Warts Treatment

What Are Genital Warts?

There are over 100 types of HPV, which is the virus that causes warts. While most cases of warts are harmless, there are a few strains of HPV that can cause warts on and around your genitals. In women, these warts can eventually lead to cervical cancer. If you think you have this form of warts, you should see your doctor right away. Your doctor will be able to diagnose your warts and recommend the best genital warts treatment.

Five Major Types of Warts

While warts are considered contagious, it’s not uncommon for just one family member to have them. Often, they affect just one part of the body, but sometimes they can spread to other areas. There are five major types of warts to look out for:

1. Common Warts
   Some warts are pretty common and can appear as early as childhood. Common warts are usually found on your fingers or toes, but they can appear anywhere else.
2. Plantar Warts
   These warts usually grow on the soles of the feet. These warts are different from others because they grow into the skin, not out of it.
3. Flat Warts
   Flat warts tend to grow on the face, thighs, or arms. These are pretty common in teens and children.
4. Filiform Warts
   If you have a tiny flap or tag of skin, this is probably a filiform wart. They grow around your mouth, nose, neck, or under your chin.
5. Periungual Warts
   These grow under and around the toenails and fingernails. They can be very painful and even impact nail growth.

Symptoms and Signs of Different Types of Warts

Each type of wart appears on a different part of the body and has a distinct appearance. Here are the signs and symptoms to look for:

• Common warts are usually dome-shaped and pop up on the backs of fingers, toes, and knees. They often have small black dots on their surfaces.
• Plantar warts usually have a small hole in the bottom of your foot that’s surrounded by hardened skin. They usually look flesh-colored or like light brown lumps that are flecked with small, clotted blood vessels. While these can make walking pretty painful, they usually go away on their own. There are several over-the-counter options for plantar wart treatment if you decide to get rid of them.
• Flat warts are sometimes called plane warts. They often appear in large numbers on the face, legs, and other parts of the body. They can be pink, brownish, or even yellow color. They are usually small and have a flat top that looks like they’ve been scrapped.
• Filiform warts have a single long stalk and usually form somewhere on the face.
• Periungual Warts usually grow around or under the nail.