Mental Health

Mar 28

What Are Warts?

Warts are one of the more unsightly types of tumor that grow externally on a persons body and are generally most prevalent and the hands or feet but they can also grow around male and female genitals, even on the inside of the mouth. The common wart which is more than likely those found on someone’s fingers or hands are still contagious if they are touched but it is not uncommon for someone to contract warts from using the towel of someone who has the condition.

The most contagious of all warts are genital warts which are caught from another person who has them during sex, even orally, who may not even know they have them but all warts except for those on the soles of the feet do not cause pain. Warts are rarely seen on children under the age of three, but after this age they become more frequent and in women, warts can grow on the cervix (inside the vagina), and a woman may not know she has them.

Warts find it easier to take hold on cut or scratched skin and are often seen in batches on children who scratch at them and help to spread them but unless there is a specific reason to rid them, it isn’t always necessary. Stopping warts from spreading is generally the best reason to have them removed especially with children who are more likely to pick at them. A common method of removing them is by the application of liquid nitrogen and after a few treatments they usually drop of but this has to be performed by a doctor.

The human papillomavirus family of viruses which cause warts is actually quite large despite most people perception that all warts are fairly similar. There are more than 100 types of human papillomavirus viruses; some types of human papillomavirus tend to cause warts on the skin, while other types focus on the genitals and rectal area.

The most frequently seen wart is that on the ends of fingers, often the result of a person biting their nails which can leave the skin tender but not everyone has the same problems with warts but why some people are more prone to getting them than others remains a mystery. Common warts appear most often on the tops of the fingers and hands, usually along the cuticles, as rough, thick, cauliflower like papules that develop on their own or in large numbers and often contain one or more tiny black dots, that are actually small, clotted blood vessels.

The warts sometimes seen on the face, legs and arms are the flat warts which are much smaller that their common wart cousins; they are also smoother and skin colored but they can often be found in groups which may contain many, even a 100 or more. Ano-genital warts are flesh to gray in color, grow in mucous membranes, and vary in size from small, shiny papules, to large cauliflower like lesions and can extend internally into the vagina and cervix, the rectal area, and inside the urethra.

Some warts may last many years and then just vanish while others will require intervention from a topical ointment or by the doctor. The most common topical treatment for warts and verrucas is salicylic acid an various forms, which is available in most drugstores and while it is effective, it does require strict adherence to the cleaning regime. It is also good to know that natural wart mole removal remedies can be used successfully. To learn more about them simply look for wart and mole removal remedies online.