Warts: The Bad, The Worse, and The Always Ugly…

Wart Features:

Different wart, different HPV strain with HPV having 40 different variations.
Plantar warts usually appear on the base of the foot.
Common warts have a firm, raised, rough surface and may appear cauliflower-like.
Warts can occur anywhere, but they are most common on the knuckles, fingers, elbows, knees, and any area with broken skin.
Clotted blood vessels are often visible in common warts as small, darkened spots. These are known as seed warts.
Unlike moles, warts are often the same color as the person’s skin.
Warts do not contain pus unless they become infected.
If infection occurs, antibiotics may be required to treat them.
Some people are just prone to warts and have trouble getting rid of them permanently.

Most Common types of warts, or verruca vulgaris

Plantar warts

Painful verrucae appear on the soles of the feet, heels, and toes.

They usually grow into the skin because the person’s weight pushes onto the sole of the foot.

They normally have a small central black dot surrounded by hard, white tissue.

Plantar warts are often difficult to clear.

Plane warts, or verruca plana

Plane warts are round, flat, and smooth. They can be yellowish, brownish, or skin colored.

Also known as flat warts, they grow most often on sun-exposed areas.

They tend to grow in larger numbers, possibly between 20 and 100. However, of all wart types, they are most likely to disappear without treatment.

Filiform warts, or verruca filiformis

Filiform warts are long and thin in shape. They can grow rapidly on the eyelids, neck, and armpits.

Sometimes, mistakenly refered to as “tag skin”.

Mosaic warts

Mosaic warts are multiple plantar warts in a large cluster.

Cut to Treatment and Causes:

Verrucas and plantar warts can be treated by creams containing salycylic acid.

HPV viruses cause the excessive and rapid growth of keratin, which is a hard protein on the top layer of the skin.

Different HPV strains cause different warts.

The wart-causing virus can be passed on by close skin-to-skin contact, and through contact with towels or shoes.

The virus can spread to other parts of the body through:

scratching or biting a wart
sucking fingers that have a wart
biting fingernails, if there are warts around the nails
shaving the face or legs

Having wet or damaged skin, and coming into contact with rough surfaces increase the risk of infection.

For example, a person with scratches or cuts on the soles of their feet is more likely to develop a verruca in and around public swimming pools.

Wearing shower shoes or flip flops while using public showers or walking near public swimming pools can help prevent this.

The risk of catching warts from another person is low, but they can be passed on, especially if the person has a compromised immune system. This includes people with HIV or AIDS, and those using immunosuppressants following a transplant.

Genital warts are more contagious.

I couldn’t help myself, says Lily…About this next informative blurb:

Handling meat as an occupation will also increase the risk of contracting warts.
A study carried out by the American Academy of Family Physicians showed that 33 percent of slaughterhouse workers and 34 percent of retail butchers have warts on the hand.

The preceeding information as well as more onWarts: Causes, types, and treatments can be found by clicking here.
This article was last updated by Adam Felman on Wed 29 March 2017.

Lily &Q’s say…Okay we get it, get your mind out of the “meat locker” already and back to this post! LOL!
We think its rather interesting that when we were growing up warts were explained away by our last viral illness – Whether it was a bad cold, the chicken pox or some other lovely childhood disease that most kids don’t even get anymore (Thanks to VACCINES!), “It” was the given reason for the “ugly thing” & that was it. All done.
After doing some wart research, I realize now I got my one and only war shortly after my Mother had noticed a wart on my brother and got it promptly burnt off.
As I remember it, there was only one way to rid yourself of “them” and that was by cauterization…After all we had to attend church, and that wart was AWEFUL UGLY!
My wart followed a few months later, so my Mom knew what to do. Once mine was gone…We never got them again.
Looking back, it probably WAS the swimming pool because it was the place us 10 – 14 year olds were hanging out during the long hot Nebraska summers. Just FYI too, we both got our respective warts on our fingers. LOL!
Now for the HPV you’ve been waiting for…Read on for more on Genital HPV & Why it is more important than ever to understand and get educated about the HPV vaccine, as well as encourage parents and caregivers of teens to get their kids vaccinated.

HPV Vaccine: Protect You and Your Kids

From the American Sexual Health Association

This new online resource is for parents and other caregivers of children, adolescents, and young adults. It’s also for others who want to learn more about HPV.
The goal is to help people understand the virus and the conditions it can cause.

In the following programs you will learn about HPV including who gets it and how; what cancers it can cause; and who should get the HPV vaccine and when.
You’ll hear from someone who survived cancer from HPV, and a doctor who talks about the virus and how the vaccine prevents HPV and cancer.

From WebMD:

These links are to more graphic images of cases of HPV-Click at your own RISK

And finally to help sort it all out, here is an image-filled Pictionary of sores one might have on their skin including Herpes, HPV and other STDs Photos so you can identify STIs from other skin sores.

Lily says…Since it is proven that this HPV vaccine can prevent cancers, why then wouldn’t you be the smart parent and automatically add it to your kids list of vaccines and boosters before starting middle school?
Is it because you think by getting it for your youngster you are then giving your kid the signal you think it is NOW okay to “do it”?
What…You think the minute they get the shot they will instantly become a “sex seeking monster”, and not be able to contain themselves until they “get them some”?
ARE YOU CRAZY??
By the time a young person is of middle school age (11 – 15 or so) they have heard all the words, functional & sarcastic about sex, doing it, and the outcomes of having it, so why wouldn’t you use this shot as a great opportunity to tell them what you’d like them to think about before ever making that decision for the first time? Remind them what the possible outcomes could be for them, including complications like pregnancy or a reputation.
Plus, Getting burnt by an STI might be permanent depending on which one it is…
It is proven that teens will delay sex if they have a trusted adult in their life that they believe will give them sound medical information, listen to them and offer advice when necessary. So what do you hae to lose, but them to cancer?
If you don’t start the conversation, I guarantee they will get the info from someone who has all the wrong answers, knows none of the science of STIs or vaccines, and doesn’t care a fig about your kid.
Come on Parents time is a-wasting!The action you take today can keep your kid from becoming a future cancer statistic tomorrow.