A wart is a bump on the skin that looks like a colourless wart. A wart is caused in the upper layers of the skin by a virus that belongs to the Human Wart family of viruses. The virus that causes warts is transmitted by contact and affects only humans and is not transmitted to animals. Formication is transmitted by direct skin contact or by touching wet surfaces, such as swimming pool floors and changing rooms, which have been infected by people who already have formication. Children and adolescents are more likely to be infected as they have not yet developed antibodies against the virus and are more likely to come into contact with people who have ants.

Often, they develop under the most stressed areas, such as the heels or the arch of the foot. If you look more closely, you will notice small black spots inside the toe wart. These are not, as many people believe, the roots of the wart. The black spots are caused by bleeding due to the pressure on the ant when you stand or walk. They are highly contagious and in order to prevent them from spreading, you should treat them immediately and avoid direct skin contact with other warts. Often, the wart reappears and this happens when proper precautions are not taken.

In cryosurgery, or cooling of ants, liquid nitrogen is applied at a temperature of -196 degrees Celsius. A misconception that many people have is that they believe that the ant freezes or "burns" immediately. This is not true, as cooling causes the skin to slowly crack, resulting in a blister (blister) forming around the ant. The dead tissue falls off in about a week or so.