As you already know, warts are caused by the human papillomavirus. They can be located on almost any part of the body, warts often appear on the hands. When are warts dangerous and need medical attention? How to prevent warts from appearing on handsYou can find the answers to these questions in the next article.
Warts on the hands
A wart (verruca) is a benign, contagious skin lesion that looks like a papilla or papilloma.
Common and flat warts and genital warts are caused by a common virus for them - Tumefaciens verrucarum. The incubation period is long (2-5 months). Histologically, depending on the clinical form, different degrees of severity of papillomatosis, acanthosis, and hyperkeratosis can be found; in the cells of the styloid layer - perinuclear vacuoles.
Common wart (Verruca vulgaris) is a dense, non-inflammatory nodule, from the head of a pin to a pea, grayish or yellowish in color, with a rough surface. Most often localized on the hands. Common warts can appear in large numbers.
The wart is flat or juvenile (Verruca plana, see Juvenilis) - a flattened papule that protrudes slightly above healthy skin, rounded or polygonal outlines, fleshy or yellowish-pink, with a dull, sometimes shiny surface. Flat warts usually appear multiple times and in young people, mainly at school age, they spill on the face, on the back of the hand.
The plantar wart (Verruca plantaris) - a callus-like variant of a common wart - is located in places with the greatest pressure, mainly on the head of the metatarsal bone and in the heel area. Painful when pressed. After scraping the horn masses from the wart surface, papillary growths are exposed.
Genital warts (Condyloma acuminatum) appear in the form of tiny pink papules, then grow and take on a papillary shape. When papules merge, extensive vegetation is formed. Characterized by a soft consistency, a narrow base in the shape of a leg. More often develop on the genitals, in the inguinal and intergluteal folds with improper care and maceration of the skin.
Features of warts on the hands and palms
Warts can affect absolutely any part of the epidermis of the hands, but most often they form on the back of the hand or around the fingers. In addition, most of these formations belong to vulgar growths that are no different in color from healthy skin and are relatively small - 0. 1-1 cm.
As for the number of such neoplasms, there are both single skin defects and multiple warts that are prone to fusion.
Unmistakable signs of warts on the palms are the following manifestations:
- Lack of pain and itching;
- The skin defect site does not have an epidermal pattern that is normally restored after the wart is removed;
- Black dots representing coagulated vessels may appear on the surface of the formation.
From all this, we can conclude that warts on the palms of the hands are more of an aesthetic defect, but without timely treatment, it can lead to a significant multiplication of neoplasms and a high risk of their mechanical damage.
How do I recognize a wart
The wart looks like a mass that rises above the skin and is different in color from the skin. Most often, several warts appear at the same time. At the same time, the localization can be very different: from the palms of the hands and face to the soles of the feet (plantar warts). A wart can appear on the palm of your hand and even under the nail! The formation feels rough or, conversely, smooth and flat.
The papillomas appearing in groups are fusible.
Vulgar (common) warts usually appear on the fingers. A vulgar wart looks like a growth not more than an inch, its color is brownish or gray, and is dome-shaped. Black dots may be visible within the formation. Often flat small warts appear on the hands, which are characterized by the appearance of groups. Their color is pink or yellowish.
Reasons for appearing
Warts on fingers and other parts of the body are exclusively viral in nature, associated with the penetration of the human papillomavirus into the patient's blood. Building on this, treatment for warts on fingers, palms, and elbows should aim to eliminate the underlying cause. Unfortunately, to date, no medical technology is able to completely rid the patient's blood of the virus, which explains the symptomatic therapy of neoplasms.
An important accompanying factor that provokes the appearance of warts on the hands is a decrease in the body's immune response, which can occur against the background of overwork, malnutrition or an infectious process. Considering that HPV can enter the bloodstream through damage to the epidermis, it is worth noting the role of microtraumas, scratches and small wounds, which are not uncommon for the skin of the hands. From all of the above, you can see once again the importance of maintaining personal hand hygiene.
Despite all of this, HPV infection is not critical. Statistical data says that about 90% of all people are carriers of the virus, which may not manifest itself for a long time because it is in a latent state in the blood.
As mentioned earlier, these neoplasms appear due to the invasion of the body by the HP virus, which has more than a hundred species. This virus is widespread and common warts are found in twenty percent of school children.
