Warts, Molluscum and Corns: How to Tell Them Apart

Warts and molluscum contagiosum are both caused by viruses and can spread on your own skin and to other people, while corns are patches of hard, thickened skin caused by repeated pressure and friction, with no infection involved. The simplest way to tell them apart is by their surface and location: warts are rough, molluscum bumps are smooth and pearly with a tiny central dip, and corns sit over pressure points on the feet.

Getting this right matters because the treatments are very different. A corn treated as a wart, or a wart pared like a corn, often gets worse.

What are warts?

Warts are small, rough growths caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The virus enters through tiny cuts or cracks in the skin. Warts are common in children and teenagers, but adults get them too.

Common types:

• Common warts: rough, raised, cauliflower like bumps, often on fingers, knuckles and around nails
• Plantar warts (verrucas): on the soles, pushed inward by walking, often with tiny black dots, which are small clotted blood vessels
• Flat warts: small, smooth, slightly raised, flat topped bumps, often on the face, forehead or hands, sometimes in lines where the skin was scratched or shaved
• Filiform warts: thin, thread like projections, often around the mouth, nose or beard area

Warts spread by direct contact and through shared towels, razors and wet floors around pools and bathrooms. Picking, biting nails and shaving over warts can spread them to new areas.

What is molluscum contagiosum?

Molluscum contagiosum is a skin infection caused by a poxvirus (a different virus from warts). It is especially common in young children.

Typical features:

• Small, firm, smooth, dome shaped bumps, usually skin coloured, pink or pearly
• A tiny central dimple (umbilication) on many of the bumps
• Clusters, often on the trunk, armpits, inner arms, thighs or face in children
• In adults, they may appear in the genital area and can be passed during sexual contact
• Sometimes the skin around a bump becomes red and inflamed before it clears, which is often a sign that the body is fighting the virus

Molluscum spreads through skin contact, shared towels and bath water, and by scratching. Children with eczema often get more widespread molluscum because their skin barrier is weaker. Our guide to eczema in adults and children covers how to care for sensitive skin.

What are corns and calluses?

Corns and calluses are the skin’s response to repeated pressure or friction. They are not infections and cannot spread.

• Calluses are broad areas of thick, yellowish skin, usually on the heel, ball of the foot or palms.
• Hard corns are small, hard, cone shaped areas, often on the tops of toes or the outer side of the little toe, which press inward and can be very painful.
• Soft corns develop between the toes, where skin stays moist, and look white and rubbery.

Common Indian triggers include tight or narrow footwear, high heels, walking barefoot on hard floors, chappals with thick straps rubbing the same spot, and uneven weight bearing due to foot shape. In people with diabetes, corns and calluses can hide or lead to foot ulcers.

How can I tell them apart?

Feature	Wart	Molluscum	Corn or callus
Cause	HPV virus	Molluscum (pox) virus	Pressure and friction
Surface	Rough, grainy	Smooth, shiny, pearly	Hard, thick, smooth or waxy
Centre	May show black dots	Small central dimple	Hard central core in corns
Skin lines	Interrupted	Not applicable	Usually preserved
Pain	Hurts on side squeeze (sole warts)	Usually painless, may itch	Hurts on direct pressure
Location	Hands, feet, face, anywhere	Trunk, folds, face, genitals	Pressure points on feet, toes, palms
Spreads	Yes	Yes	No

These are general patterns, and lesions can look alike. A dermatologist can usually tell the difference by examination, sometimes with a dermatoscope or after gently paring the surface.

How are warts treated?

Many warts, especially in children, clear on their own over months to a couple of years. Treatment may be considered if a wart is painful, spreading, on the face or hands, or causing distress.

Depending on the type and site, your dermatologist may consider:

• Topical treatments that gradually peel the wart, applied carefully to the wart only
• Cryotherapy, freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen, often repeated over several sessions
• Electrocautery or radiofrequency for selected warts
• Immunotherapy approaches for multiple or stubborn warts
• Laser in specific situations

No treatment works every time, and warts can return. Please avoid acids or caustic products bought without advice on the face, genitals or in people with diabetes or poor circulation.

How is molluscum treated?

In healthy children, molluscum usually clears without treatment, although it can take many months or even longer. Many doctors simply watch and wait. Your dermatologist may consider treatment if lesions are numerous, spreading, in the genital area, inflamed, or affecting quality of life. Options can include gentle removal, freezing or topical treatments selected for the child’s age and the site.

Tips to limit spread:

• Avoid scratching or squeezing the bumps.
• Do not share towels, clothes or bath water.
• Cover visible bumps during swimming or contact sports.
• Treat any eczema, because scratching itchy skin spreads molluscum.

How are corns and calluses treated?

The most important step is to remove the cause of the pressure.

• Wear well fitting footwear with enough room for the toes and a cushioned sole.
• Use soft pads or toe separators to protect pressure points, as advised.
• Soak and gently use a pumice stone on calluses, but do not dig into a corn.
• Moisturise the feet daily to keep skin supple.
• See a doctor or podiatrist for professional paring and for advice on insoles if the problem keeps returning.

Medicated corn plasters contain acids that can damage the surrounding skin. They are not suitable for people with diabetes, poor circulation, numbness in the feet or fragile skin.

What should I avoid doing at home?

• Do not cut, shave or burn warts or corns with blades, acids or hot objects.
• Do not apply steroid creams to warts or molluscum. Steroid creams do not treat viral growths and can cause other skin problems, as explained in our article on topical steroid misuse.
• Do not use wart treatments on genital lesions. Genital growths need a doctor’s assessment.
• Do not ignore a changing growth. A spot that bleeds, grows quickly, changes colour or does not behave like a wart should be checked.

If you have small bumps on the face that look like whiteheads or skin tags rather than warts, our guide to milia, whiteheads and skin tags may help.

When to see a dermatologist

See a dermatologist if:

• You are not sure whether a growth is a wart, molluscum, corn or something else.
• Warts or molluscum are spreading, on the face or genitals, or not improving.
• A corn or callus is painful, keeps returning, or you have diabetes or poor circulation.
• A growth bleeds, changes shape or colour, or grows quickly.
• An adult has many molluscum bumps, or you have reduced immunity.

Dr. Maria offers online consultations, where clear photos and a short history are often enough to identify the growth and suggest the next step, including whether it needs to be seen in person.