HPV Symptoms: Warts, Genital Warts, Cancer

Common Skin Warts (Nongenital)

Common warts often appear on the fingers, around the fingernails, and on the backs of the hands. They may also grow on the arms or on the face. The growths may feel like rough bumps and may have tiny black dots in them. Common warts are more likely to grow in areas where the skin is frequently broken or irritated.

Plantar warts grow on the soles of the feet. They sometimes grow in clusters, in which case they’re known as mosaic warts. Typically hard and grainy, plantar warts may be flat or may grow inward. They can be painful to walk on.

Palmar warts are similar to plantar warts. They grow on the palms of the hands.

Flat warts are flat-topped and usually smaller and smoother than other warts. They often grow in large numbers (20 to 100 at a time) and can occur anywhere, but frequently occur on the face in children, the beard area in men, and the legs in women.

Filiform warts resemble finger-like projections or long threads. They often appear on the face and often grow quickly.

Periungual warts are most commonly seen in people who bite their nails or pick at their cuticles. Periungual warts form in clusters around fingernails or toenails and may extend under the nails as well. They typically appear as cauliflower-like thickened skin and may be fissured, inflamed, or tender. Periungual warts are difficult to treat and have a high recurrence rate.

Genital Warts

Warts that develop in the genital and anal regions are caused by a group of HPV types that are different from those that cause skin warts.

So-called genital warts can also form on other mucosal surfaces, like the inside of the nose, mouth, and throat. They may also occur in the trachea and bronchi (the windpipe and smaller air passages leading to the lungs) and on the inner eyelids.

HPV types that cause genital warts are usually, but not always, transmitted during intimate sexual contact.

Genital warts, which are sometimes too small to see, may be:

• Flat or raised
• Grouped in clusters, resembling cauliflower
• Pink or flesh-colored
• Soft to the touch
• Painful or itchy

They typically grow:

• Inside or around the anus
• On the upper thighs
• In the groin area
• On the scrotum and penis, including under the foreskin and in the urethral opening
• Inside the vagina, on the cervix (lower end of the uterus), or around the vulva (area outside the vagina)