Warts
Warts are harmless skin growths caused by a viral infection in the top layer of the skin. The different types of warts are:
- Common warts: They usually grow around the nails on the finger and on the back of the hands.
- Flat warts: These are smaller and flat. They occur mainly on the face in children, or in the beard area in males and on the legs in females.
- Plantar warts: These are warts which mainly grow on the soles of the feet and are known to grow inwards, occurring due to pressure of standing and walking. These are often painful.
- Genital warts: Also known as condyloma, they occur in the genital areas of both males and females and are sexually transmitted.
- Warts are contagious in nature and spread from person to person. The most contagious are genital warts whereas the other types have a poor index of contagion. The virus spreads easily if the skin is broken, which is why it is never a good idea to try and cut off the wart by yourself, for if partially done, it may only encourage the infection to spread more.