Warts are benign skin growths that appear on different parts of the body.They occur in both children and adults and cause a lot of concern for those who are sick with their ugly appearance and unpleasant sensations when they are injured.What causes warts and is it possible to prevent their appearance?
Causes of warts
HPV can be "acquired" in public baths or saunas, or from a manicurist due to poor disinfection of equipment.
The main reason for the appearance of warts lies in infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), transmitted through family contact or sexual contact (the exception is keratomas formed as a result of age-related skin changes).The penetration of the pathogen into the body of a healthy person occurs through damaged skin in one way or another, and the provoking factors can be:
- increased activity of the virus in the carrier of the disease;
- a sharp decrease in immunity in a healthy person.
From the moment of infection to the appearance of the first formations, it takes from 14 days to several years - during this time the virus does not bother the patient at all.HPV activation occurs mainly due to:
- changes in hormonal levels due to medications, pregnancy, diseases;
- stress;
- deterioration of general health due to illness;
- prolonged exposure to cold;
- excessive work.
Why do warts appear on the body?
Warts (papillomas) on the body occur as a result of contact with a person who is a carrier of the human papilloma virus or its items.The routes of infection can be different:
- use of the patient's personal belongings - towels, underwear and bed linen, combs, dishes, personal hygiene products, and so on;
- touching common objects - handrails, door handles, elevator buttons;
- visits to 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 formation of the mother).
Why do warts appear on the hands?
Warts on the hands, as well as on other parts of the body, are caused by HPV infection.The cause of the appearance of growths of warts is physical contact with an infected person or his belongings (for example, infection can occur as a result of shaking hands).In this case, the following types of warts can develop:
- simple (vulgar)- painless growths with keratinized surfaces that appear on the hands and fingers (their size increases over time);
- perungual– simple varieties that form near the nail;
- flat (youth)- round nodules with a flat surface that appear on the back of the hands and on the inner surface of the limbs below the elbow (usually seen in teenagers, but can also appear in adults).
Why do warts grow on feet?
The skin of the feet should be taken care of especially carefully, since the virus is much easier to enter the body if your feet are prone to sweating.
Plantar warts are painful growths that can grow.They appear on the heel or the front of the foot due to infection with the HPV virus.The reasons that lead to the development of the disease are:
- decreased immunity;
- the presence of diseases that lead to deterioration of blood supply to the lower extremities - varicose veins, diabetes mellitus;
- wearing uncomfortable, narrow 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 fingers?
Finger warts appear due to direct contact with a person infected with HPV or objects that he or she used.This could be shaking hands, touching a subway railing, putting on someone else's bathroom slippers, and so on.As a rule, vulgar and plantar warts are transmitted in the described way.
Why do genital warts appear?
The HPV virus, which causes the development of warts in the genital area, perineum and anus (condyloma), is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse.Without proper treatment, the number of genital warts increases due to constant trauma, which, in turn, leads to formations that become similar to cauliflower.
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 proliferation (at this point the wart begins to grow).
Watch out!Adequate treatment of the pathology in the early stages allows you to return the virus to a "dormant" state and prevent the further spread of formations throughout the body.
Are warts dangerous?
Warts are benign formations that are not able to cause serious harm to human health.However, they still need to be treated.This is explained:
- high degree of adhesion of formations and, accordingly, their rapid spread on the skin;
- the risk of secondary infections due to accidental damage to growths;
- the risk of malignant development (transformation into a cancerous tumor);
- the risk of infecting others.
Diagnosing
Treatment of warts should be carried out only under the supervision of a dermatologist.
The diagnosis is made by the dermatologist based on clinical manifestations.Additional investigations, including DNA typing, are rarely required.The main signs of warts are:
- lack of skin pattern on the surface;
- the presence of black dots (clogged capillaries);
- bleeding due to injury.
Other skin pathologies are excluded during the examination.In difficult cases it is possible to perform a biopsy followed by histological examination of the wart tissue.
Treatment
Despite the fact that today there are many ways to get rid of warts, none of them eliminate the cause of their appearance - the human papillomavirus.Therefore, in 30% of cases, the disease returns again.
Treatment is required when warts:
- grows quickly or itches;
- they often get hurt;
- the number of formations increases significantly.
Drug therapy
Treatment of warts with medication is carried out comprehensively.Patients are prescribed:
- agents that have a chemical effect on formations;
- cytotoxic drugs;
- agents that affect the immune system - interferons.
Folk remedies
Treatment of warts with folk remedies is usually used when it has just started 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 purpose.
- Garlic.Cut a clove of fresh garlic in half and rub the wart with a cut of one of the halves.The treatment is carried out twice a day.
- piece of garlic.A plate is cut from a clove of garlic according to the size of the formation, applied to the growth and secured with a plaster.The manipulation is performed before sleep.In the morning, remove the garlic.
- Garlic paste.Grate the garlic using a grater.A teaspoon of grain is mixed with a similar amount of melted fat and four tablespoons 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 bandage and wrapped with something warm.
- Garlic bread.The garlic is minced.Acetic acid and flour are added to the pulp, the dough is mixed and a flat cake is made.At night 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.These include:
- cryodestruction;
- electrocoagulation;
- laser coagulation;
- surgical removal.
Cryodestruction is a procedure that involves freezing the warts with 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 lasts 10-30 seconds, after which the growth turns white and becomes dense.After an hour, a blister appears on the skin, which eventually turns into a crust.
Electrocoagulation is the removal of warts using electric current.The formation is cut using a thin loop under a high-frequency current, which helps to avoid bleeding and disinfect the tissues.The procedure is performed under local anesthesia.A crust forms at the site of the wart and falls off after seven days.If cancer is suspected, the excised tissue is sent for histology.
Electrocoagulation is based on cauterization of pathological tissues with electric current, as a result of which skin formations die.
Laser coagulation involves laser cutting of warts.The formation is removed layer by layer under local anesthesia.A small depression remains at the growth site, which heals after a few weeks.
Surgical excision of warts is used to remove large or fused warts.Growths are cut with a scalpel under local anesthesia.After removal, the edges of the wound are closed with cosmetic sutures and the biological material is sent for histological examination.A thin scar remains at the site of the wart.
These manipulations are performed exclusively in a hospital setting.
What should you do if a wart grows back after removal?
The return of the disease indicates the activation of the human papillomavirus in the body.If the wart appears again, it should be removed and then measures should be taken to strengthen the immune system.
You can begin to eliminate the growth only after visiting a doctor and confirming the benign nature of the wart.Otherwise, removal using conventional methods is fraught with significant health problems.