What is a Wart?

Nearly every person in America has probably had problems with their skin at one point or another. Problems range from very large to very small. One minor skin problem a lot of people have to deal with is a wart. Warts are considered a minor, common skin problem. This is due to the fact that so many people develop a wart at least once in their life.

What is a wart? A wart is a small growth that appears on your skin. They are benign skin infections, meaning that they are not cancerous. In most cases warts are completely harmless. Even though they are harmless, many people would rather find a way to remove them rather then wait for them to go away on their own. Usually that is because they are a rather ugly skin condition. Although warts can appear anywhere on your body, you will usually find them on the feet, hands, neck, and face.

A little known fact about warts is that they are typically caused by the Human Papillomavirus, or HPV. Another fact you might not have known is that warts are actually contagious, meaning they can be spread from person to person. However, just because you come in direct contact with someone with a wart, does not mean that you will contract a wart yourself. Whether or not you get a wart all depends on how healthy your skin is. You could touch someone who has a wart, and not get it, but someone else could touch them, and they would get one.

You may wonder who can get warts and who cannot. To be completely honest, anyone can get a wart. They are common in children, adults, and the elderly alike. Your gender, race, and ethnic background can not determine if you will or will not get a wart. Do not worry though; like we said above they are generally harmless. They can, however, be painful. This is due to where the wart is located. The location of a wart is another factor in determining if a person wants to get the wart removed or not.

If you develop a wart in a not so attractive place, or if the pain of the wart causes you to decide to remove the wart, you should talk to your health care provider. They can give you valuable information on wart removal and treatment options, as well as giving your wart an examination. As long as you have health coverage, you should not have to pay very much for this visit, or even the removal of the wart itself. Most insurance companies cover it. However, if you do not have health insurance, or can not make an appointment due to time restrictions, there are various over-the-counter and home remedies you can try. Most of these cost less then thirty dollars, and often prove to be just as effective. However, make sure you follow the directions very carefully, as you always should when treating your own skin conditions.

As said before, warts are very common, and often harmless. They can appear anywhere, but tend to stick to the same parts of your body. You can treat warts by buying over the counter medications, or by having your health care provider deal with it for you. Do not forget, you can also just wait it out and the wart will go away on its own. Warts can be painless, but that does not mean that there is something seriously wrong with your skin, it is usually caused by where the wart is located. With all of this information, you can now feel better if you ever contract one of these minor skin problems.