Warts - Human Papillomavirus
Warts are small rough growths on the body's surface. They are benign skin infections that occur in the epidermis, specifically, the thickening of the stratum corneum, spinosum, and granulosum. They are most commonly found on the hands and feet. There are five different types of warts: common warts, plantar warts, flat warts, filiform warts, and periungal warts.
Warts are typically diagnosed by a doctor by simply looking at it, however in some cases a biopsy may be necessary to tell for sure.
They are caused by the Human Papillomavirus, or HPV. The HPV virus infects the squamous epithelium, causing thickening of various layers of epidermis. Blood vessels often grow into the core of the wart.
Warts are spread by contact directly with the surface of the wart, or by contact with a surface that has touched the wart, such as a towel or a pool deck. It's easiest to catch a wart if you have a cut or other break in the skin surface for the virus to penetrate.
Warts are typically diagnosed by a doctor by simply looking at it, however in some cases a biopsy may be necessary to tell for sure.
They are caused by the Human Papillomavirus, or HPV. The HPV virus infects the squamous epithelium, causing thickening of various layers of epidermis. Blood vessels often grow into the core of the wart.
Warts are spread by contact directly with the surface of the wart, or by contact with a surface that has touched the wart, such as a towel or a pool deck. It's easiest to catch a wart if you have a cut or other break in the skin surface for the virus to penetrate.
Treatment
There are various methods for treating warts, such as:
- Salicylic acid, when used with a pumice stone or emery board, slowly dissolves the wart. May take up to a year using this method
- Cryotherapy, often using liquid nitrogen to cause a blister which eventually falls off
- Cantharidin, which also causes a blister to form underneath the wart
- Electrodessication, which uses electricity to burn the wart, and currettage, which involves scraping away the wart
- Excision, the removal of the wart through cutting or surgery
- Laser treatment, often reserved only for more severe cases, as this method can be very painful and damaging
There exist many folk remedies for warts, such as rubbing the wart with a potato, or by applying water collected in a tree stump.
- Salicylic acid, when used with a pumice stone or emery board, slowly dissolves the wart. May take up to a year using this method
- Cryotherapy, often using liquid nitrogen to cause a blister which eventually falls off
- Cantharidin, which also causes a blister to form underneath the wart
- Electrodessication, which uses electricity to burn the wart, and currettage, which involves scraping away the wart
- Excision, the removal of the wart through cutting or surgery
- Laser treatment, often reserved only for more severe cases, as this method can be very painful and damaging
There exist many folk remedies for warts, such as rubbing the wart with a potato, or by applying water collected in a tree stump.
Prognosis
There is no cure for the wart virus, and oftentimes a wart may reappear after it has been removed. The warts may return at the same site at a different spot. Have your dermatologist treat any new warts as soon as they appear.
Bibliography
Dagenais, Claude. Flat Warts. Digital image. Discovery Fit and Health. Discovery Communications LLC, n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/flat-warts-1.jpg>.
Picture of Plantar Warts. Digital image. WebMD. Interactive Media LLC, 2007. Web. 1 Oct. 2012.
Raimar. Warts on the Big Toe. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 June 2007. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Dornwarzen.jpg>.
Schweintechnik. Wart Filiform Eyelid. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Jan. 2008. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Wart_filiform_eyelid.jpg>.
"Wart." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Sept. 2012. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wart>.
"Warts." AAD. American Academy of Dermatology, 2012. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://www.aad.org/skin-conditions/dermatology-a-to-z/warts>.
"Warts Types, Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, Prevention." WebMD. Healthwise, Incorporated, 2 Sept. 2010. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/warts-and-plantar-warts-topic-overview>.
Picture of Plantar Warts. Digital image. WebMD. Interactive Media LLC, 2007. Web. 1 Oct. 2012.
Raimar. Warts on the Big Toe. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 June 2007. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Dornwarzen.jpg>.
Schweintechnik. Wart Filiform Eyelid. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Jan. 2008. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Wart_filiform_eyelid.jpg>.
"Wart." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Sept. 2012. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wart>.
"Warts." AAD. American Academy of Dermatology, 2012. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://www.aad.org/skin-conditions/dermatology-a-to-z/warts>.
"Warts Types, Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, Prevention." WebMD. Healthwise, Incorporated, 2 Sept. 2010. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/warts-and-plantar-warts-topic-overview>.