It is important to remember that the infestation multiplies quite intensely - from the germination of the upper layers. Also, the person who gave you the "warts" virus cannot have the warts themselves. HPV particularly likes skin microcracks and microtraumas, so most of them "bring" them out of public swimming pools and reservoirs.
If you do not take treatment measures and do not remove such rashes, complications can arise: they can spread throughout the body, and even if they go away, they can come back. Keloid scars can form when removing warts at home.
Symptoms of warts on the hands and fingers
Of course, for all harmlessness, warts should not be ignored as they can cause quite a lot of trouble. In addition, they are contagious and can be passed on to new and new victims with a simple touch.
By the way, the appearance of such rashes should be a reason to think about your own immunity, since people with decreased immunity are at risk. Numerous stresses weaken our immunity, and therefore such people also become open to such a virus.
How do you recognize a wart? Around the papilla or the lump protruding above the skin, the skin is characteristically light or, on the contrary, dark. The bump appears more than one, usually on the forehead, cheeks, arms and legs, small warts appear, dense and fleshy, smooth and flat. Rough growths appear around the nails or under the nails, and on the legs you can also notice those neoplasms that are oval or round and painful to step on. When touched, they are a little rough or smooth and flat, they can fuse in groups to form a neoplasm.
The wart virus can dormant in your body for years, and its incubation period can last up to six months. So don't be surprised if it suddenly pops up for no apparent reason.
Warts can be different: there are vulgar or ordinary, flat, plantar, as well as thread-like and genital variants. Common warts appear on the feet and hands, elbows and knees, and fingers and toes. These are small growths, no more than an inch, that are hard to the touch, brownish or gray in color. Their shape is usually arched.
The surface of ordinary or vulgar can be rough, reminiscent of cauliflower in appearance, and black dots can be distinguished inside. The flat type includes those that, with sizes up to five millimeters, are characterized by a smooth, even surface, as well as a pink, yellowish or light brown color. Typically these growths appear on the face, but can also grow in groups on the hands or knees.
The most uncomfortable are plantar warts: they cause a lot of trouble when walking and cause sensations as if a pebble got stuck in a shoe. They are usually quite hard, dirty gray in color. The thread-like type grows on the face - around the nose, neck, around the mouth. They are elongated and resemble a finger in shape and color.
Warts also include genital warts, which are also known as genital warts: They develop on the genitals as well as in the groin and buttocks and are a direct result of an unclean attitude towards your body. Outwardly, they look like pink nodules, often merge, have a base that looks like a leg.
When to see a doctor
- if the wart is rapidly changing shape, color, or anything;
- if the wart is uneven in color;
- if the boundaries of the wart are vague (in this case, most likely it is not a wart);
- if the wart hurts or is constantly injured (this increases the risk of it turning into something more serious);
- when the number of warts gradually increases;
- if the wart is bleeding or itchy;
How to get rid of papilloma on the hands
Warts cause us a lot of discomfort in everyday life. They do not look aesthetically pleasing in conspicuous places; if they are not properly located, they are quickly injured and cause pain. Therefore, very often when warts appear, people go to a dermatologist. Oncologists are also implicated in warts because of the possibility of their malignancy.
Since the appearance of warts is associated with provoking factors, treatment is often supplemented with the intake of vitamin-mineral complexes, sedatives, and immunity-boosting agents. Otherwise, mechanical removal of papillomas may not produce the desired results and will begin to grow again after a while.
The desire to get rid of warts on your own sometimes leads to dire consequences. Various folk remedies, offered by different counselors, can not only not remove the wart, but also contribute to its malignancy. You should be extremely careful here. Treatment of warts at home should not involve the use of traditional medicine, but the use of special drugs that are purchased at the pharmacy.
It's even easier to trust the professionals at private clinics. Or make an appointment with a dermatologist, an oncological pharmacy.
Methods of removing papilloma
Today, private and public clinics can offer a fairly wide range of methods for getting rid of warts. Before deciding on any removal technique, listen to the doctor's recommendations. The doctor will advise you on the most appropriate intervention based on your individual characteristics. These are in particular:
- Cryodestruction. . . Assumes the use of liquid nitrogen to destroy papilloma. Nitrogen is applied to the wart, usually with an applicator, and the formation is frozen for fifteen to twenty seconds. To date, applicators have been developed that are easy to use at home. They can be purchased in pharmacies for a reasonable price.
- Electrocoagulation.Cutting off the papilloma with a thin metal loