Challenge your thinking on warts and verrucas
What are you looking at in the pharmacy?1,2
Warts and verrucas are small lumps found on the skin caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV).
This virus causes the skin to overgrow and thicken, leading to the appearance of the wart/verruca. Although harmless, they can be uncomfortable and unsightly.
Warts and verrucas are common and most people have them at some point in their life. They are usually diagnosed based on appearance and location and come in an array of different shapes and sizes.
In the pharmacy it is important to be confident in recognising different skin ailments. Warts can be found anywhere on the body including the soles of the feet (when they are known as verrucas), the hands and the face.
You may need to identify warts and verrucas in the pharmacy – do you know what you are looking for?
Below are four different types of wart that you should be aware of:
These are the most common type of wart. They can be found anywhere on the body but are mainly seen on the hands or feet. They look like raised growths on the skin and have a hard, uneven surface
These are warts found on the soles of the feet. They often grow in clusters and can have tiny black dots in the middle of them
Flat warts are most commonly found on the face and back of the hands. They are slightly raised, flat-topped, skin-coloured papules. They can sometimes be lighter or darker than the surrounding skin
These are typically found on the hands or the soles of the feet. They are groups of tightly clustered warts. Warts can be caused by selfinfection, so warts already present can infect nearby areas, causing a larger collection of warts