This image shows examples of warts, which are harmless skin growths caused by strains of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

Despite scary social media captions, these are not parasitic infections, dangerous mold, or alien organisms—they are just ordinary viral warts.

What You’re Seeing in the Image

• The Top Left, Bottom Left, & Top Right Images: These show standard skin warts (often common or plantar warts). The tiny dark speckles visible inside them are commonly called “wart seeds,” but they aren’t seeds at all—they are tiny clotted blood vessels (capillaries) that supply blood to the wart.
• The Bottom Right Image: This shows a filiform wart (or digitate wart). These warts produce long, finger-like, or thread-like spiky projections made of hyperkeratotic skin. While they can look unsettling, they are completely benign.

Key Facts About Warts

• The Cause: HPV enters through tiny microscopic cuts or abrasions in the skin.
• Contagiousness: They are contagious through direct skin-to-skin contact or shared items (like towels, nail clippers, or wet pool decks).
• Treatment: Warts often disappear on their own as the immune system recognizes the virus. They can also be treated using over-the-counter salicylic acid, cryotherapy (freezing), or removal by a dermatologist.