Warts (Common Warts)

Warts
(Common Warts)

Childhood Skin Problems Slideshow

Medical Author: Alan Rockoff, MD
Medical Editors: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR and Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

• What are common warts?
• What are some types of common warts?
• What is the treatment for common warts?
• Is using over-the-counter wart treatments safe?
• Are wart treatments effective?
• What if these treatments fail?
• Warts At A Glance
• Pictures of Childhood Skin Problems - Slideshow
• Related plantar warts treatment articles:
  Plantar warts treatment - on WebMD
• Patient Discussions: Warts (Common Warts) - Effective Treatments For You

What are common warts?

Common warts are local growths in the skin that are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Although they are considered to be contagious, it is very common for just one family member to have them. In addition, they often affect just one part of the body (such as the hands or the feet) without spreading over time to other areas.

What are some types of common warts?

• There is the familiar type of dome-shaped warts on the backs of fingers, toes, and knees.



• Plantar warts are found on the bottom of the foot. (The "plantar" part of the foot. These are not "Planter's warts.")



• Flat ("plane") warts may arise on the face, legs, and other parts of the body, often in large numbers.



• Periungual warts are warts around or under the nail.



• Filiform warts typically appear as a single long stalk, often on the face.

What is the treatment for common warts?

Common warts can be annoying to anyone. This information is about the treatment of common warts. It does not apply to genital or venereal warts. Over-the-counter treatment for common skin warts has long been based upon the use of products containing salicylic acid. Newer nonprescription wart treatments use aerosols to freeze warts.

Salicylic-acid preparations

These are available as drops, gels, pads, and plasters. They are designed for application to all kinds of warts, from tiny ones to great, big lumpy ones. Salicylic acid is a keratolytic medication, which means it dissolves the protein (keratin), which makes up most of both the wart and the thick layer of dead skin that often tops it.

Nonprescription freezing methods

Aerosol wart treatments available over-the-counter use sprays that freeze warts at a temperature of minus 70 F (minus 57 C). This compares with the liquid nitrogen used by most dermatologists, which is considerably colder (minus 320 F or minus 196 C).

Duct tape

It is claimed that warts can be "suffocated" by covering them with duct tape or other nonbreathing tape, such as electrical tape. This treatment is hard to use, however, because in order to work, the tape must be left in place all the time and removed only a few hours once per week. Almost always, the tape falls off.

Warts (Common Warts) - Effective Treatments For You

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