What are viral warts?
Viral warts are growths on the skin due to an infection on the top layer of skin caused by viruses in the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) family. They usually appear as rough bumps with tiny dark dots, and can grow on any part of the skin. Warts are mostly painless, unless they are located on pressure areas such as the soles. While they usually occur on the hands and feet they can also affect other locations, with some warts growing on genitals. Though unsightly, warts are not cancerous and very common, with most people being infected at some point in their life.
However, if you have ano-genital warts, it is advisable to seek medical attention and for women to get a Pap smear test done. Ano-genital warts are growths or lumps that appear on the genital and anal areas. They are caused by certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and can vary in size and appearance. These warts are typically flesh-colored or slightly darker and can be raised or flat, single or multiple, and sometimes resemble a cauliflower. Studies show that there is an increased risk of vulvar, vaginal, cervical, and penile cancers for those hospitalised with genital warts.
Causes of viral warts
The most common way for someone to get a viral wart is through skin-to-skin contact with someone who already has it. As warts are a visible symptom of HPV, you can get infected with the virus by other means such as contact with inanimate objects like doorknobs, used towels, meat etc. You can also get infected in a public shower if someone who has the virus made use of the shower facilities before you.
If you have skin conditions such as eczema, or if your skin has been damaged slightly with a cut or abrasion, then the virus is more likely to infect you, causing warts to appear on your skin. Viral warts can appear on your skin even months after you first come into contact with HPV.
Children get skin warts much more often than adults, most likely because their immune systems are not as fully developed as adults to defend against the numerous HPV strains and because they are far more likely to have cuts and abrasions.
Types and symptoms of viral warts
Type of Viral Wart | Symptom of Viral Wart |
|---|---|
| Common Wart | Raised wart with roughened surface, most common on hands |
| Flat Wart | Small flesh coloured and flattened wart commonly found on the face, neck, hands, wrists and knees |
| Digitate Wart | Common on face, especially near eyelids and lips |
| Genital Wart | Occurs on the ano-genital area (anus, penis, vulva) |
| Mosaic Wart | Cluster of warts commonly found on hands and soles of feet |
| Plantar Wart | Hard, sometimes painful wart usually found on soles of feet |
| Periungual Wart | Cluster of warts around the nails |
Treatments for viral warts
Prevention of warts can be done by avoiding coming into contact with the Papilloma Virus.
- Wash your hands thoroughly and regularly.
- Do not share towels in the gym and make sure you always have a fresh towel when you exercise.
- Wear slippers in the gym and shower areas.
- When shaving, use a sharp razor that allows you to remove your hair without cutting the skin. Be careful and avoid getting cuts or abrasions. If you do, disinfect the areas immediately.
If you have viral warts, they can be treated by a variety of methods, including cryotherapy (freezing with liquid nitrogen), application of topical medications, excision, electrocautery, and laser ablation. Bear in mind that all these treatment modalities are aimed at visible wart removal alone, and do not necessarily the removal of the HPV infection itself. To effectively treat the infection itself and prevent the recurrence of viral warts from the same infection, topical imiquimod can be applied.
This acts against warts via an activation of the immune response after a wart removal procedure such as Carbon Dioxide (CO2) laser treatment has been used to destroy visible warts.
Seeking treatment for warts?
Enquire now for more information, or make an appointment today with our dermatologist.
