Warts: Types, Causes of appearance in adults and children, treatment
Warts are non-aesthetic benign tumors that appear on the skin when infected with the human papillomavirus. The virus penetrates into the upper layers of the epidermis and provokes the growth of its cells, which leads to the appearance of warts of various shapes, sizes, and colors.
About 80% of people on the planet are infected with HPV, and not every patient knows about his diagnosis, since HPV in most cases is asymptomatic.
Types of warts
There are different types of warts depending on the location of the body, color, size, shape, and type of pathogen.
Common or vulgar warts
The most common is that their appearance does not depend on the age or gender of the patient. They are located on the hands, between the fingers, and on the back of the Palm (more often on the palm itself). Vulgar warts are irregular in shape or rounded in shape and, due to their pink color, are usually not noticeable on the skin. The size varies from 1 to 3 mm, with prolonged injury and lack of treatment, clusters of neoplasms may appear in the affected area.
Flat warts
Neoplasms of this type often appear in children and adolescents, so their second name is youthful warts. They are nodules of fleshy or light brown, oval or round in shape, with a smooth surface, slightly rising above the skin. They are concentrated mainly on the skin of the face, neck, arms, and upper body.
Plantar warts
This type of wart appears exclusively on the skin of the feet, and that's how it got its name. It is a rough growth with a keratinized layer of skin or a combination of such growths. The skin around plantar warts loses its natural color and becomes grayish-yellow. The surface of the wart becomes hard and begins to press on the healthy tissues surrounding it, causing severe discomfort.
Hanging warts
A feature of this type is the presence of a narrow joint with a skin surface, the so-called Legs. Hanging warts can be oblong, round, or irregularly shaped, pink or reddish in color. These warts are localized on the neck, face, armpits, and under the breast in women. Numerous hanging warts frequently signal a severe deterioration in the body's immunological function.
Senile warts
Warts of this type most often affect the skin of the elderly. They are also called seborrheic warts or keratomas. They develop due to age-related changes and deterioration of the metabolism of epidermal cells, often capturing the upper part of the hair follicle. Keratoma has a rounded shape, and well-defined boundaries, localized on the scalp or on the face. The size varies from a few millimeters to 4-5 centimeters.
Genital warts
Genital warts or condylomas are the most unpleasant and most painful types of neoplasms. The causative agent of them is the human papillomavirus of types 6 and 11. Genital warts affect the skin adjacent to the mucous membranes: on the lips, and eyelids. urethra, anus, and the region of the genitalia.
Genital warts have a nodular growth structure that is often compared to cauliflower or cocks. Cardiomas are attached to the surface of the skin using a thin leg. Due to localization in areas of the body prone to mechanical irritation, there is a high degree of infection of genital warts and adjacent tissues, infection, in addition to the emergence of an inflammatory condition with exudative or purulent discharge.
Causes of the appearance of Warts
The increased activity of the human papillomavirus in the body provokes the appearance of warts. Infection occurs through household contact: through touching, shaking hands, common objects, and in public places if personal hygiene rules are not followed. Sexual contact is the main way that genital warts are spread.
The virus passes into the active form in the presence of factors such as:
- Severe or chronic stress
- Transferred infectious diseases.
- Reduced immunity
- Hormonal disorders, improper metabolism.
- Increased sweating
- Injuries and microtraumas of the skin.
- Wear clothes and shoes made of non-natural materials.
With an asymptomatic course of the disease, it can only be diagnosed by laboratory means.
Warts in adults
Papillomas or warts can appear at any age. Sex does not play a special role - both men and women are susceptible to HPV infection. At the same time, the risk of developing warts in women is higher, since their immunity is often weakened due to hormonal levels, pregnancy, and Child Nutrition. Due to anatomical features, women are also more susceptible to the appearance of warts on the genitals, especially warts, which increases the risk of cervical cancer.
In men, warts appear only in the case of a sharp decrease in immunity, which happens not so often with the stronger sex. At the same time, men rarely act as carriers of HPV types 16 and 18, which leads to the development of cancer.
Warts in children
Due to their underdeveloped immunity and ease of papillomavirus infection, children and adolescents are more likely than adults to get warts. The fact that children generally experience higher stress while in kindergarten and school, which has a detrimental impact on the body's defense mechanisms, plays a significant influence. Along with the contact-household infection technique. It's also possible for the mother to have an intrauterine infection.
Most often, children develop vulgar, juvenile, or plantar warts, while small warts disappear on their own by the age of 14-18.
Treatment of warts
Understanding that the human papillomavirus cannot be entirely eradicated from the body is important for treating warts. Once in the body, it remains in it forever, but a healthy immune system can keep it under control and reduce the manifestations of its vital activity.
The fact of appearance of warts indicates a decrease in the body's immune status, therefore it is necessary to include measures to strengthen immunity in the treatment of HPV. With a reduced protective reaction of the body, even with the successful removal of warts, there is a high probability of relapse. At the same time, warts can disappear on their own in people with strong immunity.
The choice of treatment
should be performed by an expert following a careful assessment. Self-medication is unacceptable since an ordinary person will not be able to distinguish a wart from a malignant tumor. The question of removing a wart is also decided by a specialist - an infected tumor can degenerate from a benign one into a malignant one.
The following techniques exist for eliminating warts.
cryogenic destruction This approach works particularly well for common warts. The tumor is exposed to liquid nitrogen for 10-30 seconds. This method is good for minimizing the risk of infection since it takes from 1 to 5 sessions to completely remove the wart.
Clotting using a laser (laser removal)
The tumor is removed under local anesthesia in parts. In place of the wart, a trace remains in the form of a depression, which disappears after about a month.
Electrocoagulation (removal of current).
A high-frequency current is applied to a small metal ring to eradicate the wart. This method is characterized by the absence of bleeding and additional cleansing of tissues. Tumor tissues remain intact, so they can be sent for histological examination. Within a week, all signs of manipulation are gone.
Surgical removal.
This method is used only in extreme cases when the neoplasms are very large or grouped into one conglomerate. The wart is cut out with a scalpel while under local anesthetic, much like in regular surgery. The material that was extracted is submitted for histological analysis. The presence of scars at the excision site depends on the skill of the surgeon who applied the stitches.
A method of chemical exposure in which various acids or alkalis are used.
This method is the most painful, traumatic, and dangerous since the risk of secondary injury to tissues at the site of exposure is very high. It is important to keep in mind while choosing how to utilize it that you can only influence the wart itself and not the skin nearby.
Preparations for the treatment of warts
For the treatment of warts, local remedies are used, but their effectiveness depends on the age of the tumor - the fresher the wart, the more likely it is to be removed, and the state of the patient's immunity.
Viferon ointment.
Oxolinic ointment.
Imiquimod cream. An immunomodulator with an antiviral effect. Apply at night 2-3 times a week. The course of therapy might last up to three months.
Acetylsalicylic acid.
Koloman.
Ferocatsid.
Before using local remedies, you should consult a dermatologist and take tests to determine the nature of the neoplasm, since exposure to drugs can cause the decomposition of pustular cells into malignant ones.
Non-traditional methods of dealing with warts
In the recipes of traditional medicine to combat warts, they use:
- Garlic
- Onion
- Celandine
- Spurge is a plant
- Sage.
- Flax oil.
Traditional medicine methods are good as an addition to the main treatment after consultation with your doctor.
Prevention of warts
The best way to prevent the occurrence of warts is the banal observance of personal hygiene rules: timely hand washing, the use of personal manicure accessories, towels, dressing towels, and shoes. You should not walk barefoot in the pool, shared showers, baths, and saunas. Also, when staying in hotels, it is useful to take antiseptic products for cleaning bathrooms with you. Strengthening the immune system and keeping an eye on your overall health are both required in conjunction.