What do warts look like?

Raised round or oval growths on the skin are known as skin warts. They can be lighter or darker than the surrounding skin and may contain tiny blood vessels that resemble black dots, also known as “seeds.” Warts can appear alone or in groups that join and form patches.

Different types of warts affect different parts of the body:

• Common skin warts can appear anywhere on the skin, but they are most commonly found on the fingers, hands, knees, and elbows.

• When common warts are found around the fingernails, they are called “periungual” warts.

• Plantar warts are found on the soles (bottoms) of the feet.

• Flat warts are usually found on the back of the hands, face, and lower legs.

What causes warts?

Warts are growths on the skin caused by viruses. The virus that causes warts can be transmitted through direct contact with another person’s wart or by touching objects contaminated with the virus. For example, walking barefoot in public places like pools, locker rooms, or gyms can increase the risk of contracting warts.

Warts treatment

Medical professionals have several methods to treat warts. They may recommend combining their treatments with an at-home remedy, such as salicylic acid.

Here are some of the treatments that a doctor or nurse may use to treat warts:

• Freezing the wart off with a special fluid that gets very cold (called liquid nitrogen)

• Using a medicine called cantharidin to destroy the wart. This treatment is not painful at first, but it sometimes causes pain, blisters, and swelling shortly after use.

• Shaving the wart off with a special blade (after numbing the skin)

• Prescribing a skin cream that helps the body get rid of warts

• Injecting the wart with a medicine that helps the body fight the virus that causes warts