Plantar Warts In Children : Types, Causes & Signs

Warts are common in children. Forget the folklore, which suggests that warts are caused if you have touched toads or frogs. Read on for some information about these common eruptions which will make it easy for you to handle them if you notice them on your child’s skin. 

What Are Warts?

Warts are small bumps that you notice on your child’s hands or feet. They are infections that are caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). They usually occur in kids more than adults. These viruses can be picked by kids from anywhere. If they come in contact with an object a wart infected person has touched or used, they will pick up the virus. Small skin cuts, scratches or skin lesions can expose the child to an infection. Although this is harmless, one might not like the sight of warts. Warts do not have serious medical significance but are visually unpleasant. They are more of a cosmetic problem than a medical one.

Warts can be same as the skin colour or in some cases might be lighter or darker than the skin colour. They are nothing but rapid growth of cells on the outer surface of skin. They are contagious but not dangerous.

Types Of Warts On Kids

All warts are not the same. There are various types of warts and they vary by their place of occurrence and appearance. Viral warts on a child can appear anywhere on the body. Here are some of the warts you may see on your child and how to recognize them

1. Common Warts

Common warts, as the name suggests, are found in common places such as hands, legs, knees, elbow and fingers. They look like a small bump almost skin color but with small black dots inside. Since they look like grainy bumps with black dots, they are sometimes called ‘seed warts’.

2. Flat Warts

These warts are much smaller and smoother than other warts. They have a flat top so they are called flat warts. They are as small as a pin head. They may appear to be pink, yellow or light brown. In children, they are most often found on the face, but they may appear on their hands, knees or arms too. They may also appear in clusters.

3. Plantar Warts

These appear on the soles of the feet and can be very uncomfortable. Walking of feet infected with these warts might feel like walking on small stones. Sometimes they can be painful.

4. Filiform Warts

These appear around the mouth, eyes or nose. They are skin coloured and have a finger like shape.

Some warts may even appear around the genital area but they are mostly sexually transmitted, hence, do not occur in children.

What Causes Warts in Children?

Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). This is contracted from an infected person directly or indirectly. If a child happens to come in contact with a person who has this infection or even the objects this person has touched, then the child gets the infection too. Having said that, it is important to remember that it is not necessary that all kids who come in contact with an infected person will get warts. The immunity levels of the child matter a lot, too. If the child has lower levels of immunity, he has more chances of getting infected. Also, this virus enters the body through skin lesions, cuts or scratches, so it is important to pay attention to hygiene and keep the child’s wounds clean at all times.

The virus can remain dormant for a period of time until it finds suitable conditions to become a wart. Like all viruses, it likes moist places and has an incubation period of six months. Once it becomes active, it forms extra layers of skin and appears like a bump. It looks like a cauliflower head with black dots in it. The black dots are blood vessels which supply nutrients to the wart.

Following are the main reasons that can cause the formation of warts:

• Low immunity, which makes your kid more susceptible to warts
• Open and unattended cuts and wounds, which increase your child’s risk of getting warts
• Your child coming in contact with the infected person or objects the infected person has used
• Your child has a habit of biting nails or picking at nails. Such places are prone to be the locations where the virus thrives and hides
• Your kid uses public swimming pools and walks around barefoot
• Chances of getting plantar warts are higher if kid plays around barefoot in parks and public places

If your child has been infected and warts have started appearing, start the treatment and remember to not allow the child scratch or pick on the wart as this increases the warts on the body.

Signs and Symptoms

HPV is a dormant virus and takes time to appear. You might not even realize that the child has been infected until you see the warts appearing. This could be in months or sometimes years. By the time you notice it, the virus may have spread. Listed below are a few ways you can spot a wart.

1. Warts can vary in color. Some are pinkish or yellowish or brownish. They are generally small, flat and bumpy.
2. They are a sore to the eye and might appear anywhere on the body. Toddlers might get them on their hands and knees.
3. Pre-teens and teenage kids might not like the sight of warts though they are usually harmless and painless too.
4. Warts on the soles of the feet (plantar warts) might be irritating, and sometimes painful or itchy.
5. Flat warts appear on the child’s face and appear like smooth bumps on the skin.
6. Common warts may bleed if the child is picking or scratching them.

Fuente: parenting.firstcry

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