Kinds of warts: what should you know?

Common warts are firm and rough, often appearing on fingers, knuckles, or around the nails. Plantar warts develop on the soles and may be pressed inward by walking; tiny dark points can be visible within the thickened skin. Flat warts are smoother and smaller and may occur in groups on the face, hands, or legs. Filiform warts have thin projections and often affect the face or neck. Genital warts occur on genital or nearby skin and need sensitive, clinician-led assessment.

Warts can spread through direct contact or by sharing items that touch affected skin. Picking, shaving over, or biting a wart may move infection to another area. A rough growth is not automatically a wart: a changing, painful, pigmented, or bleeding lesion may need a different diagnosis.

Avoid picking and keep personal towels, nail tools, and footwear separate from others when a wart is present. Covering it during activities that involve close skin contact can reduce spread, while keeping feet dry may reduce irritation from a plantar wart. A clinician may discuss Wart Removal, Cryotherapy (Lesion Removal), Electrosurgery, or Imiquod Treatment depending on the site, number of lesions, and immune health. Do not use household chemicals on facial or genital skin.

Seek assessment for a wart that bleeds, ulcerates, becomes unusually painful, changes colour, or fails to behave like a typical rough growth. Arrange care sooner for lesions on the face, genitals, around a nail, or on a foot with reduced sensation or poor circulation. A child with a painful cluster that affects walking also needs review.

Ask whether the lesion has the typical features of a wart, whether treatment is needed, how to protect surrounding skin, and how long healing may take. For genital lesions, ask about testing for other infections, partner communication, and whether a specialist review is appropriate.