Warts are benign skin growths that appear on various parts of the body.They occur both in children and adults and cause a lot of inconvenience to patients with their unaesthetic appearance and unpleasant sensations when injured.What causes warts and is it possible to prevent them?
Causes of warts
HPV can be "acquired" in public baths or saunas or from a manicurist due to poor disinfection of equipment.
The main cause of the appearance of warts is infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV), transmitted through household or sexual contact (exceptions are keratomas formed as a result of age-related changes in the skin).The penetration of the pathogen into the body of a healthy person occurs through the skin damaged in one way or another, and 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, 14 days to several years pass - during this time, the virus does not bother the patient at all.HPV activation occurs mainly due to:
- changes in hormonal levels due to drugs, pregnancy, diseases;
- stress;
- deterioration of general health due to illness;
- prolonged exposure to cold;
- overtired.
Why do warts appear on the body?
Warts (papillomas) on the body appear as a result of contact with a person who is a carrier of the human papilloma virus or its belongings.The ways of infection can be different:
- use of the patient's personal belongings - towels, underwear and bedding, combs, dishes, personal hygiene products, etc.;
- touching common objects - railings, door handles, elevator buttons;
- visiting 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 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 warts 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– varieties of simple that are formed 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 adolescents, but can also occur in adults).
Why do warts grow on legs?
The skin on your feet should be taken care of especially carefully, as it is much easier for the virus to enter the body if your feet are prone to sweating.
Warts on the legs are painful growths that can grow.They appear on the heels or front of the foot due to infection with the HPV virus.The reasons for the development of the disease are:
- reduced immunity;
- the presence of diseases leading to deterioration of blood supply to the lower limbs - varicose veins, diabetes mellitus;
- wearing uncomfortable, narrow or low-quality (made of artificial materials) shoes;
- stress;
- increased sweating of the feet;
- sleep disorders;
- lack of vitamins;
- dry skin.
Why do warts appear on the fingers?
Warts on the fingers appear due to direct contact with a person infected with HPV or objects that he or she has used.This could be shaking hands, touching a subway railing, wearing someone else's bathroom slippers, etc.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 (condylomas), is transmitted through unprotected intercourse.Without proper treatment, the number of genital warts increases due to constant trauma, which in turn leads to formations that look like 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).
attention!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 in 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 infectiousness 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);
- 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 the clinical manifestations.Additional tests, including DNA typing, are rarely necessary.The main signs of warts are:
- lack of surface skin pattern;
- 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 a 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.That is why in 30% of cases the disease returns again.
Treatment is needed when warts:
- grow quickly or itch;
- they are often injured;
- the number of entities is increasing sharply.
Drug therapy
The treatment of warts with drugs is complex.Patients are prescribed:
- agents that have a chemical effect on formations;
- cytotoxic drugs;
- agents that affect the immune system - interferons.
People's funds
Treatment of warts with folk remedies is usually used when they have just started to grow or when a small growth needs to be removed.In most cases, the following recipes are used for this purpose.
- garlic.Cut a clove of fresh garlic in half and rub the wart with an incision on one of the halves.The treatment is carried out twice a day.
- 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 patch.The manipulation is carried out before going to bed.In the morning, remove the garlic.
- Garlic paste.Grate the garlic using a grater.A teaspoon of porridge is mixed with the same 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 an adhesive bandage and wrapped with something warm.
- Garlic bread.The garlic is grated.Acetic acid and flour are added to the pulp, the dough is kneaded and a flat cake is made.In the evening before going to bed, the cake is applied to the wart, covered with polyethylene and fixed with a patch.
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 swab attached to a wooden stick or a special cryoapplicator.Freezing lasts 10-30 seconds, after which the growth turns white and becomes solid.After an hour, a blister appears on the skin, which eventually transforms into a crust.
Electrocoagulation is the removal of warts using an electric current.The formation is cut using a thin contour under a high-frequency current, which helps to avoid bleeding and disinfect the tissue.The procedure is performed under local anesthesia.A crust forms at the site of the wart, which falls off after seven days.If cancer is suspected, the excised tissues are sent for histology.
Electrocoagulation is based on burning pathological tissues with electric current, as a result of which the skin formations die.
Laser coagulation involves laser excision of warts.The formation is removed layer by layer under local anesthesia.A small indentation 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 excised 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 performed exclusively in hospital settings.
What to do if the wart grows after removal?
Recurrence 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 start removing 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.