How to get rid of warts on child

Warts in Children | Johns Hopkins Medicine

What are skin warts in children?

Warts on the skin are harmless growths. They are caused by a virus. Warts can spread to other parts of the body and to other people.

What causes skin warts in a child?

Warts are caused by a type of human papillomavirus. Different types of warts are caused by different types of papillomavirus.

Which children are at risk for warts?

Warts are more common in children than adults, but they can happen at any age. A person is more at risk for warts if he or she has either of these:

What are the symptoms of skin warts in a child?

Warts are usually not painful, except when one is on the bottom of a foot. There are many different types of warts. They each look different. The types of warts and their symptoms include:

Common warts. These usually have a rough surface. They are grayish-yellow or brown in color. They may be on the fingers, elbows, knees, or the face.
Plantar and palmar warts. These grow on the soles of feet or the palms of the hand. Groups of plantar warts are called mosaic. These warts may be painful.
Flat warts. These are small, smooth growths. They most often appear on children's faces.
Filiform warts. These are small, long, narrow growths. They usually appear on eyelids, lips, or the face or neck.
Periungual warts. These appear as thickened skin around the nails. They can cause painful splits in the skin (fissures).

Plantar Warts

This condition occurs when a virus enters the body through cuts or breaks in the skin and causes non-cancerous growths to build up on the soles of the feet. Plantar warts are not dangerous, but they can be painful and resistant to treatment.

How are skin warts diagnosed in a child?

The healthcare provider will give your child a physical exam. A healthcare provider will usually diagnose warts based on their appearance. He or she may use a small blade to scrape away the top layers. There may be black dots beneath the top layers. These are tiny blood vessels that have clotted. Your child's healthcare provider may recommend that your child see a skin specialist (dermatologist). The dermatologist may do a shave biopsy, although this is not commonly done. A very small amount of the wart is shaved and sent to the lab to be examined.

How are skin warts treated in a child?

Most warts go away in weeks or months with no treatment. Common warts can often be treated with over-the-counter products. Treatment of warts depends on:

How long they have been in place
Where they are on the body
What type of wart they are
How many of them are growing

Some treatment methods may cause pain and burning in the area treated. Talk with your child's healthcare provider about which treatments would cause the least pain and work best for your child. Treatment may include one or more of the below:

Putting salicylic acid or other medicines on the wart (topical irritants)
Freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen
Applying an electrical current to the wart (electrocautery)
Cutting out (excising) the wart
Removing the wart with laser surgery

What are the possible complications of skin warts in a child?

Warts may be difficult to treat and may return.

What can I do to prevent skin warts in my child?

Warts can spread to other parts of the body and to other people. It can be spread by skin to skin contact. It can be virus may be spread by towels or other personal items. You can help prevent the warts from spreading. Make sure your child:

Doesn’t touch the wart to other parts of his or her body
Doesn’t touch the wart to other people
Doesn’t share anything that touches his or her wart, such as towels
Wears socks or slippers if he or she has warts on the bottom of the feet

When should I call my child's healthcare provider?

Call your child's healthcare provider if your child has warts that:

Key points about skin warts in children

Warts on the skin are harmless growths. They are caused by one of the human papillomaviruses.
Warts are more common in children than adults, although they can develop at any age.
There are many different types of warts with different appearances.
Most warts go away, without treatment, but it may take weeks or months.
Warts can be treated with over-the-counter medicines. Other treatments may be prescribed by your child's healthcare provider.

What You Need to Know

Warts are small growths on the skin caused by an infection from the human papillomavirus (HPV). In this handout, you will learn about different types of warts and how you can help prevent or treat warts.

Warts in the genital (private) area are not discussed in this handout. Talk with the doctor if your child has warts in the genital area.

What are Warts?

Warts are very small growths on the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Warts are not harmful, but they are very contagious (can spread easily). In children, most warts appear on the fingers, hands and feet.

What are Common Types of Warts?

