Warts are raised bumps on the skin that are caused by strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are many types of warts, and they can be stubborn to get rid of. Thankfully, there are many treatment options that can help. Keep reading to learn more about warts, including their causes, types, prevention, and treatment options.
What Are Warts?
Warts are noncancerous growths that primarily develop on the skin, but they can also develop on mucous membranes like the inside of the mouth and genitals. They vary in shape and appearance, ranging from round to flat to threadlike. Warts are generally harmless, but they are contagious and can be uncomfortable and sometimes painful. Approximately 1 in 10 people get warts at some point in their lives. They are most common in children, those who are immunocompromised, and those who handle raw meat regularly.
What Causes Warts?
All warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). This virus spreads through cuts and skin-to-skin contact, and it most often enters the body through areas of skin that are soft, moist, or damaged. There are more than 100 types of HPV, and the type of warts you get and where you get them depends on the type you have. Once the virus gets into your body, it causes extra cells to grow in that spot, forming a hard, thick lump known as a wart.
Types of Warts
There are several types of warts. They are classified based on their appearance, the HPV strain that causes them, and/or where they are found on the body.
- Common warts: These warts typically appear on the hands and feel like rough bumps. They may have black dots, which are smothered and dead capillaries. Common warts can range from the size of a pinprick to a pea. The most common causes are HPV types 2 and 4, but they can also be caused by types 1, 3, 7, 27, 29, and 57.
- Plantar warts: These warts usually form on the feet, especially the soles. They are typically flat and flecked with black dots. Plantar warts can grow deep into your foot, sometimes causing pain when you stand or walk. These warts are caused by HPV types 1, 2, 4, 27, and 57.
- Mosaic warts: These warts are white and small, usually about the size of a pinhead. They often form in clusters on the balls of the feet and under the toes, but they can spread and cover large areas of the foot. These warts are flatter than plantar warts and rarely hurt. Mosaic warts are caused by HPV type 2.
- Flat warts: Flat warts, also called juvenile warts, can develop anywhere on the body. They are smaller and smoother than most warts and tend to grow in groups of 20 to 200. Flat warts are not usually painful. These warts are caused by HPV types 3, 10, and 28.
- Filiform warts: These warts tend to grow around the mouth, nose, eyes, neck, or under the chin. They are small, flesh-colored flaps that can look like threads sticking out of the skin. Filiform warts grow quickly and are not usually painful. They are caused by HPV types 1, 2, 4, 27, and 29.
- Genital warts: These warts appear in the pubic area, in or around the vagina, in or around the anus, or in the mouth. Genital warts are small, hard, rough, and flesh-colored or whitish-gray. They often appear in clusters and can be very small and hard to see, or they can look like cauliflower. Though not always painful, these warts can cause mild pain, itching, discomfort, or bleeding. They are caused by HPV types 6 and 11.
- Butcher’s warts: These warts often develop on the hands of people who handle a lot of raw meat or fish and who are frequently exposed to cold, moist environments. Butcher’s warts resemble common warts and tend to appear in large numbers. They are caused by HPV type 7.
Prevention
Warts can spread through direct skin contact or indirect contact, such as using towels or razors that came into contact with a wart or HPV. There’s no perfect way to prevent warts, but there are some things you can do to lower your risk of picking up the virus that causes them. Never touch another person’s wart, and don’t share personal items. Avoid biting your nails and picking at your cuticles. Keep your skin moisturized and protect cuts, as HPV can enter through broken or cracked skin.
If you have a wart, cover it with a bandage and avoid picking at it or shaving over it to prevent spreading it to other parts of your body or to other people. Wash your hands immediately after touching it. If you have warts on your feet, keep your feet dry to prevent spreading.
At-Home Treatments
Though warts typically go away on their own, they may cause discomfort or embarrassment, so you may decide to try treating them at home. Many warts respond well to treatments available over-the-counter at the pharmacy. You can try a freezing treatment that uses concentrated cold air to kill the skin of the wart. This allows you to scrape away the surface and is a great choice if you want to remove a wart quickly. However, this treatment isn’t always strong enough for all warts. Alternatively, you can try wart treatments or patches that contain salicylic acid to kill the wart. Make sure you follow the instructions on the package.
Medical Treatments
If your wart doesn’t respond to at-home treatments or is causing you a lot of pain, you may need to see a healthcare professional. They can apply a topical treatment that contains cantharidin to cut off the wart’s blood supply. There’s also a procedure called cryotherapy where your provider uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart off.
Keep in mind that over-the-counter and medical treatments only remove the wart and do not kill the virus. Once you have a strain of HPV that causes warts, there’s no way to prevent them from returning. After a wart goes away, it can reappear in the same location or a different part of your body, or you may never have one again.
Wart Peel Compounds at Midtown Express Pharmacy
Here at Midtown Express Pharmacy, we can create wart peel compounds to remove unwanted warts. These compounds are topical formulations (creams and liquids) containing various combinations of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and salicylic acid. 5-FU inhibits the proliferation of warts, while salicylic acid induces an inflammatory response and has a keratolytic effect to wear away at warts. It’s typically recommended to apply the compound nightly to the affected areas and cover with tape, then peel off the tape each morning. Overnight, the active ingredients work synergistically to treat the warts, and the tape physically peels away at the warts day by day.
Our most popular wart peel compound is a 5-Fluorouracil 2%/Salicylic Acid 17% liquid suspension that is dispensed in a jar with a brush applicator, allowing for convenient, targeted application to the areas needing treatment. If you have any questions about treating warts or would like to learn more about our wart peel compounds, please reach out to us at Midtown Express Pharmacy and our caring pharmacy team will be happy to help!
