Flat warts are like most warts only not raised off
the skin. All warts
are caused by the human papillomavirus. There are
many strains of the virus, about 80 different strains
ranging from genital to facial. Flat warts are caused
by the contagious
human papillomavirus strains 3 and 10.
People can have the HPV virus and not know it, in
fact millions of people do and many will never get
a wart. Those who are diagnosed with warts need to
be careful as some strains are sexually passed on.
The flat wart strain can also be spread through dirty
gyms, or public showers. People who have flat warts
can spread them to other parts of the body through
scratches or wounds.
What Does a Flat Wart Look Like?
This variety of warts are small sometimes round,
oval or long growths. Flat warts can sometimes protrude
into a slight point. The can appear in a range of
colors varying from pink, white yellow or brown. Flat
warts will spread if they are scratched and come into
contact with open wounds on the skin. Be sure to be
careful when shaving on the fact or legs as this is
a common place for them to appear.
How Do They Spread?
Flat warts like most warts appear when conditions
are dirty and someone is barefoot or comes into contact
with a surface which has been previously used by someone
with the warts. The wart virus gets into the body
by open cuts or scratches. As the HPV virus can be
sexually transmitted it is possible that someone may
transmit the strain for a flat wart onto their partner
whether it is visible or not. Flat warts are so small
in size many people may not know they have them or
just mistake them for moles on the skin. They will
appear on the face, legs the hands and back of the
neck as well as the arms.
Young children in school can spread and get flat
warts very easily. Flat warts are most common in children
as they are very active and get bruises and cuts often.
Children
with flat warts need to be careful as to not let
them spread as it can be given to other family or
friends of the child. They are not as common in adults
or adolescents as they do not have as much as an active
life in the way a child does, running tree climbing
etc.
How to Protect the Body from Flat Warts
To prevent the spread or contraction of flat warts it is smart to keep the feet covered when in public pools, on the sidewalk or anyplace that is used by the public often. If people have guests who they know have flat warts bleach the tub or shower before using it, this will protect everyone from getting the virus. When a child has flat warts make sure to keep the child from getting cuts, if they have them ensure they are covered so the warts cannot come into contact and spread.
For those who shave and have flat warts on the face
and legs disinfect the razor after any cuts. One of
the causes
of warts is when a cut is open and the razor is
still used to spread the virus. Good hygiene and maintenance
of the body is the best thing to keep any type of
warts from appearing. Those who have the HPV virus
in their systems and get flat warts can get treatment
for them, these types are not contracted from someone
but the strain was in the body and only recently surfaced.
Consult a doctor if there are any questions on being
tested for the HPV virus.
Resources
* www.intelihealth.com
* http://medschool.ucsd.edu
* www.webmd.com
