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Warts
(Common Warts)

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Medical Author:

Alan Rockoff, MD

Alan Rockoff, MD

Dr. Rockoff received his undergraduate degree from Yeshiva College with the distinction of Summa Cum Laude. He received his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. His internship and two years of Pediatric residency were at the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center, followed by training in Dermatology at the combined residency program at Tufts and Boston Universities. Dr. Rockoff is certified by both the American Board of Dermatology and the American Board of Pediatrics.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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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.