human papillomaviruses can live on healthy skin without causing infection. but when a human papillomavirus enters the body through small breaks in the skin it can infect the skin cells beneath the surface causing a wart to grow. a wart can take up to 9 months to grow before it becomes visible. 1 warts particularly newer ones are easily spread. they can spread to other parts of the body or to other people. you can reinfect yourself by touching the wart and then another part of your body. you can infect other people by sharing towels razors or other personal items. common and flat warts can sometimes spread to the genitals and anus especially in children. plantar warts can be pushed beneath the skin's surface by pressure from standing and walking. a thickening of the skin slowly forms over most of the wart and looks and feels like a callus. periungual warts can affect nail growth. it may be hard to get rid of warts after they develop. but they generally go away on their own within months or years. 2 just before warts disappear on their own they may turn black. webmd medical reference from healthwise this information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. © 1995-2011 healthwise incorporated. healthwise healthwise for every health decision and the healthwise logo are trademarks of healthwise incorporated.
what happens to someone when they get warts and plantar warts?