Warts

Definition

Warts are small, benign growths caused by a viral infection of the skin or mucous membrane. The virus infects the surface layer. The viruses that cause warts are members of the human papilloma virus (HPV) family. Warts are not cancerous but some strains of HPV, usually not associated with warts, have been linked with cancer formation. Warts are contagious from person to person and from one area of the body to another on the same person.

Description

Particularly common among children, young adults, and women, warts are a problem for 7-10% of the population. There are close to 60 types of HPV that cause warts, each preferring a specific skin location. For instance, some types of HPV cause warts to grow on the skin, others cause them to grow inside the mouth, while still others cause them to grow on the genital and rectal areas. However, most can be active anywhere on the body. The virus enters through the skin and produces new warts after an incubation period of one to eight months. Warts are usually skin-colored and feel rough to the touch, but they also can be dark, flat, and smooth.

Warts are passed from person to person, directly and indirectly. Some people are continually susceptible to warts, while others are more resistant to HPV and seldom get them. The virus takes hold more readily when the skin has been damaged in some way, which may explain why children who bite their nails tend to have warts located on their fingers. People who take a medication to suppress their immune system or are on long-term steroid use are also prone to a wart virus infection. This same is true for patients with AIDS.

Causes and symptoms

The more common types of warts include:

• common hand warts
• foot warts
• flat warts
• genital warts

Hand warts

Common hand warts grow around the nails, on the fingers, and on the backs of hands. They appear more frequently where skin is broken, such as in areas where fingernails are bitten or hangnails picked.

Foot warts

Foot warts are called plantar warts because the word plantar is the medical term for the sole of the foot, the area where the wart usually appears as a single lesion or as a cluster. Plantar warts, however, do not stick up above the surface like common warts. The ball of the foot, the heel and the plantar part of the toes are the most likely locations for the warts because the skin in those areas is subject to the most weight, pressure and irritation, making a small break or crack more likely.

Plantar warts are familiar to all ages groups, appearing frequently in children between the ages of 12-16. Adolescents often come into contact with a wart virus in a locker room, swimming pool area, or by walking barefooted on dirty surfaces. The blood vessels feeding them are the black dots that are visible on the wart. If left untreated, these warts can grow to an inch or more in circumference and spread into clusters of several warts. They are known to be very painful at times, the pain usually compared to the feeling of a permanent stone in the shoe particularly if the wart is on a pressure point of the foot. People with diabetes mellitus are prone to complications from plantar warts related to the development of sores or ulceration and the poor healing potential associated with diabetes.

Flat warts

Flat warts tend to grow in great numbers and are smaller and smoother than other warts. They can erupt anywhere, appearing more frequently on the legs of women, the faces of children, and on the areas of the face that are shaved by young adult males.

Genital warts

Genital warts, also called condyloma acuminata or venereal warts, are one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted disease (STD) in this country. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association's STD Information Center, they are contracted by sexual contact with an infected person who carries HPV and are more contagious than other warts. It is estimated that two-thirds of the people who have sexual contact with a partner with genital warts will develop the disease within three months of contact. As a result, about one million new cases of genital warts are diagnosed in the United States each year.

Genital warts tend to be small flat bumps or they may be thin and tall. They are usually soft and not scaly like other warts. In women, genital warts appear on the genitalia, within the vagina, on the cervix, and around the anus or within the rectum. In men, genital warts usually appear on the tip of the penis but may also be found on the scrotum or around the anus. Genital warts can also develop in the mouth of a person who has had oral sexual contact with an infected person.

Diagnosis

Patients who notice warts in their genital area should see a doctor. The doctor may be able to diagnose the warts with a simple examination. If the warts are small, the doctor may put a vinegar-like liquid on the skin, which makes the warts turn white and easier to see, and then use a magnifying glass to look for them.

Treatment

Home/self treatment

Many of the nonprescription wart remedies available at drug stores will remove simple warts from hands and fingers. These medications may be lotions, ointments, or plasters and work by chemically removing the skin that was affected by the wart virus. The chemicals are strong, however, and should be used with care since they can remove healthy as well as infected skin. These solutions should be avoided by diabetics and those with cardiovascular or other circulatory disorders whose skin may be insensitive and not appreciate irritation.

Flat warts are best treated with topical retinoides (retinoic acid) or a gel containing salicylic acid. The acid doesn't actually kill the wart virus, but waterlogs the skin so that the surface layer, with the virus, peels off. These products can take up to three months of treatment depending on the size and depth of the wart. Patches are also good to use. Rather than applying drops, a small pad is placed on the wart and left for 48 hours and then replaced with a new one. The patch usually contains a higher concentration of salicylic acid and may irritate the surrounding skin. If this occurs, patients should switch to a gel or stop medication for a period. To help the healing process for flat facial warts, men should shave with an electric shaver or temporarily grow a beard. Women with flat warts on areas that are shaved should use other methods to remove hair such as depilatory cream or wax.

Professional treatment

Physicians should be consulted if there are no signs of progress after a month of self treatment. Doctors have many ways of removing warts, including using stronger topically applied chemicals than those available in drugstores. Some of these solutions include podofilox, topical podophyllum, and trichloracetic acid (TCA). Some burning and discomfort for one or more days following treatment can be expected. Although these chemicals are effective, they may not destroy all warts completely. A second method of removal is freezing or cryosurgery on the wart using liquid nitrogen. Cryotherapy is relatively inexpensive, does not require anesthesia, and usually does not result in scarring. Although temporarily uncomfortable, it provides an effective and safe way to deliver freezing temperatures to a particular area on the skin, and healing is usually quick. Physicians may also choose to burn the wart with liquid nitrogen or numb the skin and then scrape off the wart. Another removal process is electrocautery (electric burning), destroying the wart by burning it with an electric needle. Laser surgery is also becoming a more common option for removing warts.

Genital warts are the most difficult to treat. They can be removed, but the viral infection itself cannot be cured. Often, because the warts are so small, more than one treatment may be needed. The virus continues to live in the deeper skin, which is why warts often return after they have been removed. Strong chemicals may be applied as well as surgical excision with or without electrocautery. This therapy requires a small operative procedure and a local anesthetic. Laser therapy, although more expensive, is often used for treating venereal warts that are more extensive. The use of lasers which vaporize the lesion can theoretically transmit the HPV. It is not at all clear, however, if this occurs.

There is no one recommended method for eliminating plantar warts. If detected early, cryotherapy is usually enough. However, they can be very resilient, requiring treatment over several months. Treatment ranges from the conservative approach of applying chemical solutions to the more aggressive option of surgery. Patients with diabetes or vascular disease are usually treated with the more conservative methods.

Alternative treatment

There are a variety of alternative approaches to the treatment of warts. The suggestions described below apply to common warts and plantar warts, not to genital or cervical warts. Since genital and cervial warts are transmitted sexually, they should be treated by a physician

For the treatment of common or plantar warts, alternative practitioners may recommend these remedies.

• Apply a paste made of vitamin C powder to the wart for one to two weeks.
• Place a crushed or sliced garlic clove over the wart for seven consecutive nights while sleeping.
• Soak the wart in water, put cross-hatches over it with a sterile needle, and apply drops of thuja (Thuja occidentalis ) tincture onto the wart. Repeat the cross-hatching and tincture application until the wart is saturated with the tincture. Repeat several times each day for one to two weeks. (A tincture is an herbal extract made with alcohol.)
• Tape a piece of banana peel, latex side down, over the wart and leave it on overnight. Repeat nightly for one to two weeks.

Because warts are caused by a virus, general immune system support can be effective in helping to keep warts from coming back after treatment or to keep them from multiplying or growing. Eating a well balanced diet high in sources of vitamins A, C, and E can help strengthen the immune system. Avoiding stress, which is believed to compromise the immune system, is also helpful.

Prognosis

Even though genital warts may be removed, the virus itself continues to live. The HPV can cause tissue changes in the cervix of women with cervical infection. The general recommendation for women who have a history of genital warts is to see their doctors every six months for Pap smears to monitor any changes that may occur.

For plantar warts, the treatment goal is to destroy the wart and its virus without causing much damage to healthy skin. It is not unusual for treatment to cause pain until the foot heals because of the weight put on the foot.

Prevention

Genital warts can be prevented by using condoms and avoiding unprotected sex. Barrier protection will not, however, prevent the spread of wart-causing HPV to uncovered areas such as the pubis and upper thighs. Plantar warts can be prevented by wearing shoes, changing shoes daily, keeping feet clean and dry, and not ignoring skin growths and changes in the skin.

KEY TERMS

Condyloma acuminata— Another term for genital warts.

Cryotherapy— Freezing with liquid nitrogen for removal.

Endometritis— Inflammation of the endometrium or mucous membrane of the uterus.

Epidermis— The outer layer of human skin.

Human papilloma virus (HPV)— A family of viruses that causes hand warts, foot warts, flat warts and genital warts.

Retinoic acid— Vitamin A1 acid which is used topically to treat acne.

Salicylic acid— An agent prescribed in the treatment of hyperkeratotic skin conditions and fungal infections.

Resources

ORGANIZATIONS

American Academy of Dermatology. 930 N. Meacham Road, P.O. Box 4014, Schaumburg, IL 60168-4014. (847) 330-0230. Fax: (847) 330-0050. 〈http://www.aad.org〉.

American Academy of Family Physicians. 8880 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64114. (816) 333-9700. 〈http://www.aafp.org〉.

American Podiatric Medical Association. 9312 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-1698. (301) 571-9200. 〈http://www.apma.org〉.

Dermatology College of Medicine. The University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, IO 52242. (319) 356-2274. 〈http://tray.dermatology.uiowa.edu〉.

Warts

Small skin lesions on face, fingers, or elbows, and sometimes on the genitals, caused by a virus, as distinct from moles, which are birthmarks. The general medical term for a wart is verruca, but warts on the genitals or around the anus are known as condylomae, or venereal warts.

Warts often appear and disappear without any obvious cause, and this characteristic tended to reinforce belief in many old folk cures or wart-charming. In eastern Massachusetts, central New York, and parts of England, it used to be believed that warts could be removed by rubbing them with spittle. Other widespread superstitions about warts:

To cure warts, wash hands in the moon's rays in a dry metal basin, saying:

   I wash my hands in this thy dish,
   O man in the moon, do grant my wish
   And come and take away this!

Water taken from a gravestone and rubbed on warts will cure them.

Striking warts with an undertaker's hammer will cure them.

To remove warts from the hand, watch for a funeral procession to pass and as it goes by, say secretly: "I do sincerely hope that these warts will pass off my hands as that body decays in the ground."

If a person steals an egg and secretly buries it in the ground, his or her warts will disappear when the egg decays.

Pick up an old marrow bone, touch it to your warts, walk off, throw it behind you, and don't look back.

If you take as many pins as you have warts and give them to someone else, your warts will be transferred to the other person.

Take as many pebbles as you have warts and touch each wart with a pebble, then wrap the stones in cloth or paper and throw them away in the roadway. Whoever picks up the parcel of pebbles will get your warts, and you will lose them.

Take a piece of string and tie as many knots in it as there are warts and lay the string under a stone. Whoever treads on the stone will be attached to the warts.

Such superstitions are often very ancient. Pliny (23-79 C.E.) recommended that warts be touched with chick peas on the first day of the moon, and that the peas then be wrapped in cloth and thrown away behind you. The pebble charm was known to Marcellus of Bordeaux in the fourth century, and it is cited in his book De Mendicamentis.

Apart from natural remission, it is possible that many wart cures worked through a process analagous to selfhypnosis. Other wart remedies were of a pseudomedical nature, such as rubbing warts with milkweed, or the fluid from grasshoppers, or the fresh blood of mice. Modern medical remedies involve treating warts with a substance that dissolves the hard layer and cauterizes the remainder, which is then scraped off.

During the witchcraft manias of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, warts and moles were considered "devil's marks" if they did not bleed when pricked.

WARTS

DEFINITION

Warts are small, benign (harmless) growths caused by a viral infection. They occur on the skin or the mucous membrane. The mucous membrane is tissue that lines the nose, throat, digestive tract, and other body openings. The viruses that cause warts are members of the human papilloma virus (HPV) family. Warts can be transmitted from one person to another and they can travel from one part of the body to another.

DESCRIPTION

Warts occur most commonly among children, young adults, and women. They are a problem for 7 to 10 percent of the population. Warts are caused by nearly sixty different kinds of HPV. Each type prefers a certain part of the body. For example, some types of HPV produce warts on the skin, others cause warts inside the mouth, and still others produce warts on the genital and rectal areas.

Viruses enter the body through the skin or mucous membrane. They usually do not produce symptoms for one to eight months after entering the body. When warts appear, they are usually skin-colored and feel rough to the touch, but they can also be dark, flat, and smooth.

People differ in their sensitivity to HPV. Some individuals get warts over and over again. Others seldom or never get them. The virus is able to penetrate the body more easily if the skin has been damaged. For example, children who bite their nails may damage their skin in the process, which makes it easier for the virus to enter the body and cause warts. People with weakened immune systems are especially sensitive to HPV and wart infections.

CAUSES

The most common types of warts include:

• Common hand warts
• Foot warts
• Flat warts
• Genital warts

Hand Warts

Common hand warts grow around the nails, on the fingers, and on the backs of hands. They appear most often where the skin is broken.

Foot Warts

Foot warts are also called plantar warts. Plantar warts usually occur on the ball of the foot, the heel and the bottom of the toes. The skin in these areas is subject to weight, pressure, and irritation and has a tendency to crack or break open, providing an opening for the virus. Foot warts usually do not stick up above the skin.

People of all age groups can get plantar warts. But they are most common among adolescents between the ages of twelve and sixteen. The virus can be picked up in locker rooms, swimming pools, or by walking barefooted on dirty surfaces. People with diabetes mellitus (see diabetes mellitus entry) are very likely to develop plantar warts. The warts develop in areas where sores did not heal properly.

Flat Warts

Flat warts are smaller and smoother than other kinds of warts and tend to grow in large numbers. Although they can appear anywhere on the body, flat warts appear most often on the legs of women and the faces of children and young adult males.

Warts: Words to Know

Cryosurgery:

The use of liquid nitrogen for the purpose of removing diseased tissue.

Human papilloma virus (HPV):

A family of viruses that cause hand, foot, flat, and genital warts.

Genital Warts

Genital warts are a type of sexually transmitted disease (STD). A sexually transmitted disease (see sexually transmitted diseases entry) is a condition that is passed from one person to another during sexual activity. The forms of HPV that cause genital warts are very contagious. A person who has sexual contact with someone

infected with HPV is very likely to contract the disease. Experts estimate that two-thirds of these people will develop genital warts within three months of contact. As a result, about one million new cases of genital warts are diagnosed each year in the United States.

SYMPTOMS

While it is very easy to recognize the presence of warts, depending on the area of the body that is infected, the symptoms may vary. For instance, if left untreated, plantar warts can grow to a size of one inch or more. They can spread out and form clusters of warts that can become painful at times. They cause the most discomfort when they occur on parts of the foot where pressure occurs, such as the heel or ball of the foot. Some people say they feel as if they have a stone in their shoe all the time.

Genital warts are usually small flat bumps. They may also be thin and tall. They are mostly soft, and not scaly, like other kinds of warts. In women, genital warts usually appear within the vagina, on the cervix, and around the anus or within the rectum. In men, the warts usually appear on the tip of the penis, on the scrotum, or around the anus. Genital warts can also develop in the mouth of a person who has had oral sexual contact with an infected person.

DIAGNOSIS

The distinctive appearance of warts makes them fairly easy to diagnose. Patients with genital warts should seek medical attention. A doctor can confirm the presence of genital warts with a simple visual examination.

