Different Types of Warts - What is a Foot Wart

Foot warts are a type of warts that can be found at the bottom of the foot. A foot wart is about 1cm in diameter and is generally paler than the nearby skin. It has tiny black dots at the centre.
Foot warts have the tendency to group together into clusters. Because it is at the bottom of the foot, this type of wart is generally quite flat.
Sometimes it may cause pain because of the constant pressure exerted on them when walking. Further more, because of this constant pressure, it has the tendency to grow back inside the foot.
A foot wart is also known by the name of plantar wart. The medical name for this type of wart is 'verruca plantaris' or just 'verruca'.
The human papilloma virus or HPV causes foot warts. This virus is responsible also for other type of warts. The human papilloma virus can enter your skin from little cuts or scratches.
Unfortunately this virus is also contagious and so you may get foot warts from getting this virus from another individual. Objects that are touched by another individual that carries this virus may also be contagious.
The human papilloma virus dwells in wet and warm habitats. So bathrooms and swimming pool areas are excellent habitats for this virus. It is a good idea to take appropriate caution and as far as you can you may not walk bare footed in these areas.
Further more if you have this type of warts do not scratch it and then touch other parts of your body. Pay particular attention not to scratch it with your other foot since this may also increase the chance of getting a foot wart on your other foot as well.
There are many types of foot warts treatments that can help you to treat this type of wart. They include over the counter wart removal treatments, surgical wart removal treatment and home treatments for warts.

Can Skin Moles Develop Into a Cancerous Growth

Skin Moles are extremely common. In fact, most adults have fifteen to twenty in a variety of places on their body. Some may have much more. Most of the skin moles appear during the first 20 years of the person's life.

They are classified as a tumor and as such are the most common tumor among humans. The large majority of them is harmless and will not cause any problem except perhaps cosmetic problems.

Some can however be precancerous and can develop into very dangerous types of cancer. Your physician is the only one that can diagnose the danger of a growth. If a skin mole keeps coming back, it may be indicative of a possible melanoma.

Even though that sounds scary, most growths are perfectly harmless. The harmful or dangerous ones are referred to as dysplastic nevi. These are the ones that can eventually become melanoma. These atypical growths are most common in people with a genetic predisposition.

Here are some signs that your skin mole might be dangerous. This is not a complete list. If you suspect something more, you should contact your physician right away.

Cancerous skin moles may possess one, some, or all of the following qualities:

• Larger than an eraser on a pencil

• Inconsistent shape or color

• Spontaneously bleed

• Painful or itchy

• Changes in size and color

• Inflammatory changes that cannot be justified by an external factor.

If you are concerned about a skin mole being cancerous or dangerous, only your physician will be able to put your mind completely at ease. The sooner you contact a physician; the better off you will be if the skin mole is dangerous.

Are Your Warts, Moles Or Skin Tags Hurting Your Confidence?

If you are a teenager and suffer from acne problems in a rather severe way, you know how this may lower your self-confidence. The same applies if you have a wart, mole or skin tag in parts of your body that are visible. Here I am talking about those 'horrible warts', moles or skin tags you may have or think that you have on your face.

Unfortunately today's society is quite a materialistic one and it nurtures in us an exaggerated importance on our appearance. A lot of programs and advertisements on television, internet, magazines and other written, audio and visual media make us believe that we have to be good looking to succeed in life. Good values are more and more being shown the back door.

This is however partly true. Industries are trying (and they are succeeding) to build exaggerated needs in all of us, so they can sell us their products. Intelligence, the ability to build mutual beneficial relationship with people, being able to attain the required skills for a successful career is much more important. All these will build your confidence.

However it is also true that your self-confidence will help you to build all these and much more. This is because your self-confidence is also related to your looks. Therefore it is important to take care of how you look.

Nevertheless you have to control yourself and remember that although being good looking is a plus point, you have to take it with a pinch of salt and remember that there are many other things that can help you to build your confidence and succeed in life.

So if you keep looking at the mirror and your eyes always fall on your wart, mole or skin tag, remember that most probably you are exaggerating and your wart, mole or skin tag is not so horrible as you might think.
However if you want to get rid of it, remember that there are many ways you can do so. But remember that although removing your wart, mole or skin tag will increase your self confidence, do not fall into the mistake to believe that being good looking by itself will solve all your problems.
Instead consider it is a plus point on your favor and as another way to build your confidence.

What Causes Skin Moles?

Skin moles are growths on the skin, often round or oval-shaped with a dark color. The color may however vary to different shades. Some skin moles are flat while others are a bit raised from the skin.
A skin mole is caused by the melanocyte cells in the skin. These cells produce melanin and are responsible for the color of the skin, eyes and hair. It is formed when melanocyte cells do not spread thought the skin but grow in clusters.
Usually melanocyte cells grow normally and so the growth is usually benign. However in certain cases the melanocye cells may start to grow in an abnormal way, which may result in melanoma, a cancer of the skin.
Skin moles are very common. Most of them are present at birth while others appear as the person grows older. Some may also disappear with age. Their main causes depend mainly on:
- Heredity
- Exposure to sunlight
- Hormonal changes
- Age
They may become darker.
The principle reason for this is too much exposure to sunlight. Heavy exposure to sunlight during childhood and the teenage years highly increases the chances of developing new skin moles or that current ones increase in size. Sun beds and tanning saloons can also increase their growth.
Our genes determine many factors. If your parents have plenty of skin moles, probably you will have a lot too. Further more a history of skin cancer in your family also increases the risk that a mole may grow or develops into a cancerous growth.
Hormonal changes also make them to grow or new ones to appear. This may more commonly happen during pregnancy, the menopausal stage and during teenage years.
Generally as we get older, some tend to disappear.

How Do You Get Warts?

You can get warts by being infected by the human papilloma virus or HPV. A wart is in reality a non-cancerous growth caused by an infection by this type of virus.
There are many strains of the human papilloma virus and some of these types cause different type of warts. This virus is contagious and it can enter into your body from small cuts or scratches on your skin as well as by other ways.
There are many ways where you can get warts by being contaminated by HPV. In fact you can get them by:
• Direct contact with a wart of another person
• Direct contact with another person who is a carrier of the virus
• Using object that has been touched by another person that has the virus
• Sexual activity
• Frequenting certain places where the HPV dwells
Direct contact with the wart of another person may transfer the virus to your body. This is more frequent in children and adolescents than in adults. While children are playing football or other sports that require physical contact it is quite easy that they pass the virus by unconsciously touching the warts of other individuals.
It is also important to be aware that an individual may have the virus even if no type of growth has developed. This is because the virus not always develops into any type of growth. So an individual may transmit the virus without having developed any growth himself. However the individual that has been contaminated may develop the wart.
You can get warts by touching objects that had been touched by other individuals that carry the virus. This includes such objects as towels and shoes.
Some strains of this virus are responsible for genital warts. This strain may be transmitted during sexual activity.
The HPV can be found in many places and so you can get it from those places as well. Viruses have a tendency to remain dormant but alive for several months or even years when they are outside the body. They may start to multiply and increase their activity when they are in a body.
The human papilloma virus can be found in moist and warm places. It may lie on the floors of swimming pools, bathrooms, showers, gyms and locker rooms. So walking bare footed in these places increases the chances that you can get the virus through a small cut or scratch in you feet or other parts of your body.
If you are contaminated with the virus you can contaminate other areas of you body as well. This occurs by scratching your wart and touching other areas of your body. Children are particular known to have this type of habits.