If you are exposed to this virus, you may or may not get warts, depending on how susceptible you are to the virus. The main way to prevent warts is to avoid contact with the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes warts. Or your doctor can treat them with medicine or by freezing or removing them. But if you have warts that are painful or are spreading, you can treat them with salicylic acid or duct tape. Your doctor may take a sample of the wart if it isn't clear that the growth is a wart or if the growth is darker than the skin around it, is irregular, bleeds, or is large and fast-growing. How are they diagnosed?Ī doctor usually can tell if a skin growth is a wart by looking at it. But a wart that grows in a spot where you put pressure, such as on a finger or the bottom of the foot, can be painful. What are the symptoms?Ī wart may be a bump with a rough surface, or it may be flat and smooth. After contact with HPV, it can take months before you notice a wart. You can infect another person by sharing towels, razors, or other items. You can infect yourself again by touching the wart and then touching another part of your body. Warts are spread by direct contact with a human papillomavirus (HPV). Most warts go away on their own within months or years. Plantar warts grow on the soles of the feet. For example, common warts grow most often on the hands, but they can grow anywhere. Warts are skin growths caused by a virus.
