Warts

What causes warts ?

Warts are harmless skin growths caused by a virus. They can grow on any part of the body, like on the face, along the forearms or on the finger. Warts have a rough surface on which tiny, dark dots can often be seen.

How many kinds of warts are there?

Common

Plantar

-Plantar warts
--Common warts
-Flat warts
-Genital warts (Adults only)

On pressure areas like the palms or the soles, they appear flat. Warts on the sole (called plantar warts) grow inward from the pressure of standing and walking and are often painful.  Most plantar warts do not stick up above the surface like common warts because the pressure of walking flattens them and pushes them back into the skin.

Warts are common and can be a nuisance. They may bleed if injured. Common warts never turn cancerous. Common warts usually grow around the nails, on the fingers and on the backs of the hands.  Warts are contagious, and may spread from one part of the body to another or to other children. We don't know why some people get warts while others don't. There is no way to prevent warts.

Flat warts are smaller and smoother than other warts and are often found in adults.

How do you get warts?

Warts probably are passed from person to person. The risk of catching hand, foot and flat warts is small.   Wart viruses enter the skin more easily if cuts, cracks or hangnails have damaged the skin.

Do warts need to be treated?

In children, warts often disappear without treatment after several months to years.There is no perfect treatment for warts, since we are unable to kill the wart virus. Treatment consists of destroying the outer layer of skin where the wart grows on.

This can be done by surgery, by freezing (with liquid nitrogen) or with chemicals like salicylic acid (Cantharone). The treatment to be used depends on the location and size of the warts.

How do pediatricians treat warts?

Common warts in young children can be treated at home by their parents on a daily basis by painting on a low strength salicylic acid.(Duofilm,Occlusal HP) There is usually little discomfort but it can take many weeks of treatment. Frequent "painting" with a stronger salicylic acid in the pediatrician's office causes a blister to form under the wart and eventually it will fall off.

No matter what treatment is used, warts occasionally fail to disappear. They may return weeks or even months after an apparent cure. Don't be concerned if a wart recurs; just consult your pediatrician for further therapy. The treatment may be repeated, or a different method may be used to get rid of the warts.

Liquid nitrogen treatment (cryotherapy) is a common treatment method for warts. Your wart and the surrounding skin can be treated with liquid nitrogen, a very cold substance..Liquid nitrogen, when applied to the skin, usually results in blister formation similar to a burn. The wart is lifted and it will fall off when the blister dries. You may experience some pain which should be easily controlled with simple pain killers.