Why does my wart hurt?

It is unusual for a wart to just randomly hurt, however it is possible if you have left it untreated for a long time. Warts have roots that lie beneath the surface of the skin; if you do not treat the wart, these roots can grow quite deep and cause pain.

• Warts

Warts are caused by a very contagious virus that is easily transmitted between people, especially in damp or wet conditions. The skin of a wart has very high levels of the virus and this can be spread by towel use, sharing shoes or even close contact.

Once a person has been infected with this virus it can take months to actually appear, this means it can spread through a family easily. Warts can disappear on their own but can last for many years and can reappear even after they have gone.

• Treatment

As previously mentioned, warts can disappear on their own and since they don't usually hurt people often, leave them. However, this is quite irresponsible due to them being so contagious and so it is best to treat them as soon as possible.

You can buy over the counter wart treatment that tends to work quite well. For stubborn warts you may need to repeat the treatment to get rid of the whole wart and its roots.

If you have recently tried using such treatment, this may be why your wart has started to hurt. The acid used in these treatments is quite harsh and can cause pain, especially in deep-rooted warts. This should only last for a couple of days while the treatment starts to work.

If after these home remedies the wart still has not gone, then you may have to visit your doctor who can freeze the wart.