Warts look like small, hard bumps on the skin. The 3 main types of warts include:

Common warts are raised, rough and lightcolored. They can also have brown or have black dots.
Plantar warts appear on the bottom of the foot. They are rough, spongy and gray or brown with black dots. They can also be painful.
Flat warts are smooth, flat or slightly raised. They often appear in groups on the face, hands or shins (front of the lower leg).

How Do Warts Spread?

Warts are spread through skin-to-skin contact. Warts can also spread if you touch something that a person with warts has also touched. The risk of spreading warts is also higher if you have a cut or open area on your skin.

How Can I Prevent Warts?

Wear flip-flops or sandals in locker rooms and shared showers. Do not walk barefoot.
Wash your hands after touching your own warts.
Keep the wart covered with a bandage or duct tape.
Clean any grooming tools that have been used near a wart, like nail clippers.
Do not pick at or shave a wart.
Do not share towels with other people.
Have your child get the HPV vaccine if he is old enough. All children can have the HPV vaccine starting between ages 9-11. The HPV vaccine protects your child from spreading or catching warts and other diseases (like genital warts or cervical cancer) caused by HPV.

How are Warts Treated?

In most cases, warts go away on their own in 2 years or fewer. Other warts do not go away or come back after treatment. Depending on the type of wart, you can treat warts at home or at the doctor’s office.

Common at-home treatments include:

Salicylic acid (typically 17%). Buy this at your local pharmacy without a prescription. It comes as a gel, liquid or patch. Common brands include Dr. Scholls®, Compound W® or Duofilm®. This works by peeling away the dead skin from the wart. Stronger salicylic acid (30-40%) preparations, such as Mediplast® or WartStick® are okay in pediatric patients, but only on thicker skin (palms and soles).
Duct tape. Doctors are unsure if duct tape really helps, but it is easy to try at home.

Common treatments at the doctor’s include:

Freezing (also called cryotherapy). Liquid nitrogen is used to freeze off the wart. This can be uncomfortable, but it can get rid of a wart for good. Your child might need to repeat this treatment every 2-3 weeks until the wart is gone.
Removal. Doctors numb your child’s skin and remove the wart with a scalpel (very sharp knife) or a laser. This gets rid of the wart, but it can also leave a scar.
Prescription creams or injections. If nothing else is working, a dermatologist (skin doctor) might prescribe a cream, topical liquid or injection such as imiquimod and cantharidin.

When Should I Call the Doctor?

If your child has many warts.
If the wart is growing or changing quickly.
If the wart is painful, bleeding, oozing or causing other concerns.

At-home treatments for warts

You can use these two treatments together or separately.

Salicylic acid

Do not use salicylic acid for more than 12 weeks without asking the doctor.

Soak the wart in warm water (up to 110°F on hands/feet) for 5 minutes. You can use a candy thermometer to test the water temperature. Be sure the water is not too hot to avoid burns.
Scrub/file down the dead dry skin with a disposable emery board (nail file) or pumice stone. Make sure it is labeled for wart use only to avoid spreading the wart virus.
Apply salicylic acid medicine to dry skin over the wart. *Note: If the healthy skin surrounding the wart becomes red and irritated, apply Vaseline® to that area. This helps protect it before applying the medicine to the wart.
Cover the wart with a bandage or duct tape for 24 hours.
Repeat steps 1-4 every 1-2 days until the wart is gone for 2 weeks, then take a break for 1 week. You can repeat another 2 week cycle if needed.

Duct tape

Cut a piece of duct tape the size of the wart. Keep the duct tape on the wart for 6 days.
Take the tape off and soak the wart for 5 minutes in water.
File the wart down with a disposable emery board or pumice stone. Leave the wart uncovered overnight.
In the morning, repeat steps 1-3 again for 2 months (8 weeks) or until the wart goes away.

Rev. 9/2017. Content adapted from MGH Primary Care Office Insite (PCOI). ©2017 CARMA. Mass General and MGfC do not endorse any of the brands in this handout. This document is intended to provide health-related information so that you may be better informed. It is not a substitute for a doctor’s medical advice and should not be relied upon for treatment for specific medical conditions.

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