Flat warts, also known as verruca plana, can be harder to recognize because they do not have the rough, cauliflower-like surface commonly associated with warts.
They are usually small, smooth, slightly raised bumps with a flat top. Their color may be skin-toned, pink, light brown, or somewhat darker than the surrounding skin. They often appear in groups, sometimes with many tiny lesions close together.
Common locations include the face, forehead, cheeks, backs of the hands, arms, and legs. In adults, flat warts may appear in areas where hair is shaved or removed.
One reason these growths can spread is that shaving, scratching, or repeated friction may transfer the virus across nearby skin. A person who begins with only a few small bumps may later notice a larger cluster.
Flat warts are often not painful. Their main concern may be their visibility, especially when they appear on the face. Trying to scrape or burn them away can cause inflammation, dark marks, or scarring.
How are flat warts treated?
Treatment depends on the number of lesions, their location, and the person's skin type. A dermatologist may recommend a topical treatment or a procedure, but methods suitable for thick skin on the hands or feet may be inappropriate for delicate facial skin.
Over-the-counter wart-removal products should not be used on the face unless a healthcare professional specifically advises it. Strong acids can damage healthy skin and may leave lasting marks.
Flat warts sometimes disappear without treatment. If they are spreading, persistent, or difficult to distinguish from another skin condition, a dermatologist can examine them and recommend a safer approach.
4. Filiform Warts: Thin, Thread-Like Growths on the Face
Filiform warts have a distinctive appearance. Instead of forming a broad, rounded bump, they develop narrow projections that extend outward from the skin. These projections may look like tiny threads, spikes, or soft fingers.
They are often found around the mouth, nose, eyelids, and other parts of the face. Their color can be similar to the surrounding skin or may appear pink, yellowish, brown, or gray.
Because they can grow in visible areas, filiform warts may be especially noticeable. A small lesion near the eye or lip can attract attention even when it causes no physical discomfort.
Filiform warts may grow relatively quickly compared with some other wart types. Their narrow projections can also become irritated by washing, shaving, rubbing, or accidental scratching.
Why should facial growths be checked?
Not every thread-like or raised growth on the face is a wart. Skin tags, other benign growths, and certain skin cancers can sometimes look similar. A person should not assume that a facial bump is harmless simply because it resembles a wart in a photograph.
This is particularly important for growths near the eyelids, nose, or lips. Attempting to remove them with household chemicals, scissors, or sharp tools can injure sensitive tissue.
A dermatologist can assess the lesion and decide whether removal is appropriate. Depending on its size and location, treatment may involve careful freezing, removal by a medical procedure, or another method.
5. Periungual and Subungual Warts: Growths Around or Under the Nails
Periungual warts develop around the edges of fingernails or toenails. Subungual warts develop beneath the nail plate. Both can be troublesome because the nail unit is delicate and important for normal nail growth.
These warts may begin as small, rough bumps near the nail fold. Over time, they can become thicker, cracked, or irregular. If a wart grows beneath the nail, it may lift or distort the nail plate.
People sometimes mistake these lesions for ordinary dry skin or a minor nail problem. Others try to remove them by cutting the rough tissue away. This is risky because the growth may extend close to the nail matrix, the area responsible for producing the nail.
Damage to the nail matrix can lead to permanent nail changes. An infection around the nail can also cause redness, swelling, tenderness, or discharge.
Why are these warts particularly stubborn?
The area around the nail is frequently exposed to small injuries. Nail biting, picking at cuticles, and trimming the skin too closely can create openings through which HPV may enter. Repeated manipulation can also spread the virus to nearby fingers.
Treatment can be more challenging than for a small wart on an open area of skin. The clinician needs to consider the wart's position, its depth, and the possibility of damaging the nail.
A dermatologist may use carefully selected topical treatments or procedures. Repeated treatment sessions may be needed, and some lesions can return.
Do not use strong wart-removal chemicals under or around a nail without professional guidance. If the nail changes shape, becomes painful, separates from the nail bed, or develops persistent inflammation, arrange an examination.
6. Genital Warts: A Different Type That Requires Medical Assessment
Genital warts are caused by certain HPV types that are commonly transmitted through intimate skin-to-skin sexual contact. They are different from the ordinary warts that typically develop on the hands, fingers, or soles of the feet.
They may appear around the vulva, vagina, penis, scrotum, anus, or nearby skin. Some are tiny and difficult to notice, while others form larger clusters. Their surface may be smooth or rough, and their color can range from skin-toned to pink, gray, or brown.
Genital warts may appear as one growth or as several lesions close together. In some cases, clusters have a cauliflower-like appearance. However, appearance varies, and not every genital lump is a wart.
Some people experience itching, irritation, discomfort, or bleeding, while others have no symptoms at all. Because the lesions can be subtle, a person may not realize they are present.
Does having genital warts mean someone has cancer?
No. The HPV types that cause most genital warts are generally considered low-risk types in relation to cancer. They are not the same as the high-risk HPV types that are associated with most HPV-related cancers.
However, this does not mean genital growths should be ignored. A healthcare professional needs to confirm what the lesions are and determine whether testing, treatment, or other follow-up is appropriate.
There is also no reliable way to determine exactly when a person acquired HPV from the appearance of genital warts. The virus may remain unnoticed for a period before lesions become visible. A diagnosis does not, by itself, establish when transmission occurred or identify a particular partner as the source.
How are genital warts treated?
Genital warts require treatment designed for the sensitive skin in that area. A clinician may prescribe a topical medication or recommend a procedure such as freezing, surgical removal, electrocautery, or laser treatment.
Ordinary pharmacy wart removers should not be applied to genital skin. Products containing strong acids or freezing chemicals can cause significant burns and injury when used in the wrong area.
Treatment can remove visible warts, but it may not immediately eliminate HPV from the body. Lesions can return, and follow-up may be necessary.
Anyone who notices unexplained growths around the genitals or anus should arrange a confidential medical assessment rather than attempting home removal.
What the Pictures Can — and Cannot — Tell You
The photographs accompanying the original post show several skin growths with rough, raised, or crater-like surfaces. Some resemble common warts, while others resemble plantar warts, which frequently develop on the soles of the feet.
A close-up photograph can help readers understand why warts are sometimes described as grainy, cauliflower-like, or dotted with tiny dark spots. It can also show how multiple lesions may cluster together.
However, there is an important limitation: a picture cannot prove that a particular person has HPV or establish which HPV type is involved.
Other skin conditions can resemble warts. These include corns, calluses, skin tags, molluscum contagiosum, seborrheic keratoses, and certain types of skin cancer. Some conditions may look similar in one photograph but behave very differently.
The caption in the social media image suggests that seeing a particular kind of bump means a person is infected. That statement needs context. A growth that genuinely is a wart is usually associated with a wart-causing HPV type, but not every bump that looks like a wart is actually caused by HPV.
If a lesion is new, changing, bleeding, unusually painful, or difficult to identify, an in-person examination is safer than relying on an online comparison.
Signs and Symptoms: How to Recognize a Possible Wart
Warts vary widely, but there are several features that may raise suspicion.
A rough or thickened surface: Many common warts have a coarse texture that feels different from the surrounding skin. The surface may be uneven, grainy, or covered with small projections.