Few people will experience the problem of warts on the body. These outgrowths may occur in the bodies of teenagers, adults, and elderly people. Usually, warts are just a cosmetic problem and can affect a person's appearance. Only in rare cases will these formations pose a real threat to health.
What are warts?
The surface of our skin is smooth. However, in some cases, prominent skin growth may appear on it. They are called warts. Usually these are permanent formations that have not changed for many years.
The mechanism of warts is the growth of the surface layer of the skin. The size of the strata varies from 1 millimeter to several centimeters. This parameter depends on the type of formation and its location on the skin. The fusion of several warts is often observed. The skin color is usually flesh-colored, but they can take on other hues, such as pink or brown.
Medicine classifies warts as benign tumors. They will not grow and will not penetrate the surrounding tissues.
In the International Classification of Diseases, the following codes are assigned to warts:
- B07-viral warts,
- A63. 0-venereal warts,
- L82 Seborrheic Keratoma
Most types of warts are viral, sexually transmitted warts are venereal disease, and seborrheic keratomas are non-infectious senile warts.
The following skin lesions should be distinguished from warts:
- Moles (moles),
- Calluses,
- Malignant tumors,
- Basal cell carcinoma,
- Wide warts caused by syphilis.
Some of these formations can be life-threatening. Therefore, if there is any suspicious formation on the body, it is necessary to consult a doctor.
Why do warts appear?
Usually, viral infections are the cause of warts. The occurrence of warts is as follows. Human papillomavirus enters skin cells and causes them to divide rapidly. As a result, growths or papillomas appear on the skin. However, some types of warts have nothing to do with viruses.
Strictly speaking, papilloma does not always occur on the skin. These structures are usually found in the mucous membrane, inside the bladder, throat, cervix, etc. However, it is customary to call only papillomas that appear on the skin warts.
Warts can be located on any part of the body. However, some species have their favorite places. For example, warts usually form in the groin and anus; limb-length animals prefer skin folds on the upper body.
Human papillomavirus does not reproduce outside the body. However, it can last a long time in warm and humid places. This is why people often get infected when they go to bathrooms, saunas, and swimming pools. But this virus will not survive long in the open air-it will be neutralized by the sun's ultraviolet radiation.
According to research, approximately 80% of the world’s population is infected with some type of human papillomavirus. There are a total of two hundred strains of these viruses. Some viruses are relatively harmless, some can cause papilloma, and some can even cause malignant tumors. Some strains can spread from person to person. Therefore, certain types of warts are contagious. However, contrary to popular belief, it is impossible to spread the disease from frogs and toads and other fauna. This is because animal papillomavirus does not multiply in the human body.
You can get the new virus through personal contact, shaking hands, sharing household items (such as towels), visiting public places (swimming pools, bathrooms, saunas, transportation), small cuts, and sexual behavior.
The papilloma virus that has invaded the body does not always cause the appearance of disease. Usually, the factors associated with the disease are stress and decreased immunity (for example, due to infectious diseases). At the same time, the virus can stay in the body for several years, waiting for opportunities.
Types of warts
Doctors distinguish several types of warts:
- Ordinary (vulgar),
- Young (flat),
- Pointed head (condyloma acuminatum),
- senescence,
- Filamentous.
Birthmarks (moles) should be separated from these types of warts. Generally, birthmarks do not protrude from the surface of the skin and are darker in color, but there are exceptions.
Vulgar warts
This type of wart occurs in 70% of cases. It is caused by the papilloma virus. On the surface, vulgar (ordinary) papillomas look like small semicircular structures on the surface of the skin. They are usually completely painless. The size of the strata varies from a few millimeters to one centimeter, and their surface is usually uneven and uneven, usually similar to the surface of cauliflower. Color-flesh-colored, gray, tan. Frequent positioning-hands, face, fingers, lips, knees, elbows. The mucosa is rarely affected.