TREATMENT

Many over-the-counter wart treatments are available that remove hand and foot warts. These products are usually in the form of lotions, ointments or plasters. They work by removing the skin affected by a wart virus. After treatment, the skin and wart simply drop off. These products must be used with care, however. The chemicals they contain are quite strong and can affect healthy skin as well as infected skin. People with diabetes or heart conditions should not use these products.

Non-prescription drugs are also available for the treatment of flat warts. These products cause the skin to become saturated with water. Over time, the skin layer peels off, taking the wart virus with it. Flat wart remedies can take as long as three months to work, depending on the size and depth of the wart.

Moist patches are often the easiest and most effective products to use. They are placed on a wart for forty-eight hours. Then they are replaced with a new patch. In some cases, the patch may irritate the skin. In that case, the person should switch to a milder medication or stop treatment for a while.

Professional Treatment

A doctor should be consulted if home remedies do not work within a month. Doctors have many methods available for removing warts. One method involves the use of chemicals stronger than those found in non-prescription drugs. The use of these chemicals is often effective, but they may produce some burning and discomfort for a few days.

A second method of wart removal is cryosurgery (pronounced KRY-oh-SUR-juh-ree). Cryosurgery is the process by which tissue is frozen with liquid nitrogen, which has a temperature of about 330° F (200° C). This process freezes the tissue very quickly and the frozen tissue can then simply be removed. Healing of the frozen area usually occurs quickly.

Another method of wart removal is electrocautery in which an electric needle is used to burn the wart. The tissue around the wart is killed and can be peeled off, taking the wart with it. Laser surgery works in a similar way. A laser beam is aimed at the wart and the heat of the laser kills the skin around the wart, and the skin and wart simply fall off.

Genital warts are very difficult to treat. Any of the described methods can be used. But the first round of treatment may not be very effective. Although it may be possible to remove the warts, the virus that causes the warts may continue to survive under the skin and can produce new warts at a later time.

Plantar warts are also very resistant to treatment. The use of chemicals can be successful if the warts are diagnosed early. However, the treatment may take many months. In the most serious cases, surgical removal of the warts may be necessary.

Alternative Treatment

A number of alternative approaches have been recommended for the treatment of warts. The scientific justification for some of these treatments is inconclusive. The suggestions listed should not be used for genital warts, which should be treated by a doctor.

For the treatment of common or plantar warts, alternative practitioners recommend the following remedies:

• Apply a paste made of vitamin C powder to the wart for one to two weeks.
• Place a crushed or sliced clove of garlic over the wart for seven consecutive nights while sleeping.
• Soak the wart in water. Then make scratches in the wart with a sterile needle. Apply drops of thuja dissolved in alcohol to the wart. Repeat several times a day for one to two weeks.
• Tape a piece of banana peel on the wart over night, with the inner side of the peel touching the skin. Repeat nightly for one to two weeks.

Strengthening one's immune system is an objective of some forms of alternative treatment. A stronger immune system may be able to fight off the viruses that cause warts. A well-balanced diet rich in vitamins A, C, and E may help strengthen the immune system. Avoiding stress is thought to be another way of strengthening the immune system.

PROGNOSIS

Even if warts are removed, the viruses that cause them may remain in the body and the warts may reappear at a later time. This problem is especially common in cases of genital warts. In addition, genital warts can cause other problems. The human papilloma virus can also cause infections of the cervix. Women who have had genital warts should see their doctor regularly and should have a pap smear every six months. A pap smear is a test for cervical cancer.

Plantar warts are difficult to treat because of the weight placed on feet. The goal of treatment is to destroy the plantar wart and the virus without damaging healthy skin but the treatment can often cause pain until the foot heals completely.

PREVENTION

Using condoms during sexual activity can prevent genital warts. Condoms do not offer protection against areas that are not covered, however, such as the upper thighs. Plantar warts may be prevented by practicing good foot care. Good foot care involves keeping feet clean and dry, changing socks daily, and taking note of growths on the skin or changes in skin appearance.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Books

The Editors of Time-Life Books. The Medical Advisor: The Complete Guide to Alternative and Conventional Treatments. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1997.

