In simple words: Warts are small, hard bumps on the skin that may appear alone or in groups. They are caused by a virus (HPV) and are common on the hands and feet. Warts often go away on their own, especially in children.A doctor can diagnose warts by looking at them and may sometimes do a biopsy. If warts are bothersome, there are ways to remove them, such as freezing, cutting, burning, or scraping.

Viral warts, including common warts (verruca vulgaris), verruca simplex, and plantar warts, are noncancerous growths that occur in the outermost layer (the epidermis) of the skin. The most common cause is the human papilloma virus (HPV), which invades the skin through tiny cracks or cuts and can be spread by direct contact. Viral warts appear as flat or slightly raised, rough or scaly, painless lesions; they may exhibit a black dot in the center with hard surface (seed warts). They are most commonly seen on the fingers, often adjacent to fingernails, hands, and toes. The provider diagnoses the condition based primarily on physical examination, but a biopsy is helpful to confirm the diagnosis. There is no permanent cure for warts, but most of them are self-limiting. If the warts are painful or numerous, there are several methods for removing the warts, such as cryotherapy (freezing), excision (cutting out the lesion), electrosurgery (burning), curettage (scraping or scooping the lesion out with a sharp blade) as well as other techniques.

Example 1: A 10-year-old child presents with several rough, raised bumps on their hands, diagnosed as common warts (verruca vulgaris)., A 30-year-old individual has a single, flat wart on their foot, consistent with plantar wart, causing discomfort while walking., An adolescent presents with multiple small warts near their fingernails, identified as verruca simplex.

Documentation should include the location, size, and appearance of the warts.If a biopsy is performed, the pathology report should be included. Any treatments performed and their effectiveness should also be documented.