(HealthDay News) -- Warts are caused by a virus. While generally harmless, they can be unattractive and irritating. Some types of warts are easily spread from one person to another.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these suggestions for dealing with warts:

• Avoid direct contact with anyone who has a wart.
• If you touch a wart on your own skin, wash your hands immediately.
• Over-the-counter medicines are available to treat warts on the skin (not the genitals or face). Chronic warts may require a prescription medication, or in some cases, surgical removal.
• Never try to remove a wart yourself by scraping, cutting, tearing or picking it.

Related MedlinePlus Pages:

• Warts