- often develop on the knuckles, fingers and knees
- vary in size, from less than 1mm to more than 10mm (1cm) in diameter
You may develop one common wart or several.
Verrucas (plantar warts)
Verrucas usually develop on the soles of the feet. The affected area of skin will be:
- white, often with a black dot (blood vessel) in the centre
- flat rather than raised
Verrucas can sometimes be painful if they’re on a weight-bearing part of the foot.
Mosaic warts
Mosaic warts grow in clusters and form a ’tile-like’ pattern. They often develop on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
Periungual warts
Periungual warts develop under and around the fingernails or toenails. They:
- have a rough surface
- can affect the shape of the nail
- can be painful
Filiform warts (verruca filiformis)
Filiform warts are long and slender in appearance. They often develop on the neck or face.
Plane warts
It’s possible to have between one and several hundred plane warts, which can develop in clusters. They are usually:
- a yellowish colour
- smooth, round and flat-topped
- 2 to 4mm in diameter
- common in young children – mainly affecting the hands, face and legs
Plane warts can sometimes develop on the lower legs of women. This is because the human papilloma virus (HPV) can be spread through shaving.
Common Symptoms
Symptom information is not available for this condition yet.
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
When to See a Doctor
Warts and verrucas usually aren't serious, and a pharmacist can treat them and advise you on the best option.
See your GP if you have:
- a growth on your skin that worries you
- a wart or verruca that keeps coming back
- a wart or verruca that's very large or painful
- a wart that bleeds
- a wart that's changed in how it looks
- a wart on your face or genitals
Causes
What causes warts and verrucas?
Warts are caused by certain strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV).
There are lots of different strains of HPV and these cause different types of warts.
HPV causes too much keratin (a hard protein) to develop in the top skin layer (epidermis). The extra keratin produces the rough, hard texture of a wart.
How warts are passed on
HPV is passed on through close skin-to-skin contact. It can also be passed on indirectly by contact with contaminated objects like:
- towels
- shoes
- areas surrounding swimming pools
- the floors of communal changing areas
You’re more likely to get infected if your skin is wet or damaged.
Warts can also be spread to other parts of your own body. You can spread the virus if you:
- scratch, knock or bite a wart
- bite your nails or suck your fingers (if they have warts on them)
- shave your face or legs
After you become infected, it can take weeks or even months for a wart or verruca to appear.
Treatment
Warts usually clear up on their own without treatment.
How long this takes varies from person to person. It can take up to 2 years for the virus to leave your system and for warts to disappear completely. They tend to last longer in older children and adults.
Letting a wart go away on its own is one option. But you may want treatment if your wart is painful, sits in an awkward spot, or is causing you distress or embarrassment. Even after treatment, a wart can sometimes come back.
Common ways to treat warts and verrucas include:
- salicylic acid, available from pharmacies as creams, gels, paints and medicated plasters
- cryotherapy, where liquid nitrogen is applied to freeze and destroy the affected skin cells
- chemical treatments, where chemicals are applied to kill the affected skin cells
Surgery is not usually recommended for warts.
Prevention
There are simple steps that can lower the chance of getting warts, and stop them from spreading to others.
Do
- keep the feet dry
- change socks every day
- take care when shaving, since a cut can let the virus spread easily
- wear gloves when using shared gym equipment if there is a wart on the hand
- wear pool slippers or flip flops in communal changing rooms and showers
- cover the wart or verruca with a waterproof plaster or a verruca sock when swimming or during PE at school
Don't
- do not touch someone else's wart
- do not share towels, flannels or other personal items with someone who has a wart
- do not share shoes or socks with someone who has a verruca
- do not scratch or pick a wart or verruca, since this encourages the HPV to spread to other parts of the body