Usually, ordinary papilloma can go away on its own. The characteristic of this type of papilloma is that they usually do not grow alone, but grow in groups. You will often find a large papilloma with small papilloma growing around it. If you remove the largest (maternal) papilloma, the small ones usually disappear.
Common papilloma can occur at any age. They often occur in school-age children.
Juvenile warts
This type of papilloma usually occurs in children and adolescents. But in mature people, they can also appear. These papillomas are also commonly referred to as flat papillomas. They account for only 4% of all warts.
They can often be found on hand. They can also be observed on the feet and face, near the nails, between the toes, on the legs and on the neck. They are usually related to hormonal changes in the body. Like ordinary papillomas, they pose no major danger and can go away on their own. They usually do not cause physical discomfort, but can worsen the appearance.
Flat papillomas are usually flesh-colored, just slightly above the surface of the skin (approximately 1-2 mm). They can reach 5 mm in diameter, but they are usually smaller than vulgar ones. Flat papillomas may occur near wounds and incisions. Usually juvenile papilloma has a smooth surface and uneven borders, but the borders are clear. They may look shiny due to the lack of cuticles on the surface.
Plantar warts
This is an extremely unpleasant type of skin growth that occurs on the feet. Sometimes they are mistaken for corn. However, plantar papillomas have characteristics that distinguish them from corn. If a plantar wart is damaged, it usually bleeds. For corn, this phenomenon is not typical. Although from the outside, papillomas on the legs may look like calluses-they are usually hard and keratinized. Their color is usually dirty gray, dark, or dirty yellow with brown tones. Black spots may appear on their surface.
In most cases, a plantar wart is found on the leg. But they can also grow in groups and grow together. Plantar papilloma not only grows outside the skin, but also grows deeper.
On the surface, this type of wart may look like a normal wart. They are usually semicircular. However, if a person continues to form such a skin structure, then it will take on a flat form.
The appearance of plantar papilloma has nothing to do with age, it can appear in young people and old people. These formations can also be observed in children.
Plantar papilloma can cause discomfort and even severe pain when walking. When you step on such a product, it is like stepping on a small pebble. On the surface, warts sometimes resemble thorns. Therefore, people call this type of papilloma spines.
In a calm state, these formations can cause itching. Like other types of papilloma, plantar warts develop under the influence of the papilloma virus. Viruses often enter the skin of the feet from the environment. For example, it is not uncommon to get this virus when going to the swimming pool without wearing rubber shoes. Uncomfortable shoes can also cause skin lesions, because they often occur where the shoes rub against the feet. Excessive sweating and insufficient foot hygiene are also contributing factors.
It is not recommended to touch the papillomas on the soles of the feet with your hands, as this can transfer the virus to other areas of the skin.
Plantar warts treatment
Sometimes this type of papilloma can go away on its own. This happens in about half of the cases. But sometimes it takes a long time to wait for this moment and not everyone can afford it, especially if education makes them feel painful. If the vegetation on the foot causes severe pain and cannot walk, it must be removed. In addition, it is necessary to remove more than 1 cm, and the removal operation can only be performed in the doctor's office.
If the formation on the leg is suspected to be any type of papilloma, the doctor can perform some diagnostic procedures. These include scraping and analyzing the stratum corneum, and PCR analysis for the presence of the papilloma virus genome. In order to determine the shape and size of the formation, an ultrasound scan is performed. Warts on the legs need to be differentiated from syphilis warts. However, extensive diagnostic measures are usually not performed because it is not difficult to diagnose leg papilloma.
Sometimes medications can be tried to remove vegetation on the feet. For the removal of warts, salicylic acid preparations, necrotic agents, frozen aerosols and special plasters are suitable. However, removal with drugs is usually not a fast process. Only with tools provided by medical institutions can you quickly remove warts on the soles of your feet. These can be methods:
- laser,
- surgical,
- Electrocoagulation,
- Freezing damage,
- Radio waves.
Any type of program has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, the surgical method is mainly used for large skin hyperplasia because it will seriously damage the skin.
