In an attempt to help you understand more about warts, we are providing this information to answer some very common questions. A wart is a viral infection of the outermost layer of the skin. One develops warts because of a lowered resistance to the wart virus, much like one who catches a cold because of lowered resistance to the cold virus.
Ordinary warts are benign and remain benign.
Children are the most likely individuals to develop warts. Adults may develop them as well but are less likely, probably because of the development of natural immunity. Warts are not harmful, but they are contagious and can be transmitted from person to person as well as oneself from place to place as in picking, scratching, or shaving. They are characterized by location and shape and may occur anywhere on the body, but are most common on the hands and feet. Plantar warts cause the most trouble.