HEALTH

What to know about unsightly warts and verrucas

6 January, 2024 . 0

Warts and verrucas are common skin growths. Here’s what causes these unsightly – and sometimes painful – lumps, and how do to treat them.

Warts are common skin ailments, particularly in childhood.

While they’re usually harmless, they can be unsightly – and often come with a degree of social stigma.

If you or your child is being plagued by one (or worse, a cluster) of these lumps, here is what you’ll want to know.

Wart or verruca: what’s the difference?

There are different types of warts, which all look different and appear on different parts of the body, including:

Common warts (verruca vulgaris) – these small, rough, flesh-coloured lumps usually “develop on the hands, knuckles and knees,” according to Gold Coast-based podiatrist Jennifer Watkins.
Plane or flat warts – these flat, yellow growths are often found in clusters on the face, arms or legs, and are common in children.
Plantar warts – also known as verrucas, these warts are hard, white bumps that look like calluses, and they can have a tiny black dot in the centre.

“Verrucas … are located on the plantar surface (the sole) of the foot – the part of the foot that touches the ground,” Adelaide-based podiatrist Jodie Simon says.

What causes warts?

“Warts are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), which can live in the body for several years,” Jodie explains.

Many different types of HPV are responsible for warts.

When the virus enters the top layer of the skin – for example, through a cut – it causes a skin infection that forms a wart.

It may take a year or more before you’ll see the wart, and it will develop slowly, over a period of months.

“Warts thrive in a warm, moist environment and are particularly common in children who regularly visit public wet areas or wear runners on a daily basis,” Jodie says.

“They may also affect individuals with low immune function.”

Are warts contagious?

“Yes, they can be spread by skin-to-skin contact or by sharing socks, shoes or an infected floor surface, but not everyone will get warts when contact is made with the virus,” Jennifer says.

“Scratching a wart can cause it to spread to another area of the skin.

“For example, picking (at) a plantar wart on the foot can cause a wart to appear on the finger.”

Covering a wart and washing your hands properly after touching it will help prevent the virus from spreading.

Are warts painful?

Jennifer says most warts aren’t painful, unless they grow on a prominent area such as a knuckle.

“Plantar warts can be painful when in a weight-bearing area on the foot and a thick callus has formed,” she says.

How to treat warts

Warts usually go away without treatment, but it can take time.

In children, 50 per cent of all warts will disappear within six months without treatment, and almost all will be gone within two years.

It can take longer in adults, and some people might seek treatment due to discomfort, for aesthetic reasons, or because they’re worried about spreading the wart virus.

“Before treatment, a diagnosis is required by a healthcare provider as warts can be confused with corns and calluses,” Jennifer advises.

At-home wart care

“Over-the-counter topical solutions are available from the pharmacist,” Jennifer says.

Available in a liquid or gel form, these products contain salicylic or lactic acid, which help to dissolve the wart layer by layer.

You’ll need to apply the product every day, and it can take weeks to be effective.

“Care should be taken when using over-the-counter topical solutions due to their strong acidic ingredients designed to remove the skin layer,” Jennifer advises.

Covering the wart with waterproof tape may help to clear it up and prevent it from spreading.

Professional wart care

Our experts say in-clinic wart treatments typically involve cryotherapy and strong topical solutions.

“Cryotherapy is more prevalent for warts on the hands due to convenience, and topical treatments are applied to plantar warts,” Jennifer says.

“Where the warty tissue is debrided, an acid (is) applied to encourage the body’s immune system to fight the virus.”

Jodie says verrucas are more difficult to treat as they’re pushed into a double layer of thick epithelium. “They are therefore treated more effectively with serial debridement and strong acid application, for example, 60 to 80 per cent salicylic acid,” Jodie says, adding that supplementation with zinc, vitamin D, vitamin C and iron (if deficient) should be considered in individuals who are immunocompromised.

For stubborn warts, your doctor may use laser therapy or perform surgery.

Read more on skin conditions:

Written by Janet Stone.