Overview
Common warts
Common warts
Common warts can grow on your hands or fingers. They're small, grainy bumps that are rough to the touch.
Common warts are small, grainy skin growths that occur most often on the fingers or hands. They're rough to the touch and often have tiny black dots. These dots are clotted blood vessels.
Common warts are caused by a virus and are transmitted by touch. It can take 2 to 6 months for a wart to develop. The warts are usually harmless and over time go away on their own. But many people choose to remove them because they find them bothersome or embarrassing.
Symptoms
Common warts symptoms include:
- Small, fleshy, grainy bumps on the fingers or hands.
- Feeling rough to the touch.
- A sprinkling of black dots, which are clotted blood vessels.
When to see a doctor
See a healthcare professional for common warts if:
- The growths hurt, bleed, burn or itch.
- You've tried treating the warts, but they persist, spread or come back.
- The growths are bothersome or interfere with activities.
- You're unsure whether the growths are warts.
- You have many warts.
- You have a weak immune system.
- Warts show up on the face, feet or genitals.
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Causes
Common warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, also called HPV. There are more than 100 types of this common virus, but only a few cause warts on the hands. Some strains of HPV are spread through sexual contact. But most are spread by casual skin contact or shared objects, such as towels or washcloths. The virus usually spreads through breaks in the skin, such as hangnails or scrapes. Biting your nails also can cause warts to spread on your fingertips and around your nails.
Each person's immune system responds to HPV differently. So not everyone who comes in contact with HPV develops warts.
Risk factors
People at higher risk of developing common warts include:
- Children and young adults.
- People with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS or those who have had organ transplants.
- People with the habit of nail biting or picking at hangnails.
Prevention
To help prevent common warts:
- Don't touch or pick at warts, including your own.
- Don't use the same emery board, pumice stone or nail clipper on your warts as you use on healthy skin and nails. Use a disposable emery board.
- Don't bite your fingernails or pick at hangnails.
- Groom with care. And avoid brushing, clipping or shaving areas that have warts.
- Avoid shared hot tubs, showers and warm baths. And don't share washcloths or towels.
- Use hand moisturizer daily. This helps prevent dry, cracked skin.
FAQs
Common warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, also called HPV. There are more than 100 types of this common virus, but only a few cause warts on the hands. Some strains of HPV are spread through sexual contact. But most are spread by casual skin contact or shared objects, such as towels or washcloths.
What symptoms do warts cause? ›
Symptoms of warts
- A small, raised bump may appear on the skin.
- The average size can range from one to 10 millimetres.
- The wart may have a rough or smooth surface.
- Warts can occur singly or in clusters.
- In some cases, the wart may itch.
- Face, feet, knees and hands are most commonly affected.
Seborrheic keratosis is a condition that causes wart-like growths on the skin. The growths are noncancerous (benign). This irritated seborrheic keratosis may easily be mistaken for a nevus. It is irritated, and erythematous.
What causes warts to show up? ›
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.
Is it bad to have common warts? ›
Most warts are harmless and will go away on their own within a few weeks or months. But they can be bothersome and unattractive, and some people feel ashamed. There are a number of different treatments that can make warts go away more quickly – but they don't always work.
Are warts contagious by touch? ›
Yes, warts are contagious because HPV is contagious. Warts can spread through direct or indirect contact. Direct contact would be touching someone else's wart or skin-to-skin contact. An example of indirect contact is using objects like towels or razors that have come into contact with a wart or HPV.
Are warts from bad hygiene? ›
Warts are caused by human papillomavirus, or HPV, which is transmitted through contact with infected objects like towels, washcloths, gym showers and floors, or skin-to-skin contact. People with weakened immune systems or poor hygiene are also more susceptible to infection.
Does warts go away by itself? ›
Warts are generally harmless and often disappear on their own over time, but they're unsightly. And some, like those found on the soles of the feet, can make walking and exercise painful. Wart removal can be a challenge, but fortunately, the most effective treatments are the least invasive.
What happens if a wart goes untreated? ›
Warts are highly contagious, which means you can develop more warts throughout your skin and spread them to others. On top of that, some warts are quite painful. Roughly half of warts go away on their own within one year, but a lot of spreading and potential pain can unfold in that time.
How to stop warts from spreading? ›
When treating a wart, dermatologists recommend that you:
- Cover your wart. This helps prevent the virus from spreading to other parts of the body, and to other people.
- Wash your hands immediately after touching the wart. This also helps to prevent spreading the virus to other parts of the body and to other people.
Treated or not, warts that go away often reappear, and all warts can spread from one part of your own body to another. They can be contagious, but it's uncommon to spread them to another person. Just don't remove a wart yourself by burning, cutting, or tearing at it. Call your doctor, and get the right treatment.
What skin cancers look like warts? ›
Basal cell carcinoma can look like a wart or a sore.
What deficiency causes warts? ›
Studies show that people with warts have much lower B12 levels. So, if you're wondering what vitamin deficiency causes warts, a significant contributor can be B12 deficiency. Several studies also show Zinc to be effective in improving and clearing warts. You can find B12 and Zinc supplements over the counter.
Why am I suddenly getting lots of warts? ›
The viruses are more likely to cause warts when they come in contact with skin that is damaged or cut. Getting a small scrape or biting fingernails may bring on wart. Similarly, cuts and nicks from shaving can provide an avenue for infection.
How do you know if it's a wart or not? ›
Warts are small, skin-colored bumps. They can be scaly and contain little black dots, which are broken blood vessels. All warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, also known as HPV, but different strains of HPV can cause different types of warts.
Who is prone to getting warts? ›
Although kids get warts most often, teens and adults can get them too. Sometimes warts are sexually transmitted and appear in the genital area. But most warts affect the fingers, hands, face, and feet. They can be lighter or darker than the skin that surrounds them.
Do common warts ever go away? ›
Most often, warts are harmless growths that go away on their own within 2 years. Periungual or plantar warts are harder to cure than warts in other places. Warts can come back after treatment, even if they appear to go away. Minor scars can form after warts are removed.
What disease causes warts all over? ›
Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) is an extremely rare skin disease that occurs when wartlike lesions cover parts of the body. It's an inherited condition that makes a person highly susceptible to infections caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
What is the strongest wart remover? ›
Cryotherapy. Cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen to freeze and destroy a wart. Research has shown cryotherapy effectively removes warts in 50–70% of cases after 3–4 treatments. Cryotherapy may remove warts more quickly than salicylic acid.
