What are warts?

Viral infection: Warts are a viral infection of the skin. The infected skin cells over grow into a small mass. The virus also replicates and spreads to nearby skin cells causing enlargement of the wart.

Warts: Warts are small, usually painless growths on the skin caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (hpv). Most, but not all, are generally harmless. Warts can be disfiguring and embarrassing. Sometimes they itch or hurt (particularly on the feet). Some warts spread through sex.

A wart is a viral: infection of the skin. To get a wart, you must be exposed to the virus AND be susceptible. Not everyone is susceptible, and not all body parts are susceptible, and susceptibility can change over time. The virus is the human papilloma virus, but there are 99 species of this, and the one that causes warts is NOT the same as the one that's associated with cervical cancer. They can be very stubborn.