Signs & Symptoms

The symptoms of warts vary depending on their location on the body.

Non-Cancerous warts caused by low-risk HPB
 
 
 
 
Non-cancerous wart caused by low-risk HPV

Common Warts (hands/knees)

  • Skin-coloured lumps of 1 mm to over 10 mm in diameter with a rough, irregular surface 

Common wart

 

 
 Common Wart

Filiform Warts (nose/mouth/beard area)

  • Skin-coloured bumps with growths that look like threads sticking out of them

Flat Warts (face/hands/shins/knees)

  • Fairly smooth individual bumps of 1 mm to 5 mm in diameter
  • Can form groups of hundreds of bumps
  • Can spread rapidly as a result of everyday activities, such as shaving
flat wart
 
 
 
 
 
Flat warts on the skin caused by the HPV virus

Plantar Warts (sole of foot)

  • Thick, scaly lesions or rough, spongy lesions with tiny dark spots inside
  • Smooth, brown or yellow-grey surface that is often flattened
  • On areas of pressure, such as the heel or ball
  • Can fuse together to form larger mosaic warts
  • Occasionally accompanied by foot pain
plantar wart
 
 
 

 

Plantar Wart

Periungual Warts (nails)

  • Rough bumps with an uneven surface and border
  • Under and around toenails and fingernails
  • Can affect nail growth

Genital Warts

  • Soft, moist, flesh-coloured bumps
  • On the vagina (inside and outside), cervix or anus in women; on the tip or shaft of the penis, on the scrotum or around the anus in men
  • Symptoms are often absent, but the condition is still contagious and can lead to complications