Contents
Warts and papillomas never form on the human body by themselves. They are the result of infection with the HPV virus. More than 100 varieties of it are already known to science.
The infection is transmitted by contact of an infected person with healthy people, using common household items. You can get infected while going to the sauna, swimming pool, bathhouse and other public places.
Immediately after infection, a person will not feel any changes. He will not have warts or papillomas on his hands. The incubation period can last up to six months or even more. Therefore, it is often very problematic to understand how and where exactly the infection occurred.
Most often, warts appear in children, although they can form in an adult, especially against the background of a decrease in immunity. The increased sweating, skin injuries, stress, etc. increase the likelihood of their occurrence. Warts are a cosmetic defect, so they can and should be treated.
Why should warts be treated?
Not all HPV viruses cause warts. In this regard, subtypes numbered 57, 26-29, 14-17, 12, 10, 7, 1-5 are dangerous. Moreover, viruses of type 1, 2, 3, and 4 provoke the appearance of plantar warts. When infected with HPV numbers 49, 28, 3 and 10, flat warts appear, and when HPV type 27 enters the body, ordinary warts appear.
There are dangerous strains of the HPV virus that are associated with the risk of malignant warts. These include: 30, 31, 33, 39, 40, 51, 52, 55, 61-64, 70. These types can cause cancer.
Genital warts and papillomas on the cervix, in the vagina, on the male penis appear when infected with HPV viruses numbered 11, 16, 13, 31, 33, 35. Growths caused by viruses 16, 31, 33, 18, 56, 66, 70 , are the most dangerous in terms of malignancy.
To determine the nature of the origin of the wart and decide how best to get rid of it, you need to visit a dermatologist.
Most experts are of the opinion that it is necessary to remove warts, since they are not only a cosmetic defect, they can also be injured, fester, and cause pain. In addition, a person with a wart is a source of infection. They may appear on other parts of the body. Some warts can become malignant.
Before removing a skin growth, you need to get medical advice.
You should not delay a visit to a specialist if the following changes occur with the wart:
The wart was injured, its integrity was broken, and blood is oozing out of it.
The wart hurts, itches.
The skin growth has changed its color, shape or size.
At first there was one growth on the body, and then new warts appeared.
The wart is in a prominent place, a person injures it.
Warts cause aesthetic discomfort.
If a wart has appeared in a child under 5 years old, then it cannot be removed, no matter how the parents would like to do it. When the child has crossed this age limit, you need to seek advice from a dermatologist. If it was decided to get rid of the growth mechanically, then you need to contact only specialized clinics. Beauty salons are not suitable for this purpose.
The doctor can remove the wart by cryodestruction, electrocoagulation, or burn it out using a laser. These methods are low-traumatic, they all have their advantages and disadvantages.
Experts recommend temporarily abandoning the removal of a wart in the following situations:
Pregnancy.
An infection that has been transferred recently.
Exacerbation of any chronic disease.
High blood pressure.
Acute phase of herpes.
How does the infection occur?
HPV infection occurs through contact with mucous membranes, or with skin that has warts. Less commonly, a person becomes infected when using a nail file, nail scissors and other household items.
Microtraumas on the skin increase the likelihood of infection entering the body. At the same time, she is able to do nothing for a long time. Warts will appear only after the immune system loses the ability to contain the virus.
There is a high probability of HPV infection with the further appearance of warts in the following cases:
Personal contact with a sick person.
Use of common household items.
Use of untreated manicure accessories.
Walking barefoot in the bath, in the sauna, in the pool.
Sexual contact with a person infected with HPV. Thus, papillomas and condylomas are transmitted.
Wearing tight shoes that rub your feet. This can lead to plantar warts.
If the human body is weakened by stress, improper daily routine, fatigue, poor nutrition, then this will be favorable conditions for the appearance of warts.
Can you delegate the wart at home?
Doctors strongly do not recommend removing skin growths at home.
There are several reasons for this:
After such a procedure, a scar, burn or scar will remain on the skin.
Increases the likelihood of infection in the wound surface.
A wart can transform into a cancerous tumor if it was caused by oncogenic strains of the HPV virus.
Modern methods of wart removal
To date, excision of warts with a scalpel is not practiced. This is a rather painful and unsafe method of treatment that has been replaced by new technologies. Surgical excision of warts can be applied only when its size is very large. The patient is injected with a local anesthetic, then the wart is cut off with a scalpel and a cosmetic suture is applied. After such an intervention, a scar always remains on the skin.
