What should you know about body warts?

A common wart may feel firm and have a rough, uneven surface. Warts can occur on hands, fingers, knees, feet, or other body sites. Some are flat or thread-like rather than dome-shaped. A wart can be painless, tender when pressed, or irritated by friction. A clinician may use its texture, pattern, location, and history to distinguish it from a corn, molluscum, irritated mole, or another growth.

Picking, shaving, or sharing towels and nail tools can move the virus to nearby skin or another person. Covering the area and washing hands after touching it can reduce spread, but does not replace diagnosis.

Some warts settle without treatment, while others persist or multiply. A clinician may recommend observation, a topical option such as Imiquimod Treatment for a suitable lesion, freezing with Cryotherapy (Lesion Removal), or controlled destruction with Electrosurgery. Wart Removal is a broad term that can include several techniques. Choice depends on the site, size, number of lesions, skin type, discomfort, and diagnostic confidence.

Do not cut, burn, or scrape a growth at home. Keep feet dry when foot lesions are present, avoid sharing personal items, and protect nearby skin from friction.

Arrange an assessment if a growth bleeds without being picked, changes quickly, becomes very painful, develops persistent ulceration, or does not resemble your previous warts. Seek earlier advice for lesions near the eye, genitals, or nails, or if you have reduced immunity or poor wound healing.

Ask whether the growth is clearly a wart, whether testing is needed, how contagious it may be, which treatment fits its location, and how to care for the skin between visits.