Warts and verrucas - Lloydspharmacy.com Health

Reviewed by Dr John Pillinger, GP

What are warts?

Warts can be transmitted indirectly, especially via hard floors like those found in swimming pools.

Warts are caused by a viral infection in the skin. Ordinary warts on the hands and feet are caused by viruses, which only affect humans. More than 60 different viruses that cause warts are known.

Warts are rarely seen on children under the age of three, but after this age they become more frequent. Among children between four and six, 5 to 10 per cent get warts, while 15 to 20 per cent of children between the ages of 16 and 18 have them. The frequency drops drastically again on reaching adulthood.

What do warts look like?

Warts on the hands are found most frequently around the nails and on the fingers.
They are shaped like a cauliflower.

What do verrucas look like?

Verrucas are seen most commonly where the ball of the foot is exposed to pressure.
They are often sore to touch and to stand or walk on.
Verrucas appear as areas of flat, thicker skin with a harder edge around a softer centre.
On closer examination, small black spots can be seen in the verruca. These are not - as some people believe - roots in the warts. The black spots are caused by bleeding in the verruca as a result of standing and walking on it.

Are warts and verrucas contagious?

The wart virus is very contagious. The skin cells on the warts release thousands of viruses and touching the wart or skin cells on it releases the virus, which can then infect others.

Some children often have trouble not scratching or biting warts on their hands, which can cause the warts to bleed and break up, making then more contagious.

The risk of infection is reduced if one paints the warts with nail polish. Warts may also infect indirectly, especially from hard floors, for example in bathrooms and swimming pools.

A foot with verrucas releases virus infected cells onto the floor. The wet and more receptive skin of others may then become infected. Children with warts and verrucas can be allowed to swim as normal, providing they wear a verruca sock or cover the wart with a waterproof plaster.

People with scratches or cuts on the soles of their feet are especially vulnerable.

Not all people are susceptible to the virus. When children share bathrooms that contain wart viruses, some of them will get verrucas, while others seem to be totally immune. The reason for this difference is not known.

It can take several months for warts and verrucas to develop after infection.

How are warts and verrucas treated?

There is no treatment that is guaranteed to remove warts or verrucas. Most go away by themselves within one or two years, and this fact may be why many folk remedies seem to work almost miraculously.

The treatment of warts and verrucas depends on the person's age, how many there are, where they are, and what trouble they cause. Especially with children, the option of treatment should be set against the relatively good chances of a spontaneous cure.

It may be necessary to try more than one different kind of treatment before the warts or verrucas go away.

There are a number of over-the-counter medicines available from your local pharmacist to treat warts and verrucas. The pharmacist will advise you on how to use each medicine and the precautions required.
The doctor may sometimes prescribe corrosive solutions together with liquid plaster. Soak the wart in water for 5 minutes before applying the treatment. The treatment will need to be applied daily for as long as 3 months or more. Every few days prior to treatment it is necessary to pare down the treated area with a pumice stone or emery board. It should not be applied to the face and should only be used on medical advice if the patient has a poor blood supply or is a diabetic. And 70 to 80 per cent of warts treated in this way clear up within 12 weeks. Covering the treated wart with a plaster may improve the outcome, but one may not notice any improvement for up to 2 weeks.
The doctor or practice nurse can also freeze warts and verrucas away with liquid nitrogen. Often up to four freezing treatments will be necessary 2 weeks apart before the warts are totally removed. This treatment is effective in 70 to 80 per cent of patients. It's not suitable for areas of skin with a poor blood supply or for use in young children. There's a small risk of damage to underlying structures (eg tendons) and scarring. It's a quicker treatment than the corrosive solutions.

Based on a text by Dr Vibeke Manniche, paediatrician

Last updated 07.12.2009

The materials in this web site are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor. The web site does not have answers to all problems. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you notice medical symptoms or feel ill, you should consult your doctor - for further information see our Terms and conditions.