Surely almost everyone has heard the word "wart" and has probably frowned in disgust at the same time, thinking about how unpleasant and possibly dangerous an infectious disease is. Some remember from childhood: you should never touch frogs - there will be warts. Someone authoritatively declares that "it will pass by itself", and in general it is like a mole and not at all scary, while others are very afraid to catch them. There is a lot of speculation surrounding the disease due to the fact that not everyone knows the exact cause of the pathology.
Forewarned is prearmed. Therefore, it is important to understand why people develop warts, what they are, why they are dangerous, and whether they have anything to do with frogs.
types of warts
Warts are skin growths caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which lives and multiplies only in the epithelium and mucous membranes. Under certain conditions, the virus begins to appear on the surface of the epithelium in the form of growths. Neoplasms can be of different sizes - small and quite large, and colors - from pink to dark brown.
HPV has a large number of strains and this is what causes many types of warts.
flat warts (juvenile)
Such neoplasms resemble irregularly shaped externally rounded spots. They occur in teenagers entering puberty. Its appearance is closely related to the hormonal restructuring of the young organism. They provide many unpleasant sensations - from psychological discomfort to itchy skin. It is usually the flat warts that itch, for other species this is not characteristic. Most often, skin inflammations of this type occur on the face, neck, arms and legs. They usually pass on their own and do not require serious intervention.
Vulgar warts (common)
They are dense growths that resemble nodules. This type is the most common. The fact is that they appear on the hands and fingers, palms, allowing HPV to easily pass from a sick person to a healthy one. The virus enters the body through damage to the skin when touched or in the process of using household items. The main reasons for the appearance of warts on the hands lie precisely in the ease of transmission of the disease and in the failure to comply with basic hygiene rules.
One of the common wart subspecies is plantar warts. They affect the lower part of the legs: feet, heels, toes. Such growths bring a lot of suffering, because they are extremely painful, especially when walking.
Most of the time, common warts go away completely within six months to a year, but in some cases they may not go away any longer.
filiform warts
Neoplasms of this type are soft and rounded. Most often, these warts appear in the elderly, in women with problematic pregnancies and in menopause, as their occurrence is associated with hormonal imbalance. First of all, areas of delicate skin are affected: face, neck, inguinal zone, armpits. The presence of body folds and excessive sweating also contribute to the spread of epithelial growths.
Unlike the two previous types, this type of skin formation requires careful monitoring and treatment under the supervision of a specialist. It is important to know that they will not disappear on their own and may need to be removed.
genital warts
A different type of wart that affects the genitals, anus or, much less often, the mouth. These are growths on the leg, shaped like a pendant. With the development of the disease they grow, becoming like a cauliflower.
Warts often develop into malignant tumors, so their appearance and growth should be monitored by a specialist.
Causes
Almost half of the world's population is infected with the human papillomavirus, but not all carriers are aware of it. For a long time, HPV is able to not manifest itself, maintaining vital activity. Warts or condylomas appear when the conditions for their development become favorable, that is, with a decrease in the protective functions of the human body. In fact, weak immunity is the main reason for the appearance of genital warts and warts on different parts of the body.
Provoking factors:
- hormonal failure in the body (puberty, pregnancy, menopause);
- metabolic disease;
- unprotected sexual intercourse;
- non-compliance with personal hygiene rules;
- dry skin of the hands or, conversely, intense sweating;
- circulatory disorders;
- the presence of microdamage in the epithelium.
By the way, as practice shows, the appearance of warts has nothing to do with frogs, so we can safely say that this is just an illusion.
Diagnosis
Each type of wart is characterized by a special structure and a set of characteristics inherent to it. This makes it possible to quickly diagnose and prescribe the right treatment.
An external examination of the neoplasm is sufficient for a dermatologist to distinguish a wart from other skin diseases (lichen planus, verrucous tuberculosis of the skin, etc. ). In addition, it is necessary to make sure that the growths are of good quality and to identify the degree of their oncogenicity. To do this, perform PCR and biopsy research. Also, to determine the virus strain and its concentration level, a Digene HPV test is performed. Thanks to him, a prognosis for the development of a neoplasm is built, methods of therapy are determined.
