Warts are skin growths in the form of nodules or papillae. It is the most common skin pathology, affecting more than 90% of the world's population. Warts can appear in anyone, at any age, on absolutely any area of the skin, from the face to the feet. The disease is often contagious, it all depends on the person's immune system.
What causes warts
There is a common belief that touching a frog causes warts to appear. It's an illusion. The causative agent of the disease, which leads to the formation of warts, is infection with the human papillomavirus. According to statistics, this infection causes approximately 20% of all cancers.
The risk of HPV infection increases significantly:
- when using personal hygiene items and everyday items belonging to other people;
- in public places (swimming pool, public baths, etc. ), especially when walking barefoot;
- in case of skin lesions;
- with increased sweating of hands and feet;
- during contact with an infected person (handshake, sexual contact, etc. );
- walking in tight, uncomfortable shoes that cause friction on the skin of the foot;
- when using non-sterile instruments (in a beauty salon, etc. ).
Are warts still dangerous?
Most warts are completely harmless and can theoretically disappear within a few weeks or at most a month. In this case, patients are more likely to worry about a serious cosmetic defect, which causes psychological discomfort and interferes with a full life.
Warts are often painless unless they are on the soles of the feet or another part of the body subject to constant shock or contact. But there are cases of itching and discomfort in the affected area.
How to recognize warts: symptoms and signs
An inexperienced person may confuse warts with other skin growths, for example moles, calluses or melanomas.
The main differences between warts and moles:
- moles have a dark or black tint, while warts have a light color;
- warts grow tightly with the skin, moles are separate structures, as if stuck to the body;
- moles are soft and smooth to the touch, warts are hard, hard and rough.
It is also easy to distinguish a wart from a callus. When pressing on the growth, painful sensations will occur, and if it peels off, traces of hemorrhages will be visible underneath. Beneath the calluses is new, tender skin.
You can tell a wart from a melanoma by its color and shape. This dangerous disease is characterized by heterogeneous red and black shades, overgrowth and irregular outline.
It is not difficult for a dermatologist to make the correct diagnosis using a visual examination. But a good specialist will not be satisfied with a simple inspection. He will definitely use a special magnifying device - a dermatoscope. If a pathogenic process is suspected, scraping of the surface layer will be necessary.
In the case of anogenital warts (located around the anus and on the genitals), a consultation with a gynecologist or proctologist is necessary.
What is the structure of benign tumors
The growths consist of cells that have partially retained their original functions and are capable of growing slowly. Their structure is similar to that of the tissues from which they come. They can exert pressure on neighboring tissues, but do not penetrate them, since they have a capsule in their structure. They respond well to hardware and surgical treatment and, as a rule, do not cause relapses.
There are always congenital formations on the skin - moles or warts, as well as acquired formations. The latter are formed on the surface or in the subcutaneous layer as a result of metabolic disorders, a decrease in immunity or under the influence of a virus.
Common warts (simple, common)
Common warts are dense, dry growths characterized by an uneven surface and rough to the touch, variable size and rounded shape. They look like a hard, keratinized bubble up to 1 cm in diameter, rising significantly above the surface of the skin.
The surface of common warts is often covered with grooves and protrusions, which is why the new growth vaguely resembles a cauliflower or raspberry with black dots inside.
This is the most common type of wart, accounting for up to 70% of all these skin neoplasms. Simple warts can appear on the skin at any age, but they most often affect children and young people. This is because they have lower immunity than adults.
Common warts usually appear on the hands (fingers and backs of the hands), knees and elbows, sometimes on the face or feet, and extremely rarely on the oral mucosa.
A scattering of small growths may form next to the large "mother" wart. Young neoplasms usually remain flesh-colored and over time acquire a dirty gray or grayish-brown tint, less often yellow or pinkish. This is due to their uneven porous surface, which accumulates dirt.
Common warts usually do not cause concern: they do not cause unpleasant symptoms, do not hurt or itch. However, they can cause pain if they are in areas subject to shock or in contact with clothing. The growths may heal on their own over time, especially if they occur during childhood.
Why do benign formations appear on the skin?
Cosmetologists and dermatologists do not know the exact mechanism of their formation. The cause is most often:
- injuries;
- viruses;
- systemic diseases of the body, for example, xanthomas, arise due to excess fat in the blood;
- long-term skin diseases;
- exposure to aggressive substances;
- excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays;
- x-rays;
- heredity (for example, seborrheic dermatosis).
