Verrucas and warts Dr Trisha Macnair There are several types of warts and verrucas.

In this article

What are veruccas and warts? Symptoms

Causes/Risk Factors Treatment and recovery

Further help

Warts and verrucas are small, non-cancerous growths within the skin caused by the human papilloma virus.

Warts may occur on their own or in clusters. There are many different types including:

• Common warts - these raised growths with a hard uneven surface are the most familiar type of wart, which usually appear on the hands and feet
• Plantar warts (known as verrucas) - these are warts on the soles of the feet that have been pushed into the skin surface by the weight of the body
• Plane warts - these are smaller and lie flatter in the skin, mostly on the hands or face

Each wart forms a small lump, but sometimes multiple warts fuse together to form a mosaic. Common warts can be painful and plane warts may be itchy.

Verrucas may be painful especially when they cause pressure on nerves.

They're caused by a viral infection in the skin cells. The virus is called the human papilloma virus (HPV), and there are over 90 types of HPV.

Most people get a verruca or wart at some point in their lives. Children and teenagers are more likely to get them than adults. They're usually caught from public changing rooms and swimming pools. Getting verrucas has nothing to do with poor hygiene.

Children with immune system problems may have an increased risk. The virus is found throughout the environment and is infectious.

Most warts disappear without treatment after a few months or years - 20 per cent of growths disappear within three months.

Their duration is influenced by changes in the body's resistance to the HPV virus.

Warts and verrucas only need treatment if they're painful, or are a cosmetic problem. There are a range of treatments that can be applied at home, which include a combination of salicylic acid paint and rubbing with a pumice stone or foot scraper.

Stronger treatments can be obtained from a chiropodist or doctor.

Talk to a doctor if a wart doesn't respond to simple treatment or disappear after a while.

Other treatments include laser or cryotherapy (freezing), or surgical curettage to scrape it out. These treatments are quite effective but can be painful and may need to be repeated. Very resistant warts can be injected with toxic chemicals

This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Orlena Kerek in March 2009