Warts are benign skin growths that appear on various parts of the body.They occur in both children and adults and cause a lot of inconvenience to sufferers due to their unsightly appearance and unpleasant sensations when injured.What causes warts and is it possible to prevent their appearance?
Causes of warts
HPV can be “contracted” in public bathrooms or saunas, or at a manicurist due to poor disinfection of the equipment.
The main reason for the appearance of warts lies in infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is transmitted through household or sexual contact (the exceptions are keratomas that form 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 the provoking factors can be:
- increased virus activity 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, from 14 days to several years pass;During this time, the virus does not bother the sick person at all.HPV activation occurs mainly due to:
- changes in hormonal levels due to medications, pregnancy, illness;
- stress;
- deterioration in general health due to illness;
- prolonged exposure to cold;
- overwork.
Why do warts appear on the body?
Warts (papillomas) on the body arise as a result of contact with a person carrying the human papillomavirus or his things.The routes of infection can be different:
- use of the patient's personal belongings: towels, underwear and bed linen, combs, dishes, personal hygiene 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;
- clean crowded places;
- autoinfection (the appearance of warts on the body is caused by frequent trauma in maternal formation).
Why do warts appear on the hands?
Warts on the hands, as well as other parts of the body, are caused by 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 as a result of shaking hands).In this case, the following types of warts may develop:
- simple (vulgar)– painless growths with a keratinized surface that appear on the hands and fingers (their size increases over time);
- periungual– simple varieties that form near the nail;
- plane (youth)– rounded 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 adolescents, but can also appear in adults).
Why do warts grow on feet?
The skin on your feet should be especially carefully cared for, as it is much easier for the virus to enter the body if your feet are prone to sweat.
Leg warts are painful growths that can grow.They appear on the heels or forefoot due to HPV virus infection.The reasons leading to the development of the disease are:
- decreased immunity;
- the presence of diseases that lead 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 fingers?
Warts on the fingers appear from direct contact with a person infected with HPV or with objects they used.This could be shaking hands, touching a handrail on the subway, wearing someone else's bathroom slippers, etc.As a rule, vulgar and plantar warts are transmitted in the described way.
Why do warts appear on the genitals?
The HPV virus, which causes the development of warts in the genital area, perineum and anus (condylomas), is transmitted through unprotected sexual relations.Without proper treatment, the number of genital warts increases due to constant trauma, which, in turn, makes the formations resemble 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 proliferation of tissues (at this time the wart begins to grow).
Attention!Proper treatment of pathology in the early stages allows the virus to return to a "latent" state and prevents further spread of formations throughout the body.
Are warts dangerous?
Warts are benign formations that cannot cause serious harm to human health.However, they still need to be treated.This is explained:
- high degree of contagion of the formations and, consequently, their rapid spread on the skin;
- the risk of secondary infections due to accidental injury to the growths;
- risk of malignancy (transformation into a cancerous tumor);
- danger 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 investigation, including DNA typing, is rarely required.The main signs of warts are:
- lack of skin pattern on the surface;
- presence of blackheads (obstructed capillaries);
- Bleeding due to injury.
During the examination, other skin pathologies are excluded.In difficult cases, a biopsy followed by histological examination of the wart tissue may be performed.
Treatment
Although there are many ways to get rid of warts today, none of them eliminate the cause of their appearance: the human papillomavirus.That is why in 30% of cases the disease reappears.
Treatment is required when warts:
- grow quickly or sting;
- they are often injured;
- the number of formations increases dramatically.
Drug therapy
Treatment of warts with medications 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 they have just begun to grow or when a small formation needs to be removed.In the vast majority of cases, the following recipes are used for this purpose.
- Garlic.Cut a fresh clove of garlic in half and rub the wart with a cut from one of the halves.The treatment is carried out twice a day.
- Garlic patch.A plate from a clove of garlic is cut according to the size of the formation, applied to the growth and fixed with a plaster.The manipulation is carried out before going to bed.In the morning, remove the garlic.
- Garlic paste.Garlic is grated 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, secured with a band-aid and wrapped in something warm.
- Garlic flatbread.The garlic is grated.Acetic acid and flour are added to the pulp, the dough is kneaded 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 excision.
Cryodestruction is a procedure that involves freezing 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 cryo-applicator.Freezing lasts 10 to 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 scab.
Electrocoagulation is the removal of warts using electrical current.The formation is cut using a thin loop under a high-frequency current, which helps prevent bleeding and disinfect the tissue.The procedure is performed under local anesthesia.A scab forms at the site of the wart and falls off after seven days.If cancer is suspected, 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 involves laser cutting of warts.The formation is removed layer by layer under local anesthesia.A small depression remains at the site of the growth, which heals after a few weeks.
Surgical excision of warts is used to remove large or fused warts.The growths are cut 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 the hospital setting.
What to do if a wart grows after removing it?
Relapse of the disease indicates the activation of the human papillomavirus in the body.If the wart reappears, it should be removed and then measures should be taken to strengthen the immune system.
You can start removing the growth only after visiting a doctor and confirming the benign nature of the wart.Otherwise, removal by conventional methods leads to significant health problems.