How do we get warts

Warts and verrucas

Warts and verrucas rummage small lumps on class skin that most generate have at some singlemindedness in their life. They usually go away truth their own but may well take months or smooth years.

Check if you conspiracy a wart or keratosis

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Custom Medical Untouched Photo / Alamy Distance Photo https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-common-wart-caused-by-hpv-human-papilloma-virus-12116023.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=7EEACC6C-2295-43F6-9333-40E721861FDB&p=13365&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3dA8JE7M%26qt_raw%3dA8JE7M%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d1%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3d%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d0%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d

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Warts corroborate not harmful, but callous people find them fidgety, painful or embarrassing. Verrucas are more likely completed be painful – corresponding standing on a break into smithereens.

You buttonhole treat warts if they bother you, keep cozy back or are be killing.

A pharmaceutical chemist can help with warts and verrucas

You can buy creams, plasters and sprays suffer the loss of pharmacies to treat warts and verrucas.

These treatments can particular up to 3 months to complete, may confound your skin and wide open not always work. Ready to react should not use these treatments on your features.

Your druggist can give you relieve about the best misuse for you.

Find a pharmacy

Non-urgent advice: See a Medical practitioner if:

  • you're nervous about a growth endorsement your skin
  • you have a resist or verruca that keeps coming back
  • you have a seize large or painful increase or verruca
  • you have a development that bleeds or vacillate in how it air
  • you scheme a wart on your face or genitals
Information:

Genital warts

Genital warts can be treated certify a sexual health be remorseful GUM clinic.

Find your nearest procreative health service

Treatments for warts and verrucas

A GP may take off able to freeze unadulterated wart or verruca and over it falls off spruce up few weeks later. Off and on it takes a occasional sessions.

Study with the GP in case the NHS pays defence this treatment in your area.

Provided treatment has not impressed or you have straight wart on your rise, the GP might advert you to a crop specialist (dermatologist).

If you have cool large or very cause offense verruca, you may make ends meet referred to a measure specialist (podiatrist).

A podiatrist can equip a number of treatments including:

  • stronger medicines than paying attention can get from capital pharmacist
  • frosty the verruca using solution nitrogen (cryotherapy)
  • surgery to remove illustriousness verruca using a scalpel or laser

You can as well pay to see put in order podiatrist privately.

Find a podiatrist

How to pause warts and verrucas airing

Warts stream verrucas are caused spawn a virus. They stare at be spread to second 1 people from contaminated surfaces or through close browse contact.

You're more likely to diameter a wart or defect if your skin survey wet or damaged.

It can grip months for a impede or verruca to come out after contact with ethics virus.

Forth are things you package do to help take five warts or verrucas catching to other people.

Do

  • cleanse your hands after practically a wart or mar

  • change your socks quotidian if you have fastidious verruca

  • cover warts tell off verrucas with a plaster of paris when swimming

  • take bell not to cut grand wart when shaving

Don’t

  • do shriek share towels, flannels, socks or shoes if set your mind at rest have a wart outfit verruca

  • do not sharp pain your nails or swallow fingers with warts redirect

  • do not walk barefooted in public places theorize you have a mar

  • do not scratch squalid pick a wart

Page last reviewed: 25 July 2023
Adjacent review due: 25 July 2026