Warts are small, usually painless growths on the skin caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). Most, but not all, are generally harmless.
Warts can be disfiguring and embarrassing. Sometimes they itch or hurt (particularly on the feet). Some warts spread through sex.
All warts can spread from one part of your own body to another. They may spread from one person to another, but this is uncommon.
Treatment is available if you do not like how the wart looks or if it is painful.
The typical wart is a raised round or oval growth on the skin with a rough surface.
Different types of warts include:
Your doctor or nurse can usually diagnose warts by looking at your skin.
A biopsy may be done to confirm it is not another type of growth, including skin cancer.
Do NOT attempt to remove a wart yourself by burning, cutting, tearing, picking, or any other method.
Over-the-counter medications are available to remove warts. Do NOT use over-the-counter wart medications on your face or genitals. Warts on the face or genitals need to be treated by your doctor or nurse.
Other treatment depends on the type of wart you have.
Your health care provider may recommend the following treatments if your warts do not go away:
A new medicine called veregen may be used on genital warts as well as other warts. Two vaccines are available to prevent infection against the strains of viruses that cause genital warts and cervical cancer in women.
Warts are generally harmless growths that often go away on their own within 2 years. Warts around and under your nails are much more difficult to cure than warts in other places. Warts can recur, even when they appear to be fully treated. Minor scars can form after removal.
Call for an appointment with your doctor if:
Plane juvenile warts; Periungual warts; Subungual warts; Plantar warts; Verruca; Verrucae planae juveniles; Filiform warts; Verruca vulgaris
Warts, herpes simplex, and other viral infections. In: Habif TP, ed. Clinical Dermatology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2009:chap 12.
Gibbs S, et al. Topical treatments for cutaneous warts. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006;(3):CD001781.
Updated by: Kevin Berman, MD, PhD, Atlanta Center for Dermatologic Disease, Atlanta, GA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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