Wart Removal

What are warts?

Warts are small, usually painless growths on the outer skin layer that are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes some cells to grow more rapidly than normal. Warts are generally harmless, but can be disfiguring and embarrassing. Warts are mildly contagious from person to person, and from one area to another on the same person. They can appear anywhere on the skin, but most likely on the fingers, hands, and arms. They are most common in children and young adults between ages one and thirty, but may occur at any age.

What are the symptoms?

Warts are typically characterized by small, raised bumps on the skin with the following features:

• Warts begin very small and grow larger.
• Warts have a rough surface and clearly defined borders. They are usually the same color as the skin, but sometimes darker.
• Warts often appear in clusters around a "mother wart."
• If you cut into the wart surface, it contains small black dots or bleeding points.
• Warts are painless and typically don't itch.
• Plantar warts appear on the soles of the feet.

What is the treatment?

Visit a Take Care Health Provider for an evaluation of your warts in order to determine the course of treatment that is right for you. Take Care Clinics^SM offer cryotherapy, or freezing off the wart, as a common method of treatment. Take Care Health Providers do not treat warts on the face or genitals. Cryotherapy can only be used in patients ages 4 and older.