Stupik, Ramona. AMA Complete Guide to Women's Health. New York: Random House, 1996.

Periodicals

Siwek, J. "Warts on the Hands." Washington Post Health (April 19, 1995): p. 15.

"What to Do about Warts." Consumer Reports on Health (July 1997): pp. 81-82.

Organizations

American Academy of Dermatology. P.O. Box 4014, 930 North Meacham Road, Schaumburg, IL 60168-5014. (847) 330-2300. http://www.aad.org.

American Podiatric Medical Association. 9312 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-1698. (301) 571-9200. http://www.apma.org.

Warts

What Are Warts?

Who Has Warts and Why?

How Are Warts Diagnosed and Treated?

Can Warts Be Prevented?

Resources

Warts are small, hard growths on the skin or inner linings of the body that are caused by a type of virus.

KEYWORDS

for searching the Internet and other reference sources

Condyloma

Flat warts

Genital warts

Human papilloma virus (HPV)

Plantar warts

Sexually transmitted disease (STD)

Verrucae

What Are Warts?

Warts are small areas of hardened skin that can grow on almost any part of the body. They are caused by human papilloma (pah-pih-LO-mah) viruses, or HPV. There are more than 100 different kinds, or strains, of HPV. Warts are usually skin-colored and bumpy or rough, but sometimes they are dark and smooth. The way a wart looks depends on where it is growing, and different kinds of warts appear on different parts of the body.

Common warts usually grow on fingers and hands, especially around fingernails. These warts usually have a rough, bumpy surface with tiny black dots, which are the blood vessels that feed the wart and allow it to grow. Flat warts are much smaller than common warts and are very smooth. This type of wart typically grows in little bunches on the face and legs; as many as 100 flat warts may grow together in one place. Common warts and flat warts generally are not painful except under certain circumstances, such as when the pressure of a pencil pushes against a wart on the finger while writing. Plantar warts, which grow on the bottoms of the feet, can be quite painful as a person walks on them, flattening them and pushing them back into the skin. Like a common wart, a plantar wart is covered with black dots marking the place of blood vessels.

Genital warts are small and pink, and they can grow one at a time or in bunches that make them look a bit like cauliflower. This type of wart can grow on the genitals*, the skin around the genitals, the rectum*, the buttocks, or in the vagina* or cervix*. Although most warts do not cause major health problems, genital warts may itch or bleed, and the ones caused by some strains of HPV are known to increase a woman’s chances of developing cancer of the cervix.

*genitals

(JEH-nih-tuls) are the external sexual organs.

*rectum

is the final portion of the large intestine, connecting the colon to the anus.

*vagina

(vah-JY-nah) is the canal, or passageway, in a woman that leads from the uterus to the outside of the body.

*cervix

(SIR-viks) is the lower, narrow end of the uterus that opens into the vagina.

Who Has Warts and Why?

About 1 in 4 people have common, flat, or plantar warts at some time in their lives. Children tend to have warts more often than adults do, and people who bite their fingernails or pick at hangnails may be more likely to have warts because tiny openings in the skin provide a way for HPV to enter the body. Someone with a weakened immune system, due to a chronic* illness or an infection, for example, also may be more likely to have warts. Warts are very contagious because HPV can pass easily from one person to another by contact. Genital warts spread through sexual intercourse. In fact, they are the most common viral sexually transmitted disease in the United States. In rare cases, a mother with genital warts can pass HPV to her baby during birth. The virus can cause growths on the baby’s vocal cords or elsewhere in the infant’s respiratory tract.

*chronic

(KRAH-nik) means continuing for a long period of time.

How Are Warts Diagnosed and Treated?

