Warts are common skin growths, often leading to questions about how they spread, especially concerning everyday interactions like shaking hands. This article clarifies the nature of warts, addresses their transmission through handshakes, and provides information on how to reduce your risk.
What Are Warts?
Warts are small, non-cancerous skin growths caused by certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV). These growths typically appear as grainy, rough, flesh-colored bumps, though their appearance can vary. While warts can develop anywhere on the body, they are frequently found on the hands and feet. They are generally harmless and may eventually disappear on their own.
Shaking Hands and Wart Transmission
Warts are contagious and spread through skin-to-skin contact, as the human papillomavirus (HPV) is transmissible. However, casual interactions like a brief handshake generally pose a very low risk for wart transmission. The virus typically requires a point of entry, such as a cut, scrape, or break in the skin, to establish an infection. Healthy, intact skin serves as an effective barrier against the virus.
A quick, dry handshake is unlikely to provide the necessary conditions for the virus to transfer effectively and cause a new wart. While HPV can survive on surfaces, the brief contact and lack of skin compromise during a handshake significantly reduce the chance of transmission. Therefore, direct skin-to-skin contact with an existing wart, especially if there are skin breaks, presents a higher risk than a fleeting social greeting.
Common Ways Warts Spread
Warts primarily spread through direct skin-to-skin contact with an existing wart. The virus can also spread indirectly through shared objects and surfaces. Examples include towels, razors, nail clippers, gym equipment, or floors in public showers and pool decks.
Factors that increase a person’s susceptibility to wart infection include breaks in the skin, such as cuts or scrapes, which provide an entry point for the virus. Prolonged moisture, often found in public changing rooms or around pools, can soften the skin and make it more vulnerable to infection. Individuals with a compromised immune system may be more susceptible to developing warts after exposure. The virus can also spread from one part of the body to another through autoinoculation, often by touching an existing wart and then another area.
Reducing Your Risk of Warts
Practicing good hand hygiene is an effective way to minimize the risk of wart transmission. Washing hands frequently with soap and water can help remove viral particles. It is also advisable to avoid touching warts, whether they are your own or someone else’s, as this can spread the virus. Not sharing personal items like towels, razors, or nail clippers can prevent indirect transmission of the virus.
Wearing sandals or flip-flops in public showers, locker rooms, and around swimming pools can protect your feet from contact with contaminated surfaces. Maintaining healthy skin by keeping it moisturized can prevent cracks and dryness, which might otherwise provide entry points for the virus. Covering existing cuts or scrapes helps to reduce the chance of the human papillomavirus entering the skin.