Warts are skin infections caused by viruses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) family. They can affect any area of the body, but tend to invade warm, moist places, like small cuts or scratches on the fingers, hands, and feet. Warts are usually painless unless they're on the soles of the feet or another part of the body that gets bumped or touched all the time.

Kids can pick up HPV — and get warts — from touching anything someone with a wart has used, like towels and surfaces. Kids who bite their fingernails or pick at hangnails tend to get warts more often than kids who don't because they can expose less-protected skin and create open areas for a virus to enter and cause the wart.

Types of warts :

Common warts
Usually found on fingers, hands, knees, and elbows, a common wart is a small, hard bump that's dome-shaped and usually grayish-brown.
It has a rough surface that may look like the head of a cauliflower, with black dots inside.

Flat warts :
These are about the size of a pinhead, are smoother than other kinds of warts, and have flat tops. Flat warts may be pink, light brown, or yellow. Most kids who get flat warts have them on their faces, but they can also grow on arms, knees, or hands and can appear in clusters.

Plantar warts :
Found on the bottom of the foot, plantar warts can be very uncomfortable — like walking on a small stone.

Filiform warts :
 These have a finger-like shape, are usually flesh-colored, and often grow on or around the mouth, eyes, or nose. Sometimes warts are sexually transmitted and appear in the genital area, but most warts appear on the fingers, hands, and feet.

Are Warts Contagious?
Simply touching a wart on someone doesn't guarantee that you'll get one, too. But the viruses that cause warts are passed from person to person by close physical contact or from a surface that a person with a wart touches. A tiny cut or scratch can make any area of skin more vulnerable to warts. Also, picking at a wart can spread warts to other parts of the body.

The length of time between when someone is exposed to the virus that causes warts and when a wart appears varies. Warts can grow very slowly and may take weeks or longer, in some cases, to develop.

Preventing Warts :
Although there's no way to prevent warts, it's always a good idea to encourage kids to wash their hands and skin regularly and well. If your child has  a cut or scratch, use soap and water to clean the area because open wounds are more susceptible to warts and other infections.

HOMEOPATHY AND WARTS :
Homeopathy is the only system of medicine known to have cure for warts,not only gets rid of the existing warts but prevents new ones from coming back .