One common skin condition that children are diagnosed with is warts. There are many reasons why this may be the case, but in general, it is because children tend to be more active, social, and in close contact with other children. Learn how children get warts and how they can be treated when you visit Dr. Nafees Khan and Dr. David Bunker at Franklin Pediatrics in Quad Cities (Moline, IL).

The Basics of Warts

It's important to know what a wart looks like so that you know how to handle it before visiting your doctor. If you know that it is a wart, you will understand that the skin should not be picked or scratched to avoid spreading warts to other areas of the body. Here are some notable characteristics of a common skin wart:

• The bump is the color of your child's skin.
• The wart is elevated from the skin’s surface, sometimes several millimeters above skin level.
• The surface can be either smooth or rough (use a visual check instead of touching).
• Skin warts can feel painful or itchy.
• Though warts are usually hardened, some can be filled with water (called water warts).
• The bump can become crusty and flaky.
• Warts commonly appear on the hands, fingers, face, feet, and behind the knees.

How Do Children Get Warts?

Warts are a unique and distinct type of skin growth caused by a virus called HPV (human papillomavirus). HPV is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact with someone who is already infected. So if your child has warts, it is most likely due to touching another child's skin who has a wart. A child can also get warts by walking around barefoot in public showers and pools that other children frequent. 

How Are Warts Treated?

Because most warts appear on the outer layers of the skin, they are best treated by your Quad Cities (Moline, IL) pediatrician. The most common treatment for warts is removal by one of the following methods:

• Regular application of a medicated gel made of salicylic acid.
• Freezing with a procedure called cryosurgery.
• Cutting or scraping away the wart cells.
• Using a laser to eradicate the virus and unwanted cells.
• Injection of a substance called bleomycin to eliminate the virus causing the wart or an immunotherapy shot to create a targeted immune system response.

See Your Child’s Pediatrician

The pediatricians at Franklin Pediatrics in Quad Cities (Moline, IL) specialize in the removal of warts. Call (309) 762-0777 today to schedule an examination with Dr. Nafees Khan or Dr. David Bunker.