HPV warts look different depending on where they appear on the body and which strain of the virus caused them. They can range from rough, grainy bumps on your hands to flat, barely visible spots on your face to soft, cauliflower-shaped clusters in the genital area. Warts typically show up one to six months after exposure to HPV, though some people carry the virus for much longer before anything becomes visible.
Common Warts on Hands and Fingers
Common warts are the type most people picture. They appear most often on your hands and fingers as rough, raised bumps that range from the size of a pinhead to the size of a pea. The surface feels grainy or bumpy, almost like sandpaper. One telltale feature: tiny black dots scattered across the surface that look like seeds. Those dots are actually small, clotted blood vessels inside the wart, not seeds or dirt.
The color usually matches your skin tone or appears slightly grayer. Common warts tend to show up alone or in small groups, and they have a firm, dome-shaped profile with clearly defined edges.
Genital Warts
Genital warts affect the moist skin of the genital area and can look quite different from warts on your hands. They often appear as small, soft, skin-colored bumps. When several grow close together, they form a bumpy cluster that resembles a tiny cauliflower. On lighter skin, they may look flesh-colored, pinkish, or white. On darker skin tones, they can appear red, white, or darker than the surrounding skin.
Size varies enormously. Some genital warts are so small and flat that you can’t see them with the naked eye. Others grow into clearly visible raised bumps. In people with weakened immune systems, they can rarely multiply into large clusters. They most commonly appear on the vulva, penis, scrotum, or around the anus, but they can also develop inside the vagina or on the cervix where you wouldn’t be able to see them yourself. Internal warts are typically only found during a clinical exam.
Genital warts are more common than many people realize. Survey data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that about 6.3% of women and 2.8% of men reported a history of genital warts.
Plantar Warts on the Feet
Plantar warts grow on the soles of your feet and look different from other warts because the pressure of walking pushes them flat or even inward. Instead of a raised bump, you may notice a thick, rough patch of skin with a slightly callused surface. The texture can look cauliflower-like up close.
The color can vary quite a bit: dark pink, yellow, brown, purple, or gray. Like common warts, plantar warts often have brown or black specks dotting the surface. These are dried blood clots from tiny capillaries inside the wart. Because they grow into the skin rather than outward, plantar warts can feel like you’re standing on a pebble.
Flat Warts
Flat warts are the smallest and most subtle type. Each one measures only 1 to 5 millimeters across, roughly the size of a pinhead. They sit nearly flush with the skin’s surface rather than forming a raised bump, which makes them easy to overlook. Their color is typically yellow, brown, or pinkish, blending closely with surrounding skin.
What makes flat warts distinctive is their numbers. They almost always appear in groups or clusters, sometimes 100 or more at once. They favor the face, forehead, and legs. Because of their small size and flat profile, people sometimes mistake them for minor skin irritation or a rash rather than warts.
Filiform Warts
Filiform warts have the most unusual shape of any wart type. They grow as long, narrow, thread-like projections that stick out from the skin’s surface, sometimes described as looking like tiny brushes or small fingers. They’re most common on the face, particularly around the eyelids, lips, nose, and neck.
Because of their location and spiky shape, filiform warts are usually easy to spot but often confused with skin tags. The key difference is texture: filiform warts feel firm and slightly rough, while skin tags are soft, fleshy, and hang from a thin stalk that wiggles easily when touched.
How to Tell Warts From Similar-Looking Bumps
Several common skin growths look similar to warts at first glance, but a few details help tell them apart.
- Warts feel rough to the touch with a bumpy, cauliflower-like texture. They may have tiny black dots (clotted blood vessels) on the surface. They sit firmly on the skin with a broad base.
- Molluscum contagiosum bumps are small, smooth, and pearl-like with a dome shape. The giveaway is a tiny dimple or pit right in the center of each bump, which warts don’t have.
- Skin tags are soft, fleshy, and hang off the skin by a thin stalk. They match your skin tone or appear slightly darker, and they move freely when you touch them. Warts don’t dangle or wiggle.
Warts That You Can’t See
Not all HPV-related changes are visible to the naked eye. Some genital HPV infections cause flat lesions on the cervix, vaginal walls, or anal canal that only become visible during a clinical exam with special tools. During a colposcopy, a healthcare provider applies a diluted vinegar solution to the tissue, which causes HPV-affected areas to turn white temporarily. These “acetowhite” patches can indicate anything from a minor, low-grade change to a more significant precancerous lesion.
This is why routine screening matters for cervical HPV, even when you have no visible warts. The strains that cause visible warts (primarily HPV 6 and 11) are generally different from the strains linked to cervical changes (primarily HPV 16 and 18), but co-infection with multiple strains is common.