Your Warts and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) - What Are the Characteristics of This Virus

Most of us have probably been forced to deal with warts at one time or another, whether personally or while supporting loved ones.

A wart is a skin tumor and is typically composed of a small lump on the outer layer of the skin. There are many different types of warts and they are usually classified both by their location on the body and by their appearance.

These skin growths are caused by the human papilloma virus or HPV. The human papilloma virus is contagious and can pass from one person to another. It can also be transmitted by touching an object torched by a contaminated person. The HPV has also a tendency to contaminate other areas in the same body.

It is easily transferred from person to person when the skin has been opened through a scratch, cut, or abrasion. The strains of the human papilloma virus that causes genital warts can easily be transmitted through sexual activity.

Being a carrier of this virus does not always mean that you will develop warts. Many individuals are carriers of this virus but may not develop any growth themselves. They can however transmit this virus to other individual.

Children and young people seem to be most susceptible to this virus, though it can really affect anyone. The virus is most contagious in its very early stages. However, anyone with a history of HPV can spread it. Sometimes years can go by before warts appear as a result of the infection.

HIV or medications that suppress the immune system make people much more susceptible to this virus and so increase the likelihood of developing warts.

If a person is healthy and active, sometimes the immune system can destroy the wart on its own. A healthy diet may also help to strengthen the immune system.

HPV has been associated with warts but in recent years it has been discovered that it can cause certain types of genital cancers and abnormal growth in the eye as well.

The preferred habitats for the human papilloma virus are warm and moist environments. It can easily be found in places where water is used such as bathrooms and swimming pool areas. It can also more easily be found in public places where water is used since such places are frequented by many individuals. These places include public shower floors, public swimming pool floors, gyms and locker rooms. It can also be found in shoes!

If you take the appropriate precautions you will decrease the chances to be contaminated with the human papilloma virus. Refrain to go barefooted in the areas described above a far as you can, especially if it is a public place.

Further more refrain from touching your wart and then touching another part of your body. This may transfer the HPV from that wart to other areas of your body and so contaminating that other part.

Get Rid of Face Warts But Beware of That Scar!

Warts on the face are small, rough and raised bumps on the face. They are both quite common and harmless. The only problem usually relates to aesthetic reasons. It is a fact that no one likes to have these 'horrible creatures' on one's face.

The warts on the face have a tendency to group in clusters. Sometimes these clusters may grow up to 100 warts, but usually the clusters are much smaller. They are generally of two types: flat warts or common warts.

Children have the tendency to have more warts on the face than other individuals. This may be in part because their immune system is less strong than that of adults. The immune system helps to fight viruses and bacteria. Facial warts are in fact a viral infection caused by the human papilloma virus or HPV. The HPV is contagious and enters from cuts or scratches in the skin.

You can get rid of face warts by various methods. They range from surgical procedures, over the counter treatments and home treatments.

Surgical procedures such as cryosurgery, laser therapy and electosurgery need to be done by a professional physician. They are quite painful and the healing process may take some time. You may also have to go for more than one visit to treat the same wart.

Further more they may leave a scar. This is a very negative aspect. Remember that you are treating the face and any scar left is as ugly as the removed wart, and it is very noticeable!

Because of these and other problems, it is debatable if such wart removal methods are practical to treat children.

Other types of treatments involve over the counter medicine such as creams, and gels.

There are also various home treatments such as using duct tape, garlic, vinegar and other home methods that have been used for many years.

At all times keep it always in mind that here you are treating the face. Some of the over the counter and home wart removal methods may be quite acidic and may leave a scar. Although they may be adequate to treat other type of warts such as foot warts, they may not be adequate to treat the face. A little scar under your foot is seldom visible.

It is a very different story if you have a scar or scars on your face. Be well informed about any method you use and its side effects. If you are in doubt seek a second opinion. Do not leave anything to chance.

Remember that although you can get rid of face warts by various methods, remember also that the large majority of warts on the face will go away by themselves, although this may take several months or a few years.

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How Do You Get Warts?

You can get warts by being infected by the human papilloma virus or HPV. A wart is in reality a non-cancerous growth caused by an infection by this type of virus.

There are many strains of the human papilloma virus and some of these types cause different type of warts. This virus is contagious and it can enter into your body from small cuts or scratches on your skin as well as by other ways.

There are many ways where you can get warts by being contaminated by HPV. In fact you can get them by:

• Direct contact with a wart of another person
• Direct contact with another person who is a carrier of the virus
• Using object that has been touched by another person that has the virus
• Sexual activity
• Frequenting certain places where the HPV dwells

Direct contact with the wart of another person may transfer the virus to your body. This is more frequent in children and adolescents than in adults. While children are playing football or other sports that require physical contact it is quite easy that they pass the virus by unconsciously touching the warts of other individuals.