Treatment method | Laser treatment | Liquid nitrogen treatment | Treatment with high frequency currents |
Anesthesia | The method requires anesthesia. | The method requires anesthesia. | The method requires anesthesia. |
Number of sessions | One procedure is required, but there is a possibility of recurrence. | Most often, a wart is removed in several approaches. | Removal occurs in 1 procedure. |
How long is the session | 1 minute | 10-40 seconds | 15-30 minutes |
Security | All methods are safe for health | ||
Effect | An effective method for removing warts, but recurrences are sometimes possible. | Sometimes a repeat procedure is required. | An effective way to treat warts, but not suitable for removing plantar growths. |
Features of skin restoration | The wound heals in 10 days, during this period it must be treated with antiseptic agents. After 14 days or less, the crust will fall off. | After exposure to the skin with liquid nitrogen, a bubble appears, which must be protected from injury. It is treated with salicylic alcohol or potassium permanganate in solution. A week later, the wound heals. | The wound heals in 10 days, at which time it must be treated with antiseptic compounds. |
Will there be a scar? | Most often, there are no traces on the skin. | If the frost was deep, then there is a possibility of a scar. | After treatment, no scars remain on the skin. |
Procedure price | From 2500 to 5000 rubles. | For a wart less than 0,5 cm in diameter, you will need to pay 100-500 rubles, for a wart more than 0,5 cm in diameter – from 350 to 1000 rubles. | The cost of the procedure in Moscow is 1000-1500 rubles. |
All methods of removing warts have certain features. If the build-up is removed with nitrogen, then the likelihood of its reappearance remains, and if the cold exposure is too deep, then scars may remain.
Removal of skin growths using a laser is associated with painful sensations. Therefore, the method is rarely practiced in childhood, and it is also not used in places with hypersensitivity.
The prices shown in the table are indicative. In many ways, the cost of the procedure is determined by the city in which it is carried out, the status of the medical institution, the qualifications of the doctor, and the size of the wart. The larger it is, the more expensive the procedure will be, regardless of the chosen treatment method.
Sometimes warts are removed not mechanically, but chemically, by acting on the growth with acids.
For this, tools such as:
Solcoseryl based on 4 types of acids.
Verrukacid, which contains metacresol and phenol.
Ferezol. This tool has a pronounced bactericidal effect.
Papillecus. A wart remover that has no side effects.
Super cleaner with potassium and sodium hydroxide. This is an inexpensive but effective remedy for dealing with skin growths.
Cryopharma, Warner cryo.
trichloroacetic acid. The drug is applied pointwise to the wart and left to dry completely.
Use any pharmaceutical preparations with caution, as they contain aggressive substances that can damage the skin.
Sometimes salicylic acid is used to remove the wart. However, you should consult your doctor before using this remedy. With its help, you can not try to remove skin growths on the genitals, on the face. The product must be applied directly to the wart. Salicylic acid is also used to burn out plantar warts, corns, and corns. The drug can be purchased in the form of a patch, ointment or liquid form.
Preventing the appearance of warts
To prevent the appearance of warts, it is necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle. It is important to maintain your immunity, eat right, avoid stressful situations, etc.
Doctors give the following recommendations, the observance of which will prevent the appearance of warts:
Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene. After the street, you need to be hands with soap, try not to use items that are intended for general use. If possible, you should touch handrails in public transport, door handles in shops, etc. as little as possible.
If the skin has been injured, then it must be immediately treated with brilliant green or iodine.
You should eat right, eat fortified food.
Avoid situations that cause stress.
When visiting a bath or sauna, it is important to use your slippers.
When using cleaning products, you need to protect your hands with gloves.
Shoes should be comfortable, made from natural materials.
Promiscuity should be avoided. The more often a woman changes partners, the higher the risk of contracting HPV and other infectious diseases.
When should you see a doctor?
There are situations in which it is better to immediately consult a doctor:
The wart grows in the genital area.
The growth has a non-uniform color.
The wart changes color, size and shape.
The wart is exposed to injury all the time.
There are a lot of warts.
A person is not sure that he has a wart, and not another tumor.
Which doctor should I contact with a wart?
If a wart appears on the skin, then you need to consult a dermatologist. When the growth is located on the genitals, or on the genitals, you need to visit a venereologist or urologist.