One day your body is super clear, the next you have a pimple/wart, how?
In: Biology
Warts and pimples are different. There’s a good explanation for how pimples work somebody else posted.
Warts are caused [in humans] by a viral infection by one of many different types of HPV (human papilloma virus). There are other papilloma viruses that can infect other animals similarly to the way they infect humans. The virus can get into the skin, usually where skin is broken, and if the immune system doesn’t catch it, it will infect cells, alter their genome, and cause those skin cells to reproduce abnormally and excessively.
Common warts hang out on the top layer of skin where the immune system isn’t likely to detect them. This is why they can stick around on your skin from months to several years without being caught and killed by your immune system.
Warts are tumors. Some treatment methods are destructive (freezing, electrocautery, topical acid application), which often have poor efficacy. Some other treatments that are less commonly used involve chemicals that are supposed to stimulate the immune system, like imiquimod (typically prescribed for genital warts) and bleomycin (which is a chemotherapy drug).
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