Warts are basically skin-related problems that are small in size, rough, and non-cancerous growth that can occur on any body part. The color of the wart matches that of the skin.
The appearance of warts depends on the place it appears on the body, and the thickness depends on it. Cysts, on the other hand, are sac-like structures and are filled with liquid and some gaseous material from the inside. They may look abnormal sometimes.
The fact about cysts is that they can appear on literally any part of the body as they occur within the tissues. Out of these, very common locations for cysts are ovaries, kidneys, breasts, testes, skin, etc.
Key Takeaways
- Warts are rough, grainy growths that appear on the skin, caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), while cysts are sac-like structures that can occur in any part of the body and are filled with fluid, air or other materials.
- Warts are contagious and can be transmitted from one person to another through direct contact, while cysts are not contagious.
- Warts can be treated with various methods, such as cryotherapy, chemical treatments, and surgical removal, while cysts may require drainage or surgical removal.
Wart vs Cyst
Warts are small in size and have a grainy texture. They can transfer from one person to another by simple contact or touch. Various methods, including chemical treatments, can treat them. Cysts can grow at any part of the part and can be removed by surgery. They are filled with fluid.
Warts look like small solid structures and have a cauliflower-like shape. They do not have any symptoms, but sometimes they can be painful as they appear on the lower part of the feet.
More than one wart can appear on a single person’s body and in many different parts. Mostly they appear on hands and feet.
Cysts are sac-like structures that have some liquid and gaseous material in them. It can occur in any part of the body, inside or outside, as they occur from the tissues.
Mostly they occur on breasts, kidneys, ovaries, skin, etc. They vary in their size. They can be very microscopic or even large enough to displace some internal organs.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Wart | Cyst |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Warts are basically skin-related problems that are small in size, rough, and non-cancerous growth that can occur on any body part. | Cysts are sac-like structures that have some liquid and gaseous material in them. |
| Affected areas | They mostly occur on the hands and feet but they can appear on any part of the skin. | Mostly they occur on breasts, kidneys, ovaries, skin, etc. |
| Appearances | Usually, the appearance of warts is depended upon the amount of thickness of the skin and other places of the body. | They are sac-like structures filled with some liquid and gaseous material. |
| Cause | There are many types of HPV that cause different kinds and forms of warts on the skin like HPV- 1,2,3,4,26,29, etc. | They can be caused due to some infection, tumors, genetic conditions, fault of developing the embryos, etc. |
| Treatment | Salicylic acid or cryotherapy. | They require surgeries or some other medical treatment as per the size and location of it. |
| Symptoms | Most warts do not have any symptoms but they can be painful if they occur on the lower part of the feet. | Mostly, cysts do not have any symptoms, but they can be painful if they appear on breasts. Cysts in the brain can cause headaches. |
What is Wart?
Warts are basically skin-related problems that are small in size, rough, and non-cancerous growth that can occur on any body part. The color of the wart matches that of the skin.
The appearance of warts depends on the place it appears on the body, and the thickness depends on it. Warts look like small solid structures and have a cauliflower-like shape.
They do not have any symptoms, but sometimes they can be painful as they appear on the lower part of the feet. More than one wart can appear on a single person’s body and in many different parts. Mostly they appear on hands and feet.
The main cause of warts is HPV, a virus that enters the body through small or minor skin damage. The people more prone to getting this virus are those who work with meat, have low immune systems or use public showers often.
Talking of HPV, there is a total of 130 different types of HPVs that infect some specific parts of the body.
What is Cyst?
Cysts are sac-like structures that have some liquid and gaseous material in them. It can occur in any part of the body, inside or outside, as they occur from the tissues. Mostly they occur on breasts, kidneys, ovaries, skin, etc.
They vary in their size. They can be very microscopic or even large enough to displace some internal organs.
The cyst can be of many different types, like- breast cyst, colloid cyst, fibrous cyst, colloid cyst, renal cyst, ovarian cyst, and many more.
There are many causes of cyst-like- infections, genetic conditions, tumours, some defects in the blood cell, some parasites, some injuries that break the vessel, and faults in the development of the embryo.
Depending on the type and location of the cyst, the signs and symptoms are very different from each other. When the cyst is below or over the skin, the patient might feel it immediately as it occurs as a lump.
The cyst on the breast can be noticed, too, although some of them require ultrasound or MRI scans to get the exact picture of it.
Main Differences Between Wart and Cyst
- The main difference between wart and cyst is that warts are basically skin related problem that is small in size, rough, and is a non-cancerous growth that can take place on any body part, while cysts are sac-like structures that have some liquid and gaseous material in it.
- Warts mostly occur on the hands and feet, but they can appear on any part of the skin, while cysts mostly occur on breasts, kidneys, ovaries, skin, etc.
- Usually, the appearance of warts is depended upon the amount of thickness of the skin and other places of the body cysts are sac-like structures filled with some liquid and gaseous material.
- There are many types of HPV that causes different kinds and form of warts on the skin like HPV- 1,2,3,4,26,29, etc. while cysts can be caused due to some infection, tumors, genetic conditions, fault of developing the embryos, etc.
- The treatments of warts include salicylic acid or cryotherapy, while cysts require surgeries or some other medical treatment as per the size and location.
- Most warts do not have any symptoms, but they can be painful if they occur on the lower part of the feet, but mostly cysts too do not have any symptoms, but they can be painful if they appear on breasts. Cysts in the brain can cause headaches.
- https://www.aafp.org/afp/2004/1215/p2335.html
- https://journals.lww.com/op-rs/fulltext/2004/11000/Orbital_Dermoid_Cyst_and_Sinus_Tract_Presenting.13.aspx
Last Updated : 24 June, 2023
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