Most skin lesions are benign
Plantar warts (spiked)
Plantar warts are a type of common wart. The manifestation of the disease is most often observed in children and between 20 and 30 years old. Among all skin warts, plantar warts occur in 30% of cases.
Warts on the soles of the feet appear as hard, round bumps with papillae in the middle. Inside the wart, characteristic black dots are visible - numerous small thrombosed capillaries. At the edges is a small roll of keratinized skin. The visible part, rising only 1-2 mm above the surface of the skin, can reach 2 cm in diameter and is only a quarter of the total size of the plantar wart, which is mainly formed inthe deeper layers of the epithelium (skin).
Outwardly, the spine resembles a callus. A plantar wart can be differentiated (distinguished) from a callus by the visible interruption of the skin pattern consistent with the wart.
This type of neoplasm generally affects the feet (soles, sides and toes) and more rarely the palms. They appear on the skin in the form of small, whitish, punctual skin lesions, sometimes itchy. Over time, their surface becomes rougher and changes color - from yellow to dark brown.
Plantar warts themselves do not pose a threat to health, but when walking they cause significant discomfort, cause pain, which often intensifies, and can even bleed. This is due to the location of the tumor and the specifics of its growth. Since the spine grows inward, the weight of the body when walking compresses the pain receptors.
The incubation period of the disease varies from several days to several years. The infection enters the body and goes into waiting mode for a favorable environment to activate. Plantar warts regress without treatment in 50% of cases. But this process lasts from 8 months to a year and a half.
Without treatment, plantar warts grow and multiply, even to the point of producing large clusters of tumors. It can even lead to a temporary loss of a person's ability to work due to unbearable pain that prevents them from walking.
Depending on the characteristics of the lesion and its location, plantar warts are divided into 3 types:
- simple;
- periungual;
- mosaic.
Do benign formations hide danger?
Benign tumors are unpredictable structures that may appear at any time or not at all. The process of their transformation into malignant ones has not been fully studied. There is no clear answer to the question of what exactly triggers this process. Mechanical trauma, excess ultraviolet radiation, metabolic disorders and other factors are thought to contribute to degeneration. One way or another, if you have a benign skin lesion, you should not experiment and rely on chance. Moreover, today, deletion does not pose any difficulties.
Periungual plantar warts
Periungual warts are small, rough formations with cracks on the surface, located on a person's hands and feet, especially near the nail plate or deep below. Outwardly, they resemble heads of cauliflower.
They can be flat, pointed or hemispherical. Typically, periungual warts are gray, but they can also be flesh-colored. They are not too dense, like simple plantars, but have a fairly deep root.
This disease mainly affects children and young people. Skin microtrauma around the nail is the main factor in contracting the infection. People at particular risk are those who bite their nails and pet stray animals, as well as those who carelessly remove cuticles, use unsanitized tools and work in water without gloves.
This type of neoplasm does not pose a threat to human health, it is mainly a cosmetic defect. Periungual plantar warts do not cause discomfort or pain when pressed. However, a wart under the nail is not so harmless - over time, the neoplasm causes depletion of the nail plate and its subsequent destruction.
In addition, various bacteria and viruses penetrate through the cracks on the surface of the growths, which are easily formed due to frequent manual labor, causing reinfection. Additionally, as warts grow, the cracks can cause pain. The cuticle is often lost and a tendency to inflammation (paronychia) develops.
Removal of the tumor is necessary to stop the proliferation of growths, which easily spread to healthy fingers. The location of the wart under the nail plate makes treatment and removal very difficult. When it appears in childhood or adolescence, it may disappear on its own.
Where do warts come from? They are contagious!
Like herpes, warts are the result of a virus. More than a hundred types of viruses are responsible for the development of warts, most of which are HPV. Since there are oncogenic types of HPV, some formations can be particularly dangerous in terms of cancer, for example, those that develop around the genitals.
No matter what type of warts are or where they are located, never scratch, rub or scratch them, as they can transmit millions of viruses to other areas of the skin where new growthsmay appear!
It is very easy to contract the wart virus. For example, infected human epithelial cells end up in swimming pool water. They swim in water and easily find their prey. The wart virus can also be spread through direct physical contact, simply by shaking hands. The penetration of viruses into the body is facilitated by tiny skin lesions.
