Flat warts are some of the more common types of warts. They can affect adults and children alike but tend to be more prevalent amongst children and teenagers, which is why they are also commonly referred to as juvenile warts.
Telltale Signs of Flat Warts
Flat warts are some of the more common types of warts. They can affect adults and children alike but tend to be more prevalent amongst children and teenagers, which is why they are also commonly referred to as juvenile warts. Like all warts, they are caused by viruses in the human papillomavirus (HPV) family.
The Telltale Signs of Flat Warts
- The usual appearance of flat warts are flesh colored (or sometimes white), are smooth, and will be raised slightly above the skin.
- They usually remain small in size (often no more than the size of a pin head), but the quantity of them can be numerous.
- For example, they are generally found in clusters which can contain as many as 100 warts.
- Flat warts tend to appear on the face, but they can also affect hands, arms, or knees.
- Interestingly, flat warts can sometimes take up to a year to grow to a size that is visible, so a person might not have any signs of them until long after the original infection.
How Do You Get Flat Warts
A flat wart (like all warts) are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Because viral infections are infectious, often these types of warts are transferred from one person to another, or even one part of the body to another part. This may be evident when considering the shaving patterns of adults (for example men shaving their face, and women their legs and armpits), often this can contribute to the spread of flat warts in adults.
However it is also interesting to note that contact with another person with a flat wart doesn’t necessarily mean you will be infected. It’s true that if you are susceptible to the virus at the time of contact then the spread of warts may be likely, but it’s equally true that if your immunity system is strong and the level of susceptibility is low at the time of contact, then it’s unlikely that you will be infected.
If you are affected by a flat wart, it’s important to know that there are effective wart removal remedies and solutions that will help get rid of them. In fact often wart treatment may not be needed at all. It is quite common for flat warts to disappears over time naturally. If you notice the wart clusters getting smaller, week-to-week, it may be worthwhile just to let your body do what comes naturally, which is to eliminate viral infection.
However if the flat warts are growing in number, are annoying, painful, or embarrassing, then seeking out an effective wart treatment will be necessary.
