- The human papilloma virus (HPV) virus causes common warts, the kind that are found on a person's hands and fingers. Actually, about 100 types of warts exist, according to MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Warts, also called verruca, can be the common wart, genital warts, plantar warts on the feet and flat warts in places that are shaved frequently.
- The common wart is most common in children and generally disappears without treatment. It is a contagious virus but not that contagious. According to FamilyDoctor.org, common warts can be passed when someone touches the wart or when a person uses a towel used by a person with warts.
- Paul R. Bergstresser wrote in the World Book Online Reference Center, "The viruses live in cells of the surface layer of the skin and do not infect the underlying tissue. The thickened surface layer forms folds into which little blood vessels grow. If a wart is scratched open, the virus may spread by contact to another part of the body or to another person."
According to Jaggi Rao, an Edmonton dermatologist and associate clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Alberta, Canada, quoted in the May 2009 issue of Today's Parent, eczema sufferers are most commonly predisposed to warts because it weakens the skin's barrier.
See Resources for an interactive tutorial on warts.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up here to get the latest news, updates and special offers delivered directly to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe at any time
Next Post