In children, warts often appear under the fingernails from sucking or chewing, which can be painful and difficult to treat. Children can easily contract viruses while playing. As a result, one in four children have viral warts on their hands or feet.
Whether or not we are infected with the virus depends on the strength of our immune system. A strong immune system suppresses the infection that causes warts.
Mosaic plantar warts
Mosaic warts are a special type of neoplasm. These are plaques, called clusters, formed as a result of the fusion of numerous small plantar warts tightly pressed against each other. The arrangement of the plates resembles a mosaic (hence their name).
This formation is usually observed in a small, localized area. They can reach a diameter of around 6 to 7 cm. In the early stages of development, mosaic warts look like small black punctures. As they develop, they take on the appearance of white, yellowish or light brown cauliflower, with dark spots in the middle. These spots form due to thrombosis of blood vessels.
This type of wart is quite rare. They usually affect the hands or soles of the feet and are particularly common under the toes. Unlike simple plantar warts, mosaic warts cause little or no pain when walking because they are flatter and superficial.
Mosaic warts are very contagious. They are difficult to treat due to the multiplicity of foci of viral infection. The success of treatment is facilitated by its timely initiation. Typically, mosaic growths are prone to recurrence even after surgical removal.
Benign and malignant skin tumors: what are the differences?
Benign pathologies do not pose a threat to human life. If they reach large sizes, they can interfere with the proper functioning of various body systems. In contrast, malignant diseases grow quickly and aggressively, penetrate surrounding tissues and metastasize over time. Some damage vital organs and lead to death.
Sometimes benign skin tumors progress due to external or hereditary causes. They acquire the ability to degenerate into malignant pathologies. Such conditions are called borderline or precancerous and pose a great danger to health and life, although they do not always show pronounced symptoms.
Flat warts (juvenile)
Flat warts are a fairly common and least problematic type of tumor. They appear in the form of small lenticular lesions (several mm in diameter) or smooth papular lesions. They can grow either alone, which is quite rare, or in large numbers, close to each other.
There are several stages of the disease:
- mild – one or more painless warts;
- medium – from 10 to 100 painless growths;
- severe – more than 100 neoplasms.
If they are located in places subject to excess pressure (rubbing of clothing, shoes, etc. ), they cause pain.
Flat warts are easily identifiable and have a white, brown, yellowish or pink tint, similar to the color of meat. They are about the size of a pinhead and, compared to other types of warts, are smoother and flatter. Indeed, where a flat wart develops, the skin rises slightly (to a height of approximately 5 mm), forming a sort of raised circular area.
The growths usually appear on the face, knees, elbows, back, legs, and arms (especially the fingers). People of all ages are victims of this disease. But it most often affects children and adolescents (20% of schoolchildren are affected), hence the second name for warts – juvenile.
In a close group of schoolchildren, 80% demonstrate resistance (resistance) to the virus. In adults, irritation and inflammation after shaving contribute to the proliferation of tumors.
The incubation period of the infection can last up to 8 months. Most of the time, the disease is just a cosmetic defect. Juvenile warts are painless unless caused by mechanical pressure or injury and can sometimes be itchy, but they are extremely contagious.
The virus is practically not transmitted through shared objects, the main route of infection is skin contact. Flat warts multiply so easily that it is enough to touch a healthy part of the body to cause the birth of a new formation.
The particularity of this type of warts is that in most cases no treatment is necessary: they can disappear as suddenly as they appeared, especially in children. In adults, the disease must be treated, and the virus is very resistant to drug treatments.
Transmission of warts by direct contact
Minor trauma or maceration leads to epithelial barrier dysfunction and subsequent loss of skin integrity, paving the way for viral infection and wart formation. The incubation period varies from 3 weeks to 8 months after exposure. In most cases, spontaneous regression is observed.
Laser wart removal
Today, laser surgery is one of the best ways to get rid of warts. This is a painless and safe procedure that can be used in areas of maximum sensitivity. Laser tumor removal is very effective: the risk of relapse is minimal. This is strongly influenced by the severity of the disease.
Warts are removed by layer-by-layer cauterization of the affected area, due to which the doctor controls the depth of the effect. At the same time, the laser beam cauterizes blood vessels, preventing bleeding at the exposure site.
