What should you know about papillomavirus warts?

Warts are rough or smooth growths caused by certain types of human papillomavirus entering the outer skin. They can occur on hands, fingers, feet, or other areas and may have tiny dark dots within the surface. A wart can spread through direct contact or by sharing items that touch affected skin.

Not every bump is a wart. A changing, bleeding, unusually dark, or tender lesion may need examination before any removal attempt, especially if its appearance is unclear or it occurs on a sensitive site.

Avoid picking, biting, shaving over, or cutting a wart. Keep it covered when practical, wash hands after touching it, and do not share towels, nail tools, or footwear. Keep feet dry if lesions are present there.

A clinician may offer wart removal using cryotherapy, electrosurgery, or another approach suited to the site and lesion. Imiquimod treatment may be considered in selected situations. Treatment can require follow-up because the virus may remain in nearby skin after the visible growth changes.

Book an assessment for a wart that bleeds, ulcerates, changes quickly, becomes very painful, or interferes with walking or hand use. Seek earlier advice for lesions near the eye, on the genitals, or in someone with reduced immunity.

Ask whether the lesion is clearly a wart, which removal method fits its location, how to protect surrounding skin, and what to do if it returns after treatment.