Warts and how to treat them often fall into the things-I-secretly-google-because-I’m-too-embarrassed-to-ask-my-doctor category.
But despite their (unwarranted) bad rep, they’re incredibly common.
And, there are myriad types of warts.
Courtesy of American Academy of Dermatology
Symptoms, treatment options, and personal experiences for various physical, mental, and health conditions and concerns.
So how do you treat warts?
Luckily, it’s not that difficult.
Courtesy of the American Academy of Dermatology
What are warts?
“They are raised bumps, some appearing like a cauliflower,” she explains.
Sometimes, common warts have little black dots that look almost like seeds, the AAD says.
Courtesy of the American Academy of Dermatology
These are dubbed “seed warts.”
These warts occur mostly on the soles of your feet (again, big shocker).
The result is a wart that looks like a small callous.
Courtesy of the American Academy of Dermatology
They tend to pop up in clusters of more than one.
Filiform warts are among the most visually shocking.
These “fast-growing warts look thread-like and spiky,” explains Jhin.
Courtesy of the American Academy of Dermatology
“Sometimes like tiny brushes.”
Two strains in particular number 6 and number 11 cause about 90 percent of genital warts.
They can also appear in the mouth and throat if spread through skin-to-skin contact.
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Certain strains of HPV can cause cancer, which is why getting anybelow-the-belt bumpschecked out is so important.
“There are cancerous lesions that may start as a small wart and then spread,” says Millheiser.
First, your immune system.
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This is likely why kids tend to get warts more often than adults.
“Most adults have probably already had warts and developed a specific immunity to them,” Brodell explains.
Breaks in your body’s natural barrier can also make you more likely to get warts.
For that reason, people withskin conditions like eczemamight also be partially vulnerable to warts.
Finally, there may also be a genetic component, Jhin adds.
This is really a two-pronged approach, Brodell explains.
Topical treatments are also useful wart wranglers.
There’s some debate among dermatologists about whether warts technically need to be treated at all.
“Many HPV infections go away on their own,” says Jhin.
But Brodell doesn’t agree.
“We’re not done until we get every last wart,” he says.
“Because it can get bigger and spread.”
For more on how to treat different skin spots:
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