Three methods of laser coagulation are common:
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) laser. Procedures using this laser are more painful. Although the CO2 laser seals the blood vessels, it also kills the wart tissue. In this process, there is a risk of damage to healthy tissues. Wound healing usually takes longer and scarring is possible. The efficiency is around 70%.
- Erbium laser. It is characterized by a shorter wavelength. The likelihood of scarring after healing is significantly reduced.
- Pulsed dye laser. This laser more effectively seals the blood vessels that supply the wart. It does not damage a large portion of healthy tissue like a CO2 laser does. It is also the only type of laser approved for use on children. The effectiveness of this treatment method is approximately 95%.
| Benefits | Defaults |
| Minimum probability of scar formation (depending on the degree of neglect of the pathology) | High price |
| Rapid tissue healing | |
| High efficiency of the method | |
| Minimal damage to healthy tissue | |
| Speed of the procedure |
Wart removal is carried out under local anesthesia. A scab remains at the cauterization site, which disappears in 14 days. After the procedure, the patient quickly returns to their normal lifestyle, provided they follow all the doctor's recommendations.
Treatment of filamentous papillomas
In 90% of cases, filamentous warts do not heal on their own (for example, juvenile or common warts from childhood can heal on their own).
They must be treated. Especially if these formations are injured.
For example, if the papilloma is on the neck, it can be injured by a chain or clothing collar. If on the face - with glasses, under the breasts - with a bra. You should know that such permanent damage can lead to inflammation of this formation and its pain.
Official methods and treatment methods
Removing filamentous warts with a laser - read a detailed article on laser removal.
The simplest, fastest and cheapest way to treat this type of papillomas. The doctor directs the laser beam onto the skin formation, which evaporates and burns it. You must first numb the skin with novocaine so that the patient does not feel pain. And wear safety glasses on your eyes.
The entire procedure takes no more than a minute per wart. The consequences are a small scab on the wound. After 3 to 5 days, this crust comes off and healthy, clean skin forms there.
Removal by radio wave method - read the article on radio wave surgery.
The principle of operation is as follows: a radio wave surgery device ("Surgitron") creates a high-frequency radio wave that destroys wart tissue in the same way as a laser, that is, itevaporates it.
The whole procedure is carried out in the same order as the laser treatment method - first (obligatory! ) local anesthesia, then exposure for 1-2 minutes (it all depends on the size of the formation to be removed). The consequences of radio wave treatment are exactly the same as those of laser.
Removal of filamentous papillomas with liquid nitrogen - read information about liquid nitrogen.
This method is popular because of its simplicity. There is no need to numb the skin with injections, nor the presence of a doctor. The procedure can be performed by any nurse or employee of an aesthetic clinic.
Principle of operation: liquid nitrogen, at a temperature of minus 195 degrees, freezes the wart tissue. A doctor or nurse, dosing the effect on the skin over time, does not allow the appearance of frostbite in adjacent healthy areas of the skin around the pathological formation.
Once the procedure is completed, in 90% of cases, the papillomas will disappear on their own within 3 to 4 days.
Electrocoagulation of filamentous warts.
Nowadays, this method is used much less because it is more traumatic. Papillomas are excised using an electric knife. In this case, a burn and a sore form on the skin, which then takes longer to heal.
Kidnapping with a radio knife
The most effective modern method of getting rid of warts is radio wave removal. First of all, this is due to the fact that in this procedure the instruments do not come into contact with the patient's body: they are produced at a radio wave frequency.
Other benefits of radio wave wart removal should be noted:
- total painless;
- speed of the procedure;
- exclusion of edema and infiltration;
- absence of postoperative complications;
- absence of scars at the site of wart removal;
- rapid rehabilitation period.
The procedure is also performed under local anesthesia. After exposure, a crust forms on the affected area of the skin, which disappears on its own within 7-10 days.
Prevention of skin tumors
Unfortunately, medicine has not yet learned how to prevent the appearance of various formations on the skin. But dermatologists give their patients the following preventive recommendations:
- do not delay in contacting a doctor if a tumor appears on the skin;
- remove formations only after a specialist and diagnostics confirm their benign nature;
- avoid excessive exposure to the sun;
- use sunscreen, especially if you're prone to moles and hyperpigmentation;
- do not come into contact with chemically active and carcinogenic substances;
- do not eat foods that contribute to the development of cancer (smoked meats, sausages, animal fats, meat products containing food stabilizers).