What is a wart?
A wart is a benign skin growth caused by a viral infection in the outer layer of skin. Warts are caused by the Human Papilloma virus, although we are all exposed to this virus constantly, children are more likely to suffer from warts as a consequence, because they have not built up antibodies to the virus. Warts can be found anywhere on the body but are most common on the hands and feet.

Who gets them?
94% of the population are thought to have a wart or verruca at some time in their life. Warts and verrucas are most common in children and adolescents. Studies show that 90% of verrucas and 70% of warts appear in people under the age of 20.

There are three main types of warts;

Common warts - these usually grow on the fingers, around the nails and on the back of hands. They are very common where the skin has been broken and where nails have been bitten or picked. They are sometimes called seed warts because blood vessels to the wart produce little black dots, which look like little seeds.

Foot (or Plantar) Warts - These are found on the soles of the feet, the plantar area, this is why they are called plantar warts. When plantar warts grow in clusters they are also known as mosaic warts. These warts are usually flat, as the pressure of walking pushes them back into the skin. Similar to common warts they may have black dots, and can be painful as they may feel like you are stepping on stones.

Flat warts - These warts are flatter and smoother than other warts, they tend to grow in larger numbers such as 20 – 100 at one time. They can occur anywhere, however they are most common on children's faces, in the beard area of men and on legs of women. Irritation from shaving probably accounts for this.