Buff Lifestyle Hair & Beauty
Common Wart
A common wart is a thick, rough, skin growth caused by human papillomavirus virus (HPV). HPV is a germ that spreads by skin-to-skin contact or contact with contaminated surfaces. Common warts are benign (not cancer).
Why do they appear?
Common warts occur more often in children and young adults. You may get warts if you touch someone else's wart or objects that someone with a wart has touched. The following may increase your risk for a common wart:
• Use of community showers, swimming pools, or bathrooms
• Handling raw meat or fish
• Use of medicines that weaken your immune system
• Conditions that weaken your immune system such as lymphoma, HIV, or an organ transplant
• Being pregnant
Areas they are commonly found
Common warts may form anywhere on your body, but are most common on your
• hands
• fingers
• knees
• feet
• elbows
You may have any of the following:
• A raised, round, tan, or skin-coloured, growth
• Black dots in the centre of your wart, or bleeding if the wart is scratched or scraped
• Soreness around your wart
