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Warts


Disclaimer: This fact sheet is for educational use only. Please consult your doctor or other health professional to make sure this information is right for your child.

Key points to remember

  • warts are common, harmless skin growths caused by a virus
  • warts can spread between people or on the same person
  • in children, 90 percent of all warts will disappear within two years
  • it is not essential to treat the warts, particularly if they are not causing any problems

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What are they?

Warts are generally harmless skin growths. They can grow anywhere on the skin, most commonly on the hands, fingers, feet and face.
 
There are many different types of wart virus, and your child may become immune (resistant) to one type, but develop warts due to another type. The immunity is not life-long.
 

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What causes them?

Warts are caused by a family of viruses called HPV (human papilloma virus). Once infected with the virus, it may take up to a year or more for the wart to become visible. They then grow very slowly over a period of months to years.
 

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How long could they last?

In children, even without treatment, 50 percent of warts disappear within six months; 90 percent are gone in two years (DermNet NZ).
 

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How are they spread?

  • warts can spread to other parts of your child’s body when they pick or scratch them
  • warts can spread to other children who have direct contact with someone with warts
  • your child can also get warts indirectly through swimming pools or public showers especially if they are barefoot and have scratches or cuts

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What puts my child at risk of getting it?

Warts are very common, particularly in childhood. They affect around one in 10 children.
 

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What are the signs and symptoms?

  • warts can have many different appearances, from flat, shiny, long stalks, or large rough lumps (see the DermNet NZ website for pictures of warts)

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What treatments are available?

It is not essential to treat your child’s warts, particularly if they are not causing any problems. Treatment can be more uncomfortable than the warts themselves. No one treatment is guaranteed to work, and many require a few attempts.

However, warts often look ugly and can cause embarrassment. They can also be painful, particularly when they are on the feet or under nails.

A good approach initially is to keep the warts covered 24 hours a day. Duct tape is simple and cheap, and may help to prevent the warts spreading. 

If you do want to treat your child’s warts, the following treatments applied to the skin (topical treatments) are available:
  • liquid nitrogen freezing is a common treatment that can be effective, but is painful. It usually needs to be repeated about every four weeks for several months
  • there are special ointments or wart paints that contain salicylic acid or lactic acid which are effective in seven out of 10 children. These ointments / wart paints peel away the layers of infected skin. Podophyllin (a wart paint) is toxic to warts, but should not be used in pregnancy. They can take up to three months to work. Before using paints, it is important to prepare the skin by soaking the wart in warm-hot water for 10 minutes then paring (rubbing with a pumice or stone or nail file). The paint is then applied to the wart, taking care to avoid the normal surrounding skin. You can use petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, to protect the skin around the wart. Allow it to dry, and then cover with tape
For more information, see Dermnet NZ's viral warts fact sheet (scroll down to treatments). 
 

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When should I seek help?

See your GP (general practitioner) if the warts, or their treatment, cause excessive pain.
 

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Where can I get more information?

The website of the New Zealand Dermatological Society has a fact sheet on viral warts and a wide range of other information on skin conditions.
 

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Acknowledgements

This fact sheet has been adapted from:


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Endorsement

This fact sheet was endorsed by PSNZ - 03/03/2011

Copyright

Fact sheets are subject to copyright. In the interests of information sharing they may be copied but acknowledgement must be given to PSNZ and Starship Foundation.
© The Paediatric Society of New Zealand and Starship Foundation 2005 - 2012


The Paediatric Society of New Zealand
http://www.paediatrics.org.nz 		Starship Foundation
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