Warts are the bane of our lives in my house. The kids seem to be catching them and verrucas, we always seem to be in the dermatology clinic having things frozen off.

Warts are actually small, skin-coloured, rough lumps on the skin that are benign (non-cancerous). They often appear on the hands and feet. Warts can look different depending on where they are on the body and how thick the skin is. A wart on the sole of the foot is called a verruca.

Warts are caused by infection with a virus called the human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV causes keratin, a hard protein in the top layer of the skin (the epidermis), to grow too much, producing the rough hard texture of a wart.

There are several different types of warts, and some are more common than others. A UK study of 1,000 children with warts found that:
74% had common warts,
24% had verrucas,
3.5% had plane warts, and
2% had filiform warts.
(Not too sure what the different types mean! Anyone know>)

Most people have warts at some time during their life, usually before the age of 20. Warts are more common in children and teenagers than they are in adults. They are uncommon in babies.
There are some people who are more likely to get warts, such as those who have atopic eczema, or a weak immune systems (for example, following treatment for cancer, after an organ transplant, or due to an illness, such as AIDS).

Research into who develops warts has shown that warts on the hands can also be more common in people whose job involves handling meat, such as butchers and slaughterhouse workers. The reason for this is not known.

Although it is true that warts can look unattractive, they are usually harmless. They often clear up without treatment, but treatment can help to get rid of them more quickly. Warts are not normally painful, although verrucas do sometimes hurt.
However you should always be aware that warts are very contagious. The skin cells in warts release thousands of viruses, so close skin-to-skin contact can pass on the infection. It is also possible to catch the infection indirectly from an object such as a towel. It can take weeks, or even months, for a wart or verruca to appear after you have caught the infection.

Genital warts (none of those in the family,than goodness!) occur on the genitals and around the rectum. They should not be treated at home. You will need to see the doctor for help with those.

According to the knowledge of my Usually, doctors will treat this condition with vaccines, especially the HPV infectious types that may cause cancer.

Yes that is the trouble with a lot of cures these days, sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease! I think that oven times some warts will resolve on their own but then there are others that get worse and worse and they are indeed due to a virus. There are treatments including freezing treatments that van be used.