When tumors appear on the skin, patients are not in a hurry to see doctors and treat them, as warts do not have acute symptoms. Sometimes neoplasms can itch. In most cases, these growths do not bother their owners, except for their unsightly appearance.
There are a number of directions for contacting a specialist. First, it is:
- the rapid growth of the wart (a size greater than 2 cm is an indication for surgery);
- itching, tingling, burning, growing pains;
- accentuated darkening of the neoplasm;
- trigger the inflammatory process (suppuration, appearance of blood);
- the emergence of new formations around a growth;
- change in form and structure.
With genital warts, further studies are required.
effective treatments
You can quickly get rid of warts as long as the growth is of good quality. First of all, it is necessary to eliminate those that deprive a person of psychological comfort, cause pain or are located in places where they are easy to injure. The most used for treatment are:
- Pharmacy funds. The method of fighting drugs also includes immunotherapy, local topical application of drugs containing acid, retinoic acid, use of hormonal ointments. Necessary medicines are prescribed by a doctor.
- Folk remedies. We are talking about the use of different types of medicinal plants and fruits. For example, these popular methods are considered effective:
- Compresses from a raw onion soaked in vinegar. The vegetable sticks to the wart for several nights in a row. In order not to burn the skin around the formation, it is recommended to seal it with tape. Rubbing warts with freshly chopped potato halves helps to remove them.
- The most popular and proven method is cauterization of warts with celandine juice. The procedure should be performed twice a day, using freshly harvested grass. The juice of this plant can burn the skin, so the procedure is carried out strictly locally.
- Another effective remedy is a mixture of juices of dandelion, milkweed, rowan berries, sour apples, onions, garlic and lemon. There are no specific proportions - the amount of each ingredient is determined by eye. The resulting mixture is applied to the wart three times a day.
- They get rid of hard growths on their hands with the help of vinegar, dripping it on the problem area. For a brighter effect, a mixture of vinegar and flour is also used - the pasty mass should be applied to the wart, allowed to dry and then bandaged overnight.
- For cauterization, a mixture of grated garlic, lemon juice and flour is often used. It also needs to be applied at night for some time.
- Horseradish juice also has a searing effect. Its root is grated, mixed with salt and applied to the growth.
- operation and other methods. Do not neglect the traditional ways of getting rid of warts, which are practiced in medical institutions. First of all, this
- Cutting a wart without damaging adjacent tissue using a radio wave scalpel under local anesthesia. This procedure is now used less often, as there is a high probability of scarring in the places where the warts are removed. However, if the size of the growths exceeds 2 cm, the operation is carried out without fail. The method allows you to completely remove the wart.
- Cryotherapy - the formation is frozen with liquid nitrogen, which deprives its cells of vital activity, after the event it will no longer grow.
- Electrocoagulation - cauterization of growths. This elimination of the problem is considered fast and effective.
Aesthetic medicine clinics also offer laser or phototherapy removal of skin formations.
Don't forget: when warts of any kind appear, it's best to see a doctor! More often, HPV-induced neoplasms are benign and do not require serious intervention. However, to be sure, it is better to pass the necessary tests.
Prevention
Obviously, the surest way to protect yourself from the onset of a nasty skin disease is to have a strong immunity. Unfortunately, few people can boast about it. Therefore, to reduce the risk of wart and condyloma infection, it is important to follow hygiene rules, namely:
- wash your hands well, bathe regularly and teach the child to do the same, as children catch the disease more often than adults;
- do not use other people's hygiene items;
- when visiting baths, saunas, swimming pools, wear replaceable personal shoes, do not touch bare body parts in living areas, shower walls and steam rooms;
- timely treat abrasions, cuts, small wounds with disinfectants;
- exclude unprotected sex using barrier contraception;
- vaccinate against the most dangerous types of HPV.