It’s Not A Blister, So Is It A Wart?
October 12, 2009
Warts often look like blisters, but they aren’t the same. There are many different types of warts out there, and all warts are caused by various strains of the same virus, HPV.
Warts are contagious, and the HPV virus is usually transmitted when the skin of someone who is infected comes in contact with someone who isn’t. While it is hard to estimate how many people suffer from warts, what scientists do know is that warts are a very commonly occurring condition.
Warts may stick around for a few months then disappear, or they may last for years. Warts may recur, or they might disappear and never come back. It’s hard to predict what warts will do, partly because there are so many strains of the virus that causes them.
There are over 130 different HPV strains, but all fall into presenting as several different types of warts. Here are some of the most commonly occurring strains in the population, from top to bottom:
Facial Warts
These kinds of warts tend to pop up around the mouth, lips, and eyes most commonly, but they can appear on other parts of the face as well. Because they are on the face, these kinds of warts tend to cause sufferers some embarrassment.
Hand Warts
Hand warts are very visible, the same as facial warts are, and thus these kinds of warts cause people embarrassment as well. These warts tend to come in a wide variety of sizes and forms; as we use our hands to touch most often, they are the most easily transmitted to another person.
Genital Warts
Arguably the most contagious of all wart types, these warts are easily spread from one person’s genital area to another’s, and they tend to look either white or yellow and be particularly painful.
Sometimes people who have genital warts claim not to suffer pain from them, but this doesn’t mean that, if they pass the wart on, the next person won’t have pain. A person with genital warts should go see a doctor to learn how to treat and/or prevent spreading the infection.
Plantar Warts
These are the kinds of warts most likely to appear on the soles of feet, and usually look yellow. They vary in size and are likely to cause pain during walking.
If any of these kinds of warts sound familiar, if you’ve seen them on yourself, you owe yourself more research time to make sure there isn’t more action you can take to prevent any problems the warts could cause.
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