Common Warts are those warts that occur all over
the body except the feet and the genitals which are
caused by different strains. Common
warts are cylindrical in shape that rise out of
the skin and, like all warts, are caused by the human
papillomavirus. They are known as common warts because
they are the most common strain and many people have
them.
The HPV virus lives in millions of people around the
world and many of those people will live out their
time never knowing that they carry the virus nor having
a wart
appear. Others have bodies covered in common warts.
These common warts can vary in color and be pink,
brown, white or many different colors but never blue.
They can appear in a cluster shape. You can safely
ignore the "old wives tale" that frogs can
give you warts.
Occasionally, warts can be contracted through coming into contact with a wart through an open wound on your own skin. But this is very unlikely. In essence, common warts are very harmless things to have and highly un-contagious. They are mostly just annoying little things which can be removed if desired. Common warts will not cause cancer nor be painful.
Flat Warts - A Different Story
Flat warts are also caused by the HPV virus but are
flat and not cylindrical. Flat warts mostly appear
on the face, neck, legs and knees as well as other
areas. Flat warts are common on the faces of men and
on the legs and armpits of young women. Shaving or
scratching at flat wart can spread them through the
blood stream. Those who shave their faces may notice
small lines or groups of flat warts where they have
shaved. The same can happen to women who shave their
legs where flat warts occur. Flat warts are often
seen in young boys and girls and it is therefore important
to prevent them from scratching or cutting these to
avoid the spread of the warts.
The Differences of the Two Wart Strains
Therefore both kinds of warts are caused by the HPV virus but obviously different strains. Flat warts are very small and end in more of a point off the skin. Common warts are tall cylindrical protrusions off the skin which, if big enough, are noticeable. Common warts cannot be spread unless through wounds and then the wart has to physically touch the wound.
Common warts are more often seen in older children and adults while young children are more frequently seen with flat warts. Also in children, flat warts are more common on the face and can occur in their hundreds. They are as small as pinheads but may have a negative effect on the child's self image. Common or flat warts are not sexually transmitted and there is only a slim chance that people can contract warts through unsanitary conditions.
Resources
* http://medschool.ucsd.edu
* www.aad.org
