Dormer Laboratories

Warts are skin growths caused by viruses. Warts can grow on any part of the body and their appearance depends primarily on their location. There are several different kinds of warts including: Common warts usually grow around the nails, on the fingers and on the back of the hands. They are more common where the skin has broken, for example where fingernails are bitten or hangnails picked. Foot warts are usually on the soles of the feet and are called Plantar warts. Most plantar warts do not stick above the surface like common warts because the pressure of walking flattens them and pushes them back into the skin. Flat Warts are smaller and smoother than other warts. They tend to grow in great numbers - 20 to 100 at a time. They occur anywhere, but in children they are most common on the face. In adults they are often found in the beard area in men and on the legs in women. Irritation from shaving probably accounts for this.