Most people get a wart at some point in their lives. Warts are small, rough lumps or growths on your skin caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). You can get them anywhere, but warts are most common on your hands, knees and feet. A wart on the sole of your foot is called a verruca.
Warts and verrucas come in all shapes and sizes. They can affect any part of the body, but are more common on the hands and feet.

There are four main types of warts caused by human papilloma virus (HPV). Despite their differences in appearance, they are all essentially caused the same way:

Common wart
These are firm, raised growths with a rough surface, which might look like a very small cauliflower. They often have tiny black dots on the surface. They’re most commonly found on your hands and your knees. They can range in size from smaller than 1mm to bigger than 1cm.

Verruca (plantar wart)
Verrucas are usually found on the soles of your feet. They may also have tiny black dots in the centre and can be painful when you put weight on them. They tend to look quite flat because of the pressure put upon them.

Plane wart (flat wart)
A plane wart is usually a round, smooth, flat growth that’s often yellow in colour. You may have one, a few grouped together or even a group of hundreds of these warts. They most commonly appear on your face, the backs of your hands or your shins.

Genital warts
Genital warts are usually caused by different types of HPV than the other types of wart.