Signs and Symptoms
Warts may occur singly or in multiples and often have multiple small black "dots" at the surface from tiny blood vessels.
- Common warts are rough, thick, skin-colored, pink, or white bumps from 1 mm to over 10 mm in size, often on the hands, face, elbows, and knees.
- Filiform warts are long and narrow like tufts of thread and usually small at the base (1–3 mm); they often affect the face, eyelids, or nose area.
- Flat warts are very slightly raised, smooth, 1–5 mm, skin-colored bumps, which may appear in a line from self-inoculation from scratching or widely from shaving. They are often seen on the face, hands, or shins.
- Plantar warts are thick, rough, callous-like, and often tender areas of the soles of the feet, usually on the weight-bearing areas. Since they are painful, they are often thought to be corns.
Infection can be described as:
- Mild – just one or a few painless lesions
- Moderate – 10-20 lesions that are painless
- Severe – pain that limits normal life activities, bleeding, or over 20 lesions, except for flat warts, which can be numerous, yet not bothersome
Who's At Risk
