Common warts are small, grainy skin growths that most commonly occur on the fingers or hands. Rough to the touch, common warts also often have a pattern of tiny black dots, which are small clotted blood vessels.
Common warts are caused by a virus and are spread by touch. It may take two to six months for a wart to develop after your skin has been exposed to the virus. Common warts are usually harmless and eventually go away on their own. But a lot of people choose to delete them because they find it boring or embarrassing.
Causes
Common warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The virus is quite common and has more than 150 types, but only a few cause warts on the hands. Some strains of HPV are acquired through sexual contact. Most forms, however, are spread through occasional skin contact or through shared objects, such as towels or washcloths. The virus is usually spread through cuts in the skin, such as a scratch. Biting your fingernails can also cause warts to spread on the fingertips and around the fingernails.
Everyone's immune system responds to the HPV virus differently, so not everyone who comes into contact with HPV will develop warts.