Health care providers can diagnose a wart by its appearance. It is important to have a professional examine the wart, because it is not always easy to know exactly what is growing on the skin or how to treat it. In the case of genital warts, a doctor also may screen a woman for cervical cancer by performing a pelvic exam*, including a Pap smear*. In some cases, warts eventually disappear on their own without any treatment. However, if a person has a lot of warts or if the warts are painful or seem to be spreading, there are several possible treatments.

*pelvic exam

is an internal examination of a woman’s reproductive organs.

*Pap smear

is a common diagnostic test used to look for cancerous cells in the tissue of the cervix.

Over-the-counter medicines containing salicylic (sah-lih-SIH-lik) acid often are used to remove common warts. The medicine can be painted on, or it may come in a patch that sticks to the wart. This type of treatment can take longer than others do, but it is painless. Cryotherapy, or freezing, is a typical treatment for common warts. A special chemical freezes the wart, and a scab develops as the skin heals. Cryotherapy may be used on plantar warts as well. These warts can be difficult to treat, because most of the wart is located beneath the surface of the skin. Electrosurgery can burn warts with a tool that uses an electric current; this type of treatment is used on both common and plantar warts. Chemical peels that contain acids are used to treat flat warts, which grow in such large bunches that the other types of treatments usually cannot be used efficiently. The chemicals are applied to the skin, and they eventually “peel” away the warts. Doctors also may use laser treatment to destroy any type of wart that proves difficult to remove. In some cases, doctors may give injections of interferon (in-ter-FEER-on), a substance that stimulates the body’s immune system to attack the HPV causing the wart.

Genital warts require treatment from a doctor. To remove them, doctors may use cryotherapy, lasers, medicines that can be applied directly to the warts, or surgery. Once a woman has had genital warts, doctors may advise her to have Pap smears more often. In some cases, certain types of HPV infection can lead to cancer of the cervix, and a Pap smear will allow the doctor to find and treat the disease in its early stages.

Can Warts Be Prevented?

It can be very difficult for people to protect themselves from common, flat, and plantar warts, because they are so common and the virus spreads so easily. In addition, a person can come into contact with HPV many months or even a year before a wart grows big enough to see, so it is often impossible to know for sure where and how someone caught the virus. If a person has a wart, it is best for other people not to touch it. It is also advisable to avoid sharing towels and washcloths with someone who has a wart and to wear sandals at public showers or pools or in locker rooms, to avoid infection. It can be difficult to prevent genital warts, because skin-to-skin contact spreads them. Condoms may limit the spread of genital warts, but because some warts grow on the skin around the genitals and on the buttocks, a condom may not cover every one of them, making it still possible for the HPV to pass between sexual partners. Abstaining from sex with a person who has genital warts is the safest choice.

Worried About Warts?

Warts have a long history in folklore, and the myths about them abound. Touching a frog, for example, has been thought both to cause and to cure warts. No one knows why certain unconventional treatments became popular; perhaps it is simply mind over matter. Among the many wart “remedies” are these, none of which has been proven to work:

• Put pebbles in a bag with a silver coin and then tie up the bag and throw it in the street. Whoever finds the money and keeps it will also keep the warts.
• Rub a dirty washcloth on the warts and bury it by the light of the full moon.
• Make the wart bleed. Put one drop of blood on seven grains of corn and feed it to a black hen.
• Apply a piece of raw meat to the warts and bury it. As the meat decays, the warts will disappear.
• Mix brown soap with saliva and make a paste. Apply it to the warts and leave on for 24 hours.
• Write a wish for your warts to disappear on a piece of paper, take it to the intersection of two roads, tear it up, and cast it to the winds.

See also

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

Resources

Organization

American Academy of Dermatology, P.O. Box 4014, Schaumburg, IL 60168-4014. The American Academy of Dermatology offers a fact sheet and general information about warts on its website. Information for young people can be found through the Kids’ Connection at the website.

Telephone 847-330-0230 http://www.aad.org

Website

KidsHealth.org. KidsHealth is a website created by the medical experts of the Nemours Foundation and is devoted to issues of children’s health. It contains articles on a variety of health topics, including warts.

http://www.KidsHealth.org