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Warts
Few children grow up without developing one or two warts, which are benign skin growths caused by organisms known as human papilloma viruses. The most common type of wart is a raised, rough-textured growth that starts out skin-colored and eventually turns yellow to gray. Appearing singly or in clusters, these warts vary in size from a pinhead to a large mass. They usually occur on the fingers, hands, face, knees and elbows, although they can spread anywhere.

Plantar warts, which are similar to common warts, develop on the sole of the foot and are flat rather than raised because of the pressure from weight.

Closely related to common warts are juvenile flat warts, which are smooth, slightly elevated and variable in color from pink to brown. Juvenile flat warts are usually less than a quarter-inch in size, and they appear primarily on the face and hands.

WHAT CAUSES WARTS?
Scientists have identified more than 50 different types of human papilloma viruses, several of which are associated with specific types of warts. Like other viruses, papilloma viruses are transmitted from person to person, usually through close physical contact or, less often, sharing of personal items, such as towels. The viruses responsible for warts also can be spread from one part of the body to another, which is why warts on the fingers often lead to warts in other locations, including the face. Children's natural tendency to pick at warts also promotes the virus' spread.

IS MEDICAL ATTENTION NECESSARY?
More than 50 percent of warts disappear spontaneously within two years. However, failure to treat warts increases the risk that they will spread. Therefore, it is desirable to have the pediatrician see the lesions and decide whether therapy is needed and, if so, what kind.

WHAT TREATMENTS ARE AVAILABLE?
The basic approach to home treatments involves peeling the wart off. Consult with your doctor about wart-removal products sold over the counter. The active ingredients of these products can destroy the upper layer of the skin. Therefore, never allow a child to apply a wart-removal product alone, and make sure you apply these remedies only to the wart, not to surrounding skin. Follow package directions, which usually recommend twice daily applications. Alternatively, your doctor may recommend a prescription wart-removal solution or plaster that you can use at home.

Never attempt to cut off a wart. This procedure can be perfomed only by a physician. Wart-removal techniques used by pediatricians dermatologists include the following:

• Cryotherapy
, which uses liquid nitrogren to freeze and kill the wart tissue

• Eletrodesiccation
, which burns away the wart by means of an electric current sent through a needle

• Traditional surgery
, which simply cuts the wart off the skin

• Cantharidin
, which is a powerful chemical that forms a blister underneath the wart and pushes it out (Cantharidin is derived from the venom of an insect called the blister beetle)

• Laser therapy
, which is reserved for the most stubborn warts

GETTING HELP
Call your doctor if:

• You are unsure whether a growth is an acutal wart

• Your child is very distressed by a wart that has resisted six weeks of home care

• A wart is causing pain

• A wart is on the sole of the foot

• A wart begins to spread

• A wart starts to bleed

Excerpt from THE DISNEY ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BABY & CHILD CARE, © 1995 DSH Communications, Inc. This material is based on current medical research and, to the best of the editors' knowledge and understanding, is accurate and valid. However the reader should not use information contained in this material to alter a medically prescribed regimen or as a form of self-treatment, without seeking the advice of a licensed physician.

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