Condyloma acuminatum
This is a special type of wart. They are usually located in the genital area. Their shape is also unusual because they look like nipples (hence the name). However, warts can also have irregular shapes, similar to cauliflower or celosia. The virus that causes this wart is usually transmitted sexually. In addition, condyloma acuminata can be observed on the anal mucosa. Therefore, such warts are often referred to as anogenital or venereal diseases. Less commonly, condyloma acuminata is found in the armpits, below the breasts of women. The warts are flesh-colored to pink. Sometimes several genital warts can grow together. In addition, condyloma acuminatum of this species can grow to a large size. Warts can cause pain during sexual intercourse and bowel movements. If injured, they may bleed. Women with genital warts may also develop cervical cancer.
Filiform warts
This type of wart is very common. Filiform warts, or acrochords, usually grow in groups. For areas with thinner skin, I prefer to use acrochords. This is the area of the armpits, neck, shoulders, eyelids, and nose. It can occur in the groin area, below the mammary glands in women. They usually won't bother a person and won't get hurt, but they will itchy.
Externally, filiform warts resemble long threads. However, it is common to find chords with filamentous stems with thick bodies attached to them, usually spherical or hemispherical. They are also filamentous. Such warts are called drooping.
Most of these warts range in size from 1 mm to 5 mm. There are also long strings greater than 1 cm, and sometimes several filiform warts grow together.
Acrochords are rare in children. They are typical characteristics of people over 35 years of age. Over the years, their numbers usually increase. This type of wart is observed in 100% of people over 70 years of age. The tendency to have a large number of limbs in the body can also be inherited. Acrochords are usually associated with being overweight. In women, they may occur during pregnancy.
Filiform warts have an unpleasant feature. If the filiform wart is torn off, a new wart will grow quickly. Acrochord will rarely pass on its own. Increased sweating and decreased immunity will promote their appearance.
Senile warts
This type of wart has another name-seborrheic keratoma. It usually occurs in people over 60 years of age. Unlike other types of warts, senile keratomas are not caused by human papillomavirus. The exact cause of their occurrence has not yet been determined. Keratomas are most likely to be related to age-related changes in the body. They develop from the basal layer of the epidermis, which is why they are often called basal cell papilloma. Although this is not exactly the correct name, because real papilloma is only caused by a virus. Inheritance plays an important role in the appearance of these tumors. Senile keratomas usually resemble melanoma. Therefore, if it happens, it is necessary to consult a doctor so that he can make a diagnosis. However, senile keratomas usually do not require treatment and do not become malignant tumors.
On the surface, the keratomas look like pink or yellowish papules with a thickness of 1-2 mm. Their size ranges from 2 mm to 3 cm. Occasionally, this type of wart can reach a size of 4 to 6 cm. Keratomas have a fatty, easy-to-remove shell. Their surface is uneven and seems to be corrugated. When they grow up, keratomas often become like mushroom caps and their color changes to black or dark brown. When their surface hardens, they will crack.
In most cases, keratomas are located in the neck and chest. You can observe in groups. They appear less frequently on the hands and face. They are not present on the mucous membrane. Usually there are no more than 20 keratomas throughout the body. If a person grows a lot of senile warts, then this is often caused by genetic factors.
Senile keratomas will not go away on their own. It is recommended that people with excessive seborrheic keratomas on their body increase the vitamin C content in their diet to prevent new growth. You should also avoid exposure to direct sunlight, overheating, hypothermia, and stress.
treatment
Most papillomas do not pose a serious threat. However, after being injured, they will get hurt and bleed. After that, there is a risk of developing malignant tumors. Although in papillomas and keratomas, the risk of malignant transformation is much lower than that of moles.
Papilloma is usually treated by resection (surgery, with the help of cold high-frequency current or laser). Therapeutic treatment is usually less effective.
Indications for removal are pain in the formation of the skin, large areas, bleeding, changes in shape, uncomfortable position (for example, on the tips of the toes, soles of the feet, genital area), aesthetic considerations. Warts also need to be removed.