Caused by a virus that gets established in tiny breaks in the skin, warts can appear anywhere on the body. Most grow on the hands, feet , elbows, knees, scalp, and face. Besides the common wart that may appear on a hand or knee, for example, there are some other special types. Warts that grow on the bottom of the foot are usually called plantar warts or verrucas . Unlike other warts, these may be sensitive to pressure and may make walking uncomfortable.
Plane warts are small, smooth warts on the face, usually in children.
Senile warts are those that appear on older people, and soft warts may appear on the eyelids, ears, and necks of people who work with the class of chemical compounds called hydrocarbons. Venereal warts, also called genital warts, can appear on a man's penis , in a woman's vagina , and in the anus. Common warts usually are only somewhat contagious, often through contact with skin shed from the wart. Warts are more likely to spread to other places on the same individual rather than to someone else. The exception is genital warts, which are highly contagious and are spread through sexual contact.