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 sick with their unpleasant and unpleasant appearance when injured.What causes warts and is it possible to prevent their occurrence?
Causes of warts
HPV can be "acquired" in public baths or saunas, or from manicurists due to poor disinfection.
The main reason for the appearance of warts lies in infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is transmitted through household contact or sexual contact (the exception is keratoma, which is formed as a result of age-related changes in the skin).Pathogen penetration into the body of a healthy person occurs through injured skin in one way or another, and provoking factors can be:
- increased viral activity in disease carriers;
- a sharp decrease in immunity in healthy people.
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.HPV activation mainly occurs because:
- changes in hormone levels due to medications, pregnancy, illness;
- pressure;
- deterioration of general health due to illness;
- prolonged exposure to cold;
- hard work
Why do warts appear on the body?
Warts (papillomas) on the body occur as a result of contact with someone who is a carrier of the human papilloma virus or those things.The route of infection can be different:
- use of the patient's personal items - towels, underwear and bed linen, combs, dishes, personal hygiene products, etc.;
- Touching common objects - fences, door handles, elevator buttons;
- visit swimming pools, saunas and baths (especially without rubber slippers);
- unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person;
- clean up crowded places;
- Self-infection (the appearance of warts on the body caused by frequent trauma to the formation of the mother).
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 reporter growth is physical contact with infected people or objects (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 a keratin surface that appear on the hands and fingers (the size increases over time);
- periungual- a simple type that forms near the nail;
- flat (youth)- Round nodules with a flat surface that appear on the back of the hand and on the inner surface of the limb below the elbow (usually observed in adolescents, but can also appear in adults).
Why do warts grow on legs?
The skin of your feet needs to be taken care of carefully, because it is easier for viruses to enter the body if your feet are prone to sweating.
Warts on the feet are painful growths that can grow.They appear on the heels or feet due to infection with the HPV virus.The reasons that lead to the development of this disease are:
- decreased immunity;
- The presence of diseases that lead to the deterioration of blood supply to the lower part - varicose veins, diabetes mellitus;
- wearing shoes that are uncomfortable, tight or lacking (made of artificial materials);
- pressure;
- increased sweating of the feet;
- sleep disorders;
- vitamin deficiency;
- dry skin.
Why do warts appear on fingers?
Warts on the fingers appear due to direct contact with a person infected with HPV or an object he used.This can be shaking hands, touching rails on the subway, wearing someone else's slippers, and so on.As a rule, vulgar and plantar warts are transmitted in the manner described.
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 sex.Without proper treatment, the number of genital warts increases due to continuous trauma, which in turn leads to cauliflower-like formations.
How do warts start to develop?
When activated in the human body, the human papillomavirus attacks skin cells, which is accompanied by excessive tissue division and proliferation (at this time warts begin to develop).
Attention!Adequate treatment of pathology at an early stage allows you to return the virus to an "inactive" state and prevent the spread of further 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 formations and, therefore, they spread rapidly over the skin;
- risk of secondary infection due to accidental injury to the growth;
- risk of malignancy (transformation into a cancerous tumor);
- danger of infecting others.
Diagnostics
Treatment of warts can 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 needed.The main signs of warts are:
- lack of skin patterns on the surface;
- the presence of blackheads (clogged capillaries);
- Bleeding from injury.
During the examination, other skin pathologies are excluded.In difficult cases, it is possible to perform a biopsy followed by a histological examination of the wart tissue.
Treatment
Although 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:
- grows quickly or itches;
- They are often injured;
- The number of formations increased significantly.
Drug therapy
Treatment of warts with drugs is done comprehensively.Patients are prescribed:
- agents that have a chemical effect on formation;
- cytotoxic drugs;
- Agents that affect the immune system - interferon.
People's recovery
Treatment of warts with folk remedies is usually used when they have just started to grow, or when a small formation needs to be removed.In most cases, the following recipe is used for this purpose.
- Garlic.Cut a clove of fresh garlic and rub the wart with the cut of one of the parts.Treatment is carried out twice a day.
- Garlic patch.Plates are cut from garlic cloves according to the size of the formation, used for growth and secured with plaster.Manipulation is done before bedtime.In the morning, remove the garlic.
- Garlic paste.Grate garlic using a grater.A teaspoon mixed with a large amount of melted lard 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, secured with the help of a band and wrapped with something warm.
- Garlic flat onion.Grated garlic.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.
Another method
There are other more effective ways to get rid of warts.These include:
- cryodestruction;
- electrocoagulation;
- laser freezing;
- Surgical excision.
Cryodestruction is a procedure that involves freezing warts with liquid nitrogen.This material 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, blisters appeared on the skin, which eventually turned into crusts.
Electrocoagulation is the removal of warts using electric current.The formation is cut using a thin loop under a high-frequency current, which helps prevent bleeding and destroy tissue.This 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 tissue is sent for histology.
Electrocoagulation is based on the cutting of pathological tissue with electric current, resulting in the formation of dead skin.
Laser freezing 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 removal of warts is used to remove large or united warts.The growth is cut with a knife blade under local anesthesia.After removal, the edges of the wound are sutured with cosmetic sutures, and the biological material is sent for histological examination.A thin scar remains at the site of the wart.
This manipulation is performed exclusively in a hospital setting.
What to do if warts grow after removal?
Recurrence of the disease indicates the activation of the human papillomavirus in the body.If warts appear again, they should be removed, and then measures should be taken to strengthen the immune system.
You can start removing the growth only after visiting the doctor and confirming the benign nature of the wart.Otherwise, removal using conventional methods is fraught with significant health problems.