Warts and Moles – Are They The Same?

When you have skin lesions on the skin and your imagination is going for the worst, you might think that you have contracted a virus and the skin growths are warts. Sometimes, moles get confused in the mix. Most people would say they know the difference between both, but we will clear out the confusion once and for all by these distinguishing points.
Appearance
Warts and moles have distinct appearances. A wart usually exhibit shiny appearance similar to a blister, while moles, most often do not have the shine.
Color
Elevated lesions on the skin can be moles or warts, but take the color of the lesions into consideration. Warts usually are skin-colored, pinkish or whitish, but most moles are black or brown in color. While there are moles that appear closer to your skin color, they are slightly darker.
Hair
It is usually the case that moles can have hair sprouting out of them, but with warts, they can appear but not that often.
Infectious
Warts that are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) are contagious and they do spread by direct contact with skin that is affected, or shared items. On the other hand, moles do not spread from person-to-person but they can be associated with cancer.
Duration
A wart may peel off on its own and can grow back later, but a mole – it stays on your skin for life.
Pain
Warts can be physically painful. Moles may not cause physical pain but they can affect your confidence (as do warts).
These are just a few factors that can distinguish warts and moles. Keep in mind not to overreact when finding skin lesions as they can even be something as harmless as skin tags – formed on skin that rubs together – or pimples.