Types of skin warts, known medically as verrucae:

• Common warts are found on the fingers and the backs of the hands
• Palmer warts are found on the palms, as the name suggests.
• Plantar warts grow on the feet, typically the soles
• Flat warts are typically smaller and smoother than other warts; grow in large numbers, even as much as 20 to 100 at a time. Flat warts on children are typically found on the face.
• Filiform warts look like the kind that cartoon witches get on their chins or noses and stick straight out. They are often found on the face.

Viruses that cause common skin warts are passed from child to child. Once the virus infects the skin, it typically takes several months for the wart to become visible. Some children are more susceptible to warts than others. Children with a compromised immune system are more likely to get warts. Kids who bite their nails or pick at hangnails – creating tiny cuts in the skin — are also more likely to get warts. Children pick up the virus in many ways: By sharing towels and toys or playing with friends. However, there are ways to reduce the odds of your child developing warts.

Here are some tips:

• Always wear slippers around a public swimming pool and in public showers.
• At home, if someone else has a problem with plantar warts or other kind of warts, avoid sharing towels , bath essentials, socks etc
• Assign one bath and hand towel to each child, and tell them not to share.

Sometimes warts spontaneously get cleared in 40% of children within two years without any treatment. Still, many children are bothered by warts and want them removed. Warts on feet can pose problems, leading to discomfort and inability to perform well in sports. Even common warts on hands may bother a child who is embarrassed.

Consulting your dermatologist is very important as multiple treatment modalities are available :

• Giving parents prescription-strength salicylic acid to apply to the wart at home by parents
• Radio frequency ablation to destroy the wart.
• Cryotherapy
• MMR/Candida injections in few lesions to stimulate the immune system so it “attacks” and clears
• Oral zinc to boost immunity
• Immune-boosting therapies may take up to three months to remove warts.

So parents must visit their dermatologist for a better treatment option.