Different Types of Warts and How to Remove Them?

One of the frequent noncancerous skin disorders that can occasionally cause discomfort is warts. They show up inside the mouth and on the skin (which may include hands, feet, face, around nails and genital area). The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes the formation of warts. There are more than a hundred strains of HPV, but just a handful cause skin warts in particular body parts. Warts are not dangerous or fatal but can be irritating and sometimes cause discomfort. Let’s understand warts meaning in-depth, reasons for warts, their removal methods, and everything you need to know about this skin disorder.

Understanding Warts Meaning

Not everyone exposed to HPV will develop a wart, as there is variation in each person’s immune response to the virus. A cut or other injury to the skin makes it easier for the virus to spread and cause illness. People who bite their nails or have chronic skin conditions like eczema are more likely to have warts.

Symptoms of Warts

A wart usually manifests as a rough, little growth on the skin that looks like a solid blister or cauliflower. 

• Appearance: It could be flesh-toned, dark brown or black, or elevated above the skin’s surface. 
• Common Location: Warts can appear on the hands, feet, face, or genitalia, among other body areas.

Reasons For Warts

Warts are contagious skin conditions transferable from person to person and other parts of the same person’s body. A few commonly known reasons for warts are : 

• Warts exhibit high contagiousness and are primarily transmitted through direct skin contact, mainly when one manipulates their warts and subsequently touches another part of their body. 
• Transmission can occur through the usage of shared items such as towels or razors that have come into contact with a wart, whether on your body or another individual’s. 
• Warts thrive in environments that are moist and soft or on skin that has been injured.

Types of Warts

Various types of Warts resulting from HPV include:

• Common warts, or verruca vulgaris, are complex, elevated lesions with rough surfaces, likely on the knees and hands.
• Flat warts, or verruca plana, are smooth, flattened lesions. Any body part may be impacted. The face, neck, lower legs, and hands are highly affected.
• Filiform warts are characterised by their appearance as slender, elongated threads. The facial region is typically involved, especially around the eyelids and lips.
• Plantar warts are tiny skin warts with firm elevations over the skin’s surface, often featuring minute black specks. The soles of the feet are frequently impacted.
• Genital warts are grey or off-white lumps characterised by a grainy, ‘cauliflower’ appearance. Certain prevalent strains of genital warts can increase the risk of cervical cancer in women.

Genital warts are considered as one of the highly contagious types. Let’s read about genital warts in brief.

Genital Warts

These warts are transmitted through sexual contact with an infected individual. A few key points related to genital warts are:-

• The lesions may present as tiny, dispersed, skin-toned elevations or as a cluster resembling a cauliflower-like formation on the genital area. 
• These genital warts can disseminate, even when they are not visible to the naked eye. 
• It is advisable not to attempt self-treatment for genital warts, as they can be challenging to manage effectively.
• Certain strains of HPV that have the potential to lead to cancer can also be transmitted through sexual activities, including oral and anal intercourse.

Removal Of Warts 

Removal of warts doesn’t need any rocket science technique to treat. It is a common medical practice related to how to remove warts, along with its follow-up, which has been extensively researched and analysed. Given below is the list of methods of removal of warts :

1. Salicylic acid solutions are applied to the skin multiple times daily for several weeks. The formulation creates a delicate coating over the wart. Removing this layer is necessary before the subsequent use of the solution to increase its effectiveness. The uppermost layer of the wart may be meticulously excised, such as using a nail file.
2. In cryotherapy, the physician effectively applies liquid nitrogen to eliminate the wart through freezing. This agent exhibits extremely low temperatures and can damage the cells in the epidermal layer of the skin. 
3. Injections utilising various pharmaceuticals: Different medications may be administered directly into the wart via injection. Among these are bleomycin and 5-fluorouracil
4. Curettage is a procedure that entails the meticulous scraping of warts using a specialised instrument. The initial approach to treating the wart typically involves the application of a salicylic acid plaster or solution.
5. Pulsed dye laser treatment entails the application of a laser beam designed to target and eliminate the small blood vessels that provide circulation to the wart. The objective is to inhibit the proliferation of skin cells.

Potential Side Effects Of Wart Remover

There are many ways to remove warts on the face and other body parts. The usage of the wart removal technique may cause allergic reactions or intense skin irritation. If such an allergic  issue happens, then you must immediately seek medical assistance.

Consult your doctor if the removal of: 

• Warts on the face cause wheezing, difficulty breathing, hives, itching, light-headedness, or swelling of lips, tongue, or throat.
• Warts on the neck causes burning, stinging, peeling, dryness, or irritation. 

Conclusion 

Warts are those medical conditions that stay on your skin and rarely harm you, so it is better to maintain personal hygiene and stay hydrated to have good skin. You must exercise cleanliness and good hygiene to stop warts from appearing repeatedly. Warts do not have a specific location of occurrence (may appear on face, neck, etc). Many home remedies and OTC ointments will assist in naturally removing warts on the face.