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Many men and women of reproductive age have human papillomavirus infection in their bodies. This disease is transmitted sexually and from mother to child during childbirth. You can also “get” the disease by household means. A manifestation of the disease is the appearance of warts that have various shapes and parameters.
Warts or condylomas are formed on the mucous membranes and skin of the internal and external genital organs and in the anus. Warts, which are pointed, look like flesh-colored papillary growths. These neoplasms can merge together and grow, forming conglomerates. Flat warts can only be detected by a qualified doctor after conducting the necessary research.
Why are warts dangerous?
The virus that provokes the occurrence of warts is in the body of almost every person, but he is “sleeping”. As soon as immunity decreases, the virus is activated, and at this time neoplasms appear on the body in the form of genital warts. Removing genital warts, alas, does not help cure the disease and suppress the virus, but it allows you to get rid of dangerous growths on the skin.
Today, there is no drug that can completely cure the human papillomavirus, so the course of therapy is aimed at increasing the immune system. Removal of genital warts with liquid nitrogen is recommended by specialists, since neoplasms grow rapidly and bring inconvenience to a person, often hinder movement.
Danger of genital warts: they can cause cancer of the epidermis and provoke cervical dysplasia, leukoplakia; if the generally accepted rules of hygiene are not observed, the warts can fester, which leads to an infectious and inflammatory process; due to the mechanical effect on the growths, there is a risk that their integrity will be damaged, as a result of which severe pain and bleeding may occur.
Neoplasms are dangerous because they negatively affect the emotional state of a person, since they appear and grow in different parts of the body. If the warts are located on the glans penis or near the urethra, they can interfere with the flow of urine. This is due to the fact that urine gets on condyloma and “irritation” occurs, as a result of which the neoplasm begins to bake, hurt and increase in size.
Also, growths can interfere with the passage of feces when they are located in the anus. Such neoplasms threaten the appearance of microcracks in the anus and entail permanent constipation.
Surgery to remove warts
The traditional method of removing warts is cryodestruction. The procedure is carried out with the help of gas, which, at a temperature of -196 degrees, cools and becomes liquid. Next, there is a temperature effect on the growths.
Liquid nitrogen is applied to the diseased area of the body, which contributes to the freezing of water in the space between the cells and inside the cells themselves. As a result of freezing of water in the intercellular space, the cell “dies”, thus tissue necrosis occurs. Cells that are subject to pathological changes die, then the process of regeneration of the epidermis under the destroyed tissue begins.
Manipulation takes place without any particular discomfort, so most often does not require anesthesia. The exception is people who have a very low threshold of sensitivity. Such patients are given local anesthesia with lidocaine or novocaine. One of the advantages of the operation is the complete absence of bleeding, because the influence of the low temperature regime completely blocks the damaged vessels.
The nitrogen method of removing genital warts allows you to destroy single growths and their overgrown neoplasms of 10 millimeters in size up to 20 pieces in just one procedure. The disadvantage of manipulation is that it is impossible to control the depth of nitrogen exposure, so the wart may not be completely destroyed and at least 1 more procedure will be required.
Advantages of cryodestruction and contraindications of the procedure
The benefits of cryosurgery include:
- low cost of the operation;
- absence of scars and scars in places where growths were removed;
- a quick recovery period for tissue and skin;
- painlessness of the procedure;
- short duration of the operation;
- efficiency;
- minimal chance of recurrence of the disease.
Cryotherapy is contraindicated if the patient has an allergic reaction to cold, there is a tendency to form scars and scars. It is impossible to carry out the operation in case of pigmentation and circulatory disorders in the treatment sites. In autoimmune diseases, manipulation is not carried out, first you need to “put the immune system on its feet” and only then agree to surgery.
Neoplasms are not removed in the presence of inflammatory or infectious processes on the skin, chronic pathologies. If the wart is larger than 10 millimeters in diameter, cryodestruction is not performed because the neoplasm will not be able to completely freeze, and the operation will not bring any benefit.
Pregnant women are removed condylomas according to the prescription or under the supervision of the attending physician. It is not recommended to carry out cryotreatment of growths in the vagina and on the cervix, as this is dangerous – you can damage neighboring tissues.
Procedure
Cryosurgery is performed in the office of a urologist, gynecologist or dermatovenereologist. The procedure takes 5 to 10 minutes. The patient lies or sits on the couch, then the doctor applies liquid nitrogen to the condyloma. Nitrogen is applied using a special cryoprobe device or an ordinary cotton pad.
If the removal is carried out manually, then the doctor dips a cotton swab into a container of nitrogen and applies it to the neoplasm. The wart is pressed with a cotton pad or stick, timing from 5 seconds to half a minute. The duration of the procedure depends on the parameters of the wart. Next, the cotton pad is removed from the skin, the patient may feel pain.
After 2-3 minutes, the growth “thaws” and the specialist can determine whether cauterization was effective or not. If the manipulation did not help the first time, it can be repeated. If the operation was carried out correctly and without errors, the skin becomes pale pink. A change in the color of the epidermis indicates that the pathological cells are destroyed.
After treatment, a bubble appears at the site of the condyloma, inside which a colorless turbid liquid forms. The wart turns into such a bubble 5-6 hours after cryosurgery. Under the layer of fluid inside the bubble, a new epidermis begins to grow. After 5-7 days, the patient can see new skin when the bubble bursts. The skin will strengthen in 6-7 days after the manipulation: the crust will peel off and a healthier (natural) color of the epidermis will appear.
What to do after cryotherapy?
After the operation, you can not independently pierce the bubble, incise or rip off. You should refrain from sexual intercourse until the wound is completely healed if condyloma was removed in the genital area.
If the growth in the anus was removed, then after each trip to the toilet, you should follow the rules of hygiene (preferably wash yourself with warm water). If the bladder is damaged, it is necessary to disinfect the wound with chlorhexidine or miramistin, then seal it with a sterile plaster.
If pain is felt after cryosurgery, the patient should drink drugs with an analgesic effect. If discharge or itching occurs after surgery, you should immediately consult a doctor. A strong pain syndrome may indicate an inflammatory process or other negative factors, for example, incomplete destruction of the wart.
preventive measures
After cauterization of growths, it is worth fixing a positive result with the help of conservative therapy and lifestyle changes. It is necessary to give up bad habits (smoking, alcohol), monitor your diet (it must be balanced), play sports (run, go to the gym, play volleyball and basketball).
The patient should isolate himself from stressful situations as much as possible, not overstrain. It is recommended to periodically visit a doctor and take immunomodulatory and antiviral drugs of local and general action twice a year.