Warts
are harmless skin growths caused by a viral infection in
the top layer of the skin. The different types of warts
are:
- Common
warts: They usually grow around the nails
on the finger and on the back of the hands.
- Flat
warts: These are smaller and flat. They occur
mainly on the face in children, or in the beard area
in males and on the legs in females.
- Plantar
warts: These are warts which mainly grow on
the soles of the feet and are known to grow inwards,
occurring due to pressure of standing and walking. These
are often painful.
- Genital
warts: Also known as condyloma, they occur
in the genital areas of both males and females and are
sexually transmitted.
Warts
are contagious in nature and spread from person to person.
The most contagious are genital warts whereas the other
types have a poor index of contagion. The virus spreads
easily if the skin is broken, which is why it is never a
good idea to try and cut off the wart by yourself, for if
partially done, it may only encourage the infection to spread
more.