Warts are benign skin growths that appear on various parts of the body.They occur in both children and adults and cause great inconvenience to sufferers due to their unsightly appearance and unpleasant sensations when injured.What causes warts and can they be prevented?
Causes of warts
HPV can be “earned” in public baths or saunas or from a manicurist due to poor disinfection of equipment.
The main reason for the appearance of warts is infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is transmitted through household contact or sexual contact (the exception is keratomas, which arise as a result of age-related skin changes).The penetration of the pathogen into the body of a healthy person occurs through the skin, injured in one way or another, and provoking factors can be:
- increased activity of the virus in the disease vector;
- a sharp decrease in immunity in a healthy person.
From the time of infection to the appearance of the first formations, 14 days to several years pass - during this time the virus does not bother the sick person at all.HPV activation occurs primarily through:
- Changes in hormone levels due to medication, pregnancy, illness;
- Stress;
- Deterioration in general health due to illness;
- prolonged exposure to cold;
- Revision.
Why do warts appear on the body?
Warts (papillomas) on the body arise as a result of contact with a person who is a carrier of the human papilloma virus or his things.The routes of infection can be different:
- Use of patient's personal belongings - towels, underwear and bed linen, combs, dishes, personal care products, etc.;
- touching common objects – railings, door handles, elevator buttons;
- Visiting swimming pools, saunas and baths (especially without rubber slippers);
- unprotected sexual contact with an infected person;
- cleaning crowded places;
- Self-infection (the appearance of warts on the body is caused by frequent trauma to the maternal formation).
Why do warts appear on the hands?
Warts on the hands and other parts of the body are caused by an HPV infection.The cause of the appearance of warty growths is physical contact with an infected person or his things (for example, infection can occur through a handshake).In this case, the following types of warts can develop:
- simple (vulgar)– painless growths with a keratinized surface that appear on the hands and fingers (their size increases over time);
- periungual– various simple types that form near the nail;
- flat (youth)– rounded, flat-surfaced nodules that occur on the back of the hand and on the inner surface of the limbs below the elbow (usually observed in adolescents, but can also occur in adults).
Why do warts grow on feet?
The skin of your feet needs to be cared for especially carefully, as the virus can enter the body much more easily if your feet tend to sweat.
Warts on the legs are painful growths that can grow.They occur on the heels or forefoot due to infection with the HPV virus.The reasons leading to the development of the disease are:
- reduced immunity;
- the presence of diseases leading to a deterioration in the blood supply to the lower extremities – varicose veins, diabetes mellitus;
- Wearing uncomfortable, tight or poor quality shoes (made of artificial materials);
- Stress;
- increased sweating of the feet;
- sleep disorders;
- lack of vitamins;
- dry skin.
Why do warts appear on the fingers?
Warts on the fingers arise from direct contact with an HPV-infected person or objects they use.This can include shaking hands, touching a handrail on the subway, wearing someone else's flip flops, etc.As a rule, common warts and plantar warts are transmitted in the manner described.
Why do warts appear on the genitals?
The HPV virus, which causes warts in the genital area, perineum and anus (condylomas), is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse.Without proper treatment, the number of genital warts increases due to constant trauma, which in turn causes the formations to become cauliflower-like.
How does a wart start to grow?
When activated in the human body, the human papillomavirus attacks skin cells, which is accompanied by their excessive division and tissue reproduction (at this moment the wart begins to grow).
Attention!Proper treatment of pathology in the early stages allows you to return the virus to a “resting state” and prevent further spread of formations in the body.
Are warts dangerous?
Warts are benign formations that cannot cause serious harm to human health.However, they still need treatment.This is explained:
- high risk of infection of the formations and, accordingly, their rapid spread on the skin;
- the risk of secondary infections due to accidental injury to growths;
- risk of malignancy (transformation into a cancerous tumor);
- Risk of infecting others.
diagnosis
Treatment of warts should only be done under the supervision of a dermatologist.
The diagnosis is made by a dermatologist based on clinical manifestations.Additional testing, including DNA typing, is rarely required.The main signs of warts are:
- lack of skin pattern on the surface;
- Presence of blackheads (clogged capillaries);
- Bleeding due to injury.
The examination will rule out other skin diseases.In difficult cases, a biopsy with subsequent histological examination of the wart tissue is possible.
Treatment
Although today there are many ways to get rid of warts, none of them eliminate the cause of their appearance - the human papilloma virus.That is why the disease recurs in 30% of cases.
Treatment is required if the warts:
- grow quickly or itch;
- they are often injured;
- the number of formations is increasing rapidly.
Drug therapy
The treatment of warts with medication is comprehensive.Patients are prescribed:
- Agents that have a chemical effect on formations;
- cytostatics;
- Active substances that influence the immune system – interferons.
Folk remedies
Treatment of warts with folk remedies is usually used when the wart has just begun to grow or when a single small formation needs to be removed.In the vast majority of cases, the following recipes are used for this.
- Garlic.Cut a fresh garlic clove in half and rub the wart with a piece of one of the halves.The treatment takes place twice daily.
- Garlic patch.A plate is cut from a clove of garlic according to the size of the formation, placed on the growth and secured with a plaster.The manipulation is carried out before bedtime.In the morning, remove the garlic.
- Garlic paste.Garlic is rubbed with a grater.A teaspoon of porridge is mixed with a similar amount of melted lard and four teaspoons of vinegar.The finished product is placed on a piece of bandage, applied to the surface of the previously steamed formation, covered with polyethylene, fixed with a plaster and wrapped in something warm.
- Garlic flatbread.Garlic is grated.Acetic acid and flour are added to the pulp, the dough is kneaded and a flatbread is baked.In the evening before going to bed, the cake is applied to the wart, covered with polyethylene and fixed with a plaster.
Other methods
There are other, more effective ways to remove warts.This includes:
- cryodestruction;
- electrocoagulation;
- laser coagulation;
- surgical removal.
Cryodestruction is a procedure in which warts are frozen using liquid nitrogen.The substance is applied to the surface of the formation using a tampon attached to a wooden stick or a special cryoapplicator.Freezing takes 10 to 30 seconds.Afterwards the growth becomes white and dense.After an hour, a blister will form on the skin, which will eventually turn into a crust.
Electrocoagulation is the removal of warts using electrical current.The formation is cut off with a thin loop under high-frequency current, which helps to prevent bleeding and disinfect the tissue.The procedure is carried out under local anesthesia.A crust forms at the site of the wart and falls off after seven days.If cancer is suspected, the cut tissues are sent for histology.
Electrocoagulation is based on the cauterization of pathological tissues with electric current, as a result of which skin formations die.
Laser coagulation is the laser cutting of warts.Under local anesthesia, the formation is removed layer by layer.A small depression remains at the site of the growth, which heals after a few weeks.
Surgical wart removal is used to remove large or overgrown warts.The growths are cut out with a scalpel under local anesthesia.After removal, the edges of the wound are sutured with a cosmetic suture and the biological material is sent for histological examination.A thin scar remains at the site of the wart.
These manipulations are carried out exclusively in a hospital environment.
What to do if a wart grows after removal?
A relapse of the disease indicates activation of the human papilloma virus in the body.If the wart reappears, it should be removed and then measures taken to strengthen the immune system.
You can begin eliminating the growth only after seeing a doctor and confirming the benign nature of the wart.Otherwise, removal using traditional methods is fraught with significant health problems.