What Causes Warts in Children, How Does It Go?

Warts in children are a disease that usually occurs at school age and is often contagious. This disease, caused by the virus named HPV, can often be confused with calluses.

So what causes warts in children? How to treat warts? Let’s talk a little.

What is a wart?

Warts are a benign skin problem that occurs when the virus called HPV (human papillomavirus) usually infects or settles on the upper parts of the skin. These viruses can be transmitted much more quickly and easily when there is a cut or wound on the skin.

What causes warts in babies?

Warts that appear suddenly can be annoying. Warts need to be treated because there is a risk of contamination and can spread in different parts of the body. What causes warts in children, let’s look at it now.

The main cause of warts in children is the HPV virus. Being in contact with this virus alone is enough to get the virus. However, the reason why warts are seen especially in childhood is the frequent wounds and abrasions on children’s bodies. Because children can fall and get injured a lot, so their bodies can catch this virus much more easily. Warts are more common, especially in children who bite their nails.

Everyone has a risk of getting warts. However, he says that some people’s bodies are much more prone to this. In some children, warts are a very common condition, while in some children, it can be seen that the wart does not develop no matter how much contact is made. There is also the possibility that a wart on the body can infect another part of the body. A weak immune system is more vulnerable to warts. 

Is wart contagious?

Yes, warts can be transmitted by direct contact. The use of common items can also cause the wart to pass to another person. The reason for the appearance of warts in the genital area in babies is the transmission of HPV anogenital warts from the mother’s anogenital canal. In genital warts seen in children older than 2 years, sexual abuse should be investigated. Because genital warts are not usually seen in children.

wart symptoms in babies

Warts in babies are most commonly seen on the hands, fingers or feet. While the color of warts in children is usually skin tone, they have a hard and rough structure. While the skin has a raised appearance, black spots may be found on it.

Standing warts in school-age children can often be confused with calluses. Warts on the feet tend to grow inwards with the effect of pressure by settling mostly on the soles of the feet, under the fingers. They can be combined with each other in clusters or they can be painful with the effect of pressing and make walking difficult. These types of lesions need to be examined and treated by a skin specialist.

How do warts heal in children?

exp. That warts can regress spontaneously. The body’s immune cells can fight this virus and make it disappear. However, since it can infect others and spread throughout the body, most warts are treated.

One of the most frequently asked questions by mothers who have warts in their children is what to do for warts. Although some applications such as wart treatment with tomato, apple cider vinegar, aloe vera or wart treatment with baking soda can show effective results in the healing of warts, they have no scientific validity.

How to treat warts in children?

There are different methods applied for the treatment of warts in children. One of them is electrocauterization, also called incineration therapy. In this method, first the skin is anesthetized, then a metal with an electric current is touched on the wart to remove the wart.

In the freezing treatment called cryotherapy, there is no need to numb the skin. The wart is treated by freezing with liquid nitrogen gas. Apart from these, there are also drug treatment and laser treatment methods applied today.

Can warts recur in children?

Wart treatment only makes visible warts disappear. However, in the studies conducted, the presence of the virus was found in 2 cm intact areas around the wart. Relapses after treatment are also caused by viruses found in these areas. If there is no recurrence in the first 6 months after treatment, this means that the probability of recurrence is reduced. Apart from this, it is also important to pay attention to cleaning and hygiene factors in order to prevent warts.