The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes all types of warts, including facial warts. HPV has more than 100 known strains, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center. More than 60 of these strains cause warts of one form or another. Facial warts appear flatter than other types of warts and often appear in clusters of 20 to 100 warts. They are small and usually skin-colored, though they can appear somewhat darker than surrounding skin.
Shaving
Facial warts affect children more often than adults, yet, when facial warts do affect adults, they generally appear in the beard area. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, shaving can spread warts throughout this area. Using an old razor magnifies the likelihood that HPV will be spread.
Scratching
Warts are friable, which means that they break off and crumble fairly easily. Scratching or picking at a wart can cause it to break apart, thereby infecting your fingers. Scratching other areas on your body can transfer the infection to new sites. Medical News Today reports that warts develop more readily in damaged skin than in healthy skin.
Nail Biting
Nail biting and sucking on your fingers can transfer the HPV virus from your fingers to your face. Medline Plus notes that HPV transmission from person to person is not as common as spreading the virus from one part of the body to another. Unfortunately, even after treatment, the virus remains in the body and warts can reappear at any time.
Immune System Vulnerability
HPV affects children more than adults. The University of Rochester Medical Center notes that warts often disappear on their own without treatment. This can take up to two years, however, and even after one outbreak disappears, relapses are common. Medical News Today, among others, notes that the immune system of many individuals eventually resolves wart infections by developing immunity to the virus. Until that time, the virus, which never fully disappears from the body, can instigate outbreaks anywhere on the body, including on the face.
More than 100 known strains of HPV exist, and many of these cause warts. The immune system may develop antibodies against a specific strain, but if infected by a different strain, new, strain-specific antibodies will be required.
About this Author
Katherine Mariaca earned a B.S. at Tufts University and an M.F.A. at Lesley University. She was a longtime spa director and VP of several prestigious skin care product companies. In addition to freelance writing, Mariaca teaches creative writing in New Hampshire and works as a freelance editor.
