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 those who are ill with their unsightly appearance and unpleasant sensations when injured.What causes warts and is it possible to prevent their occurrence?
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 lies in infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), transmitted through household contact or sexual contact (exceptions are keratomas formed as a result of age-related changes in the skin).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 carrier of the disease;
- a sharp decrease in immunity in a healthy person.
From the moment of infection until the appearance of the first formations, it takes from 14 days to several years - during this time the virus does not bother the sick person at all.Activation of HPV mainly occurs due to:
- changes in hormonal levels due to medications, pregnancy, diseases;
- stress;
- deterioration of general health due to illness;
- prolonged exposure to the cold;
- overwork.
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 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, and so on;
- 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 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 warty growths is physical contact with an infected person or his things (for example, infection can occur as a result of a handshake).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 ones that form near the nail;
- flat (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 observed in adolescents, but can also appear in adults).
Why do warts grow on feet?
The skin of your feet needs to be taken care of especially carefully, since 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 forefoot due to infection with the HPV virus.The reasons leading to the development of the disease are:
- decreased immunity;
- the presence of diseases leading to deterioration of blood supply to the lower extremities - varicose veins, diabetes mellitus;
- wearing uncomfortable, tight or poor quality (made from artificial materials) shoes;
- stress;
- increased sweating of the feet;
- sleep disorders;
- lack of vitamins;
- dry skin.
Why do warts appear on fingers?
Warts on the fingers 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 handrail on the subway, wearing someone else's bath slippers, and so on.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 intercourse.Without proper treatment, the number of genital warts increases due to constant trauma, which, in turn, leads to the formations becoming cauliflower-like.
How does a wart begin 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 moment 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 further spread of formations throughout the body.
Are warts dangerous?
Warts are benign formations that are not capable of causing serious harm to human health.However, they still need to be treated.This is explained:
- high degree of contagiousness of formations and, accordingly, their rapid spread over 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.
Diagnostics
Treatment of warts should only be carried out under the supervision of a dermatologist.
The diagnosis is made by a dermatologist based on clinical manifestations.Additional research, 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.
During the examination, other skin pathologies are excluded.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 eliminates the cause of their appearance - the human papillomavirus.That is why in 30% of cases the disease returns again.
Treatment is required when the warts:
- grow quickly or itch;
- they are often injured;
- the number of formations increases sharply.
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 it 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 purpose.
- Garlic.Cut a clove of fresh garlic in half and rub the wart with a cut of one of the halves.Treatment is carried out twice a day.
- Garlic patch.A plate is cut from a garlic clove according to the size of the formation, applied to the growth and secured with a plaster.The manipulation is performed before bedtime.In the morning, remove the garlic.
- Garlic paste.Garlic is grated using a grater.A teaspoon of gruel 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.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 secured 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 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 transforms into a crust.
Electrocoagulation is the removal of warts using electric current.The formation is cut off using a thin loop under 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 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 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, healing after a few weeks.
Surgical excision of warts is used to remove large or fused 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 performed exclusively in a hospital setting.
What to do if a wart grows after removal?
Relapse of the disease indicates 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.