It is also important to be aware that an individual may have the virus even if no type of growth has developed. This is because the virus not always develops into any type of growth. So an individual may transmit the virus without having developed any growth himself. However the individual that has been contaminated may develop the wart.

You can get warts by touching objects that had been touched by other individuals that carry the virus. This includes such objects as towels and shoes.

Some strains of this virus are responsible for genital warts. This strain may be transmitted during sexual activity.

The HPV can be found in many places and so you can get it from those places as well. Viruses have a tendency to remain dormant but alive for several months or even years when they are outside the body. They may start to multiply and increase their activity when they are in a body.

The human papilloma virus can be found in moist and warm places. It may lie on the floors of swimming pools, bathrooms, showers, gyms and locker rooms. So walking bare footed in these places increases the chances that you can get the virus through a small cut or scratch in you feet or other parts of your body.

If you are contaminated with the virus you can contaminate other areas of you body as well. This occurs by scratching your wart and touching other areas of your body. Children are particular known to have this type of habits.

Warts on the Face - Are They Diminishing Your Self Esteem?

Warts on the face are more common in children and adolescents, but other older individuals may also have them. Warts on the face are a viral infection caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). They are mainly of two types, namely flat warts and common warts.

Being overly conscious about facial warts will adversely affect your self-esteem. This is particularly for teenagers. Some individuals with facial warts may be more inhibited than necessary and so this affects their social life. Because of this they may be needlessly unhappy and sometimes even depressed.

It is however true that having a large number of them on your face may change your appearance. Some women are quite scared as they look at the mirror and see those bumps on their face. Some may also refrain looking at the mirror because of them.

However it needs to be said that we have the tendency to exaggerate our problems. Women are especially concerned about their looks. But common sense needs to prevail also. Those warts on the face are in reality much less monstrous than one might imagine.

If you are overly concerned, remember that there are many ways that can help you to get rid of them, prevent them to re-occur and if you do not have them, prevent them as much as you can so that you will not be infected by the HPV and get them.

It is very important to strengthen your immune system since this fights infections such as those of the HPV. This may be done by eating healthy food, drink a lot of water, sleep adequately, stop smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages in excess and try to avoid stress as far as possible.

Perhaps warts on the face are more common on children than on any other age group. Children may also be conscious about their facial warts and this may lower their self esteem.

It is very important to teach your children that the large majority of them will disappear after several months or some years. Further more it is important that our children learn about the importance of being beautiful inside, the importance of helping others and the need to build meaningful and healthy relationships with their peers.

Remember that we are both physical and spiritual beings and we have to take care of both in order to lead happy and fulfilling lives.

You can also nurture in children certain habits. Children have a tendency to scratch their warts. These habits will only transfer the HPV from the warts to other parts of the body. Other important precautions involve not going bare footed where the human papilloma virus thrives. These include humid and hot places such as swimming pools, bathroom floors and gyms.

Finally if the self esteem of the individual is so adversely affected by the warts on the face, there are many ways that you can do to get rid of them. These range form over the counter medications, home treatments and even surgical procedures.

Whatever treatment you choose keep in mind that certain treatments may leave a scar. So be very well informed about this. Remember that you are treating warts on the face and any left scar is visible.

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What Are the 3 Main Attributes of Warts?

A wart is a small non-cancerous tumor that grows on the outer layer of the skin.

It generally resembles a cauliflower and its color is usually a bit different from the nearby skin. It is usually painless but sometimes it may itch or burn. Some type of warts group into clusters.

They are caused by the human papilloma virus or HPV. There are many stains of the human papilloma virus and different stains may cause different types of warts. The human papilloma virus is contagious.

All type of warts share a few basic attributes and characteristics:

• Autoinculable and Contagious

This means that they can be "passed" to another person through skin contact or by touching an object that was previously touched by the infected person.

The best environment for the HPV to thrive is warm and moist habitats. Therefore it can easily be found in certain places such as:

• Public Shower floors
• Public Bathrooms
• Locker rooms
• Near public swimming pools
• Gyms

It helps to refrain from walking bare footed in such areas as far as possible in order to decrease the chances of getting the virus through small cuts in your skin.

An individual may be a carrier of HPV and not have any wart. This is because not all carriers of this virus will develop into a wart. Further more a wart may take time to develop after the individual had contacted the virus.

Some people can transmit this virus without having any sign of warts themselves.

• Sprawling and Reproducing

Not only can they spread from person to person, they can spread also locally. They are capable of forming "child" growths and spread in the immediate area of infection. Treatment should be prioritized due to this spreading threat. It is also important to prevent them from coming back.

• Infectious

Apart from just spreading at the site of infection, they can spread to other regions of the body. The spread especially occurs when other areas are open or cut in some way.

You can reduce spreading warts by actively using disinfectants and by not letting anyone come in direct contact with your warts.