Helpful Guide to Warts and What Causes Them

If you or someone you love is suffering from warts, it's good to become familiar with the basics about warts. Once you understand the various types of warts and what causes them, you'll know the route of treatment that's best for you.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Warts

The most common types of warts are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV warts are benign skin growths that can usually be treated quickly and removed without further complications. Some HPV warts, however, can lead to certain types of cancer such as cervical cancer if left untreated. HPV is contracted through a break in the skin and causes the skin's top layer to grow rapidly. This rapid growth forms a wart.

HPV warts can appear anywhere on the body, and are labeled according to where they appear and/or the wart's size, shape and color. Common warts often appear on the hands, but not always. These are dome-shaped, rough to the touch, and grayish brown in color. Plantar warts appear on the soles of the feet and are characterized as thick, hard patches of skin with dark specks. Walking can be painful with plantar warts. There are also flat warts, which appear on the face, neck, arms, or legs. These are small with flat tops and are usually light brown, pink, or yellow.

Warts that appear around the nose or mouth are called filiform warts. These are flesh-colored and appear as a small growth. Warts around the fingernails and toenails are called periungal warts and resemble irregular, round-shaped bumps. Genital warts are found in the genital area of men and women or on a woman's cervix. They are usually grayish or flesh-colored and look like cauliflower masses when growing as a group. Genital warts are highly contagious and can be sexually transmitted.

Molluscs

A wart-like viral infection called molluscum contagiousum causes bumps, or molluscs, that look similar to large pimples. Molluscs are highly contagious and often appear in kids, but adults can get them as well. They can spread over the body by scratching an infected area and then scratching another area of the body without washing the hands. Molluscs are not caused by HPV, but by a virus called molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV). MCV is part of the poxvirus family, and can be contracted through breaks in hair follicles or when the air is very humid.

Skin Tags - Are They Warts?

Skin tags look similar to warts, but are not actually warts. They are called by several names: acrochordons, pedunculated papillomas, polyps, or fibroepithelial. Skin tags are benign and usually appear on the neck, chest, armpits, eyelids, below the breast, or in the groin area. They protrude from the skin and are normally flesh-colored. Though no exact cause is known, it is believed that skin tags are a result of illegal steroid use, obesity, aging, insulin rejection, or pregnancy. Skin tags are not caused by the wart virus, HPV.

HPV warts, molluscs, and skin tags differ in many ways, but can often be treated and removed using similar methods. Surgery, freezing, and burning with acids are three traditional methods, but many wart sufferers are seeking natural treatments today. Essential oils and natural wart removal formulas are available now for easy removal without surgery. In severe cases, a doctor should be consulted to be sure there are no underlying causes or risks. But with many mild cases of warts, essential oils and wart removal formulas can be very effective.

Natural wart removal products can easily be purchased online without a prescription. You can start seeing results within just a few weeks and look and feel better than ever. With natural wart removal products, you can do away with those agitating warts for life!