Health
Fact-checked

At TheHealthBoard, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.

Learn more...

What Is a Wart Blister?

T. Carrier
T. Carrier

Wart blisters are small, usually round, raised areas on the skin. They are abnormal growths and typically result from an infection. Although they can be found on nearly any part of the body, the most likely locations for this type of lesion are the feet and the hands. Treatments range from freezing to the application of wart ointments. A more specific definition of wart blister might refer to a blister-like area that forms around a wart during a certain type of wart treatment.

The virus that causes wart blisters, human papilloma virus (HPV), infects individuals through tears in the skin. Specifically, the virus burrows itself in the squamous epithelium layer of the skin and causes rapid cellular growth. Different strains of the virus cause the blisters on different areas of the body. Common sites for infection include the extremities, the face and the genitals. Touching the afflicted area or exposing it to moisture might cause the virus to spread to other areas of the body.

Wart blisters commonly occur on the feet and hands.
Wart blisters commonly occur on the feet and hands.

Other types of blisters are different from a wart blister. For one, most typical blisters are not caused by an infection but rather by excessive rubbing of the skin against a surface. These types of blisters also tend to be filled with fluid and can be painful, whereas warts generally are solid and painless.

Depending on their location and appearance, warts might fall into various categories. The common wart is a raised blister on the skin with a rough texture, and it can appear on many areas of the body. Some types are classified by their location, such as genital warts and plantar warts, which attack the foot soles. Warts also can be smooth or have a thread-like appearance, such as the flat wart and the filifate wart. In addition, varieties such as mosaic warts and periungual warts occur in clusters.

Plantar warts may be removed with cryotherapy, in which the wart is frozen from the foot.
Plantar warts may be removed with cryotherapy, in which the wart is frozen from the foot.

Wart treatments are diverse, and their effectiveness is variable. Usually, a wart will disappear on its own after a period of time. For more short-term solutions, the salicylic acid found in many pharmaceutical treatments has proved to be effective in many cases. Non-traditional options include laser therapy, placing duct tape over the wart or freezing the wart.

Liquid nitrogen should be handled by a medical professional.
Liquid nitrogen should be handled by a medical professional.

Sometimes, a wart blister might occur during a specific wart removal technique in which physicians apply a mixture of certain chemicals and a substance called cantharadin to a wart-containing patch of skin. This mixture surrounds the wart with a traditional blister. Physicians are then able to use this blister to remove the wart, which they accomplish by bandaging the area and then removing the bandage after a period of time. Following this process, a part of the wart comes loose from the skin, and the physician can then get rid of other wart portions.

Discussion Comments

literally45

@Zipline-- Technically, a blister is a raised area with clear fluid inside. But the fluid doesn't have to be pus.

A wart blister with pus occurs when the wart is infected. Warts are caused by viruses, but sometimes the wart becomes infected by bacteria.

fBoyle

@ZipLine-- I think the names are used interchangeably because for example, genital warts can be HPV or herpes blisters.

You are right that not all warts are the same though. Some warts don't go away without treatment and they don't ulcerate and fill with pus. Whereas others go away on their own and go through a stage where they ulcerate and pop.

So a wart blister doesn't necessarily tell us what type it is or what the cause is.

ZipLine

So warts are a type of blister? I thought that warts are raised spots without pus and blisters are raised spots with pus. Am I wrong?

Post your comments
Login:
Forgot password?
Register:
    • Wart blisters commonly occur on the feet and hands.
      By: F.C.G.
      Wart blisters commonly occur on the feet and hands.
    • Plantar warts may be removed with cryotherapy, in which the wart is frozen from the foot.
      By: Gordon Lau
      Plantar warts may be removed with cryotherapy, in which the wart is frozen from the foot.
    • Liquid nitrogen should be handled by a medical professional.
      By: markara
      Liquid nitrogen should be handled by a medical professional.
    • Plantar warts grow on the soles of the feet, and may be avoided by refraining from walking barefoot in public places.
      By: Jürgen Fälchle
      Plantar warts grow on the soles of the feet, and may be avoided by refraining from walking barefoot in public places.
    • Plantar warts tend to grow on the balls of the feet, as well as other areas of the sole that are under constant pressure when a person is standing.
      By: Arve Bettum
      Plantar warts tend to grow on the balls of the feet, as well as other areas of the sole that are under constant pressure when a person is standing.