Gavini Pediatrics - Common Warts

Gavini Pediatric & ADHD Clinics 26850 Providence Parkway, Suite 300, Novi, MI 48374 :: 248.348.4200 www.ADHDclinic.com :: www.YourKidsDoctor.com
Warts on the toe Wart on the nailbed Common Warts What is a Common Wart Warts are very common skin growths caused by a virus that occur in a variety of shapes and sizes on hands, feet and other parts of the body. A wart may appear as a bump with a rough surface, or it may be flat and smooth. Tiny blood vessels grow into the center of the wart to supply it with blood. These capillaries may appear as dark dots (seeds) in the wart's center. They are caused by a viral infection, specifically by human papillomavirus 2 and 7. There are as many as 10 varieties of warts, the most common considered to be mostly harmless. It is possible to get warts from others; they are contagious and usually enter the body in an area of broken skin. They typically disappear after a few months but can last for years and can recur.
Signs and Symptoms Common warts are small, usually painless growths. These warts are usually found on fingers, hands, knees, and elbows. These are dome-shaped of grayish-brown color and have a rough surface that may look like the head of a cauliflower, with black dots inside (seeds).
Causes Warts on the skin may be passed to another person when that person touches the warts. People get warts from using towels or other objects that were used by a person who has warts. If a wart is scratched, the viral spots may be spread to another area of skin.
Molluscum Warts Types of Warts: Common wart (Verruca vulgaris): a raised wart with roughened surface, most common on hands, but can grow anywhere on the body; Flat wart (Verruca plana): a small, smooth flattened wart, flesh-colored, which can occur in large numbers; most common on the face, neck, hands, wrists and knees Filiform or digitate wart: a thread- or finger-like wart, most common on the face, especially near the eyelids and lips Genital wart (venereal wart Condyloma acuminatum, Verruca acuminata): a wart that occurs on the genitalia. Mosaic wart a group of tightly clustered plantar-type warts, commonly on the hands or soles of the feet Periungual wart a cauliflower-like cluster of warts that occurs around the nails Plantar wart (verruca, Verruca pedis) a hard sometimes painful lump, often with multiple black specks in the center; usually only found on pressure points on the soles of the feet
Treatment The treatment depends on the type of wart. The common treatments are abrasion, cautery with acids and cryo-treatment. Skin abrasion is the first step in treating a common wart. Warts tend to have a thick callus on the outer skin. Skin abrasion uses a small abrasive device that easily and painlessly removes the thick layers of skin to prep the wart for treatment. Trichloracetic acid (TCA): For common warts TCA is an effective treatment because it destroys the proteins in the viral cells. A petroleum jelly will be applied around the healthy skin area of the wart to protect the intact skin. TCA is then applied and is a clear, watery liquid that is painted on the warts with an applicator. The warts will turn a whitish color and shrink.

Gavini Pediatric & ADHD Clinics

26850 Providence Parkway, Suite 300, Novi, MI 48374 :: 248.348.4200

www.ADHDclinic.com :: www.YourKidsDoctor.com

Warts on the toe

Wart on the nailbed

Common Warts

What is a Common Wart

Warts are very common skin growths caused by a virus that occur in a variety of shapes and sizes on hands, feet and other parts of the body. A wart may appear as a bump with a rough surface, or it may be flat and smooth. Tiny blood vessels grow into the center of the wart to supply it with blood. These capillaries may appear as dark dots (seeds) in the wart's center. They are caused by a viral infection, specifically by human papillomavirus 2 and 7. There are as many as 10 varieties of warts, the most common considered to be mostly harmless. It is possible to get warts from others; they are contagious and usually enter the body in an area of broken skin. They typically disappear after a few months but can last for years and can recur.

Signs and Symptoms

Common warts are small, usually painless growths. These warts are usually found on fingers, hands, knees, and elbows. These are dome-shaped of grayish-brown color and have a rough surface that may look like the head of a cauliflower, with black dots inside (seeds).

Causes

Warts on the skin may be passed to another person when that person touches the warts.
People get warts from using towels or other objects that were used by a person who has warts.
If a wart is scratched, the viral spots may be spread to another area of skin.

Molluscum Warts

Types of Warts:

Common wart (Verruca vulgaris): a raised wart with roughened surface, most common on hands, but can grow anywhere on the body;
Flat wart (Verruca plana): a small, smooth flattened wart, flesh-colored, which can occur in large numbers; most common on the face, neck, hands, wrists and knees
Filiform or digitate wart: a thread- or finger-like wart, most common on the face, especially near the eyelids and lips
Genital wart (venereal wart Condyloma acuminatum, Verruca acuminata): a wart that occurs on the genitalia.
Mosaic wart a group of tightly clustered plantar-type warts, commonly on the hands or soles of the feet
Periungual wart a cauliflower-like cluster of warts that occurs around the nails
Plantar wart (verruca, Verruca pedis) a hard sometimes painful lump, often with multiple black specks in the center; usually only found on pressure points on the soles of the feet

Treatment

The treatment depends on the type of wart. The common treatments are abrasion, cautery with acids and cryo-treatment.

Skin abrasion is the first step in treating a common wart. Warts tend to have a thick callus on the outer skin. Skin abrasion uses a small abrasive device that easily and painlessly removes the thick layers of skin to prep the wart for treatment.
Trichloracetic acid (TCA): For common warts TCA is an effective treatment because it destroys the proteins in the viral cells. A petroleum jelly will be applied around the healthy skin area of the wart to protect the intact skin. TCA is then applied and is a clear, watery liquid that is painted on the warts with an applicator. The warts will turn a whitish color and shrink.