Health Topics A-Z

What Are the Symptoms?

• Common warts are small, hard, rough lumps that are round and elevated.  They usually appear on hands and fingers and may be flesh-colored, white, pink or bumpy.
• Digitate warts are horny and finger-like, with pea-shaped bases.  They appear on the scalp or near the hairline.
• Filiform warts are thin and thread-like.  They commonly appear on the face and neck.
• Flat warts appear in groups of up to several hundred, usually on the face, neck, chest, knees, hands, wrists or forearms.  They are slightly raised and have smooth, flat or rounded tops.
• Plantar Warts are firm lumps on the soles of the feet.  Unlike a corn or callus they have tiny black dots which are small clotted blood vessels.
• Periungual warts are rough, irregular and elevated.  They appear at the edges of fingernails and toenails and may extend under the nails, causing pain.

Call Your Doctor If:

• Over-the-counter remedies don't work.
• You are a woman and develop genital warts, which in rare cases can be associated with cervical cancer.
• You are older than 45 and discover what looks like a wart; it may instead be a symptom of a more serious skin condition, such as skin cancer.
• Warts multiply and spread, causing embarrassment or discomfort.
• You notice a change in a wart's color or size; this could indicate skin cancer.