All Types of Warts are generally Contagious in varying degrees!
Warts are those ugly looking small growths on the skin. Human Papillomaviruses (HPV) are responsible for emergence of warts on the skin surface.
Warts appear both as a single unit or in clusters. More than 60 varieties of HPV that have been identified so far.
Warts can be classified in different types
1- Common Warts
2- Planter Warts
3- Genital Warts
Common Warts
These warts can appear anywhere on the body but generally they are found on face, hands, forearms, elbows,fingers, knees and skin near the nails. Common warts are generally not itchy and do not cause any pain.
They are generally darker than the nearby skin color, can be flat or raised, dry or moist and have rough surface.
Warts can be as small as a pin head and as big 5mm. Common warts are highly contagious and can spread by shaving, picking, breaking or even touching.
Planter Warts
Planter warts are tender to touch and normally can bleed if the surface is trimmed. They occur on the soles of the feet and toes. They generally are white colored. They differ in shape size and color from the common warts.
Fortunately planter warts do not spread into other parts of the body. They are less common than the common warts. However plantar wart removal should be done as soon as possible to avoid them spreading on the foot sole and toes.
Genital Warts
These are soft and moist growth found around the genital area and groin of men and women. Common skin area affected are near anus, vagina, penis and scrotum.
Their color is different than the other two types of warts. Genital warts are generally pink or reddish. They generally appear in clusters. Rarely they can appear as single growth.
They are highly contagious and can be transmitted by sex. Unfortunately it takes 3 months for the warts to appear after getting infected. Therefore usually people don’t even know that they are infected. As a result treatment of genital warts gets delayed and spread is not contained easily.
Genital warts are not cancerous but they can change the skin of the cervix that can then lead to cancer.
Learn more about warts in the other related articles:
Other related articles
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Types of Warts