Symptoms of warts

Warts are usually easy to recognize: small, rough, skin-coloured growths. The symptoms vary by type, and a few warning signs mean the growth should be looked at professionally.

Common wart (verruca vulgaris). A firm, raised, rough-surfaced bump, a few millimetres to a centimetre, skin-coloured to greyish-brown, usually on fingers, hands, knees or elbows. Tiny black dots inside (clotted capillaries) are characteristic. Usually painless.

Plantar wart. On the sole, forced inward by walking pressure, so it grows flat with a hard callus over it and hurts when pressed from the sides or on standing - the 'pebble in the shoe' feeling. Black dots appear when the callus is pared. A corn looks similar but has a translucent core and hurts on direct pressure rather than side-squeezing - the distinction changes treatment.

Flat warts. Smooth, flat-topped, slightly raised, 1-3 mm spots in clusters of dozens - on the face, forehead, and shaved areas (beard in men, legs in women), spreading along scratch and shave lines.

Filiform warts. Thin, finger-like projections around the mouth, nose, eyelids and neck - fast-growing but harmless.

Genital warts. Soft, flesh-coloured, sometimes cauliflower-like growths in the genital and anal area - usually painless, occasionally itchy. These always warrant a doctor visit.

Warning signs that are NOT typical wart behaviour: rapid growth, ulceration, bleeding without trauma, persistent pain, colour change, or any growth in an older adult that looks odd - these need prompt examination to rule out skin cancers that can imitate warts.

Ayurvedic view (interpretive): classical descriptions of charmakeela match the rough excrescence picture within an interpretive framework of limited evidence. The warning-sign list above is the safety-relevant part.

Remember: rough bump with black dots on hands = common wart; painful callused spot on the sole = plantar; smooth clusters on the face = flat warts; genital growths = see a doctor. Rapid change, bleeding or ulceration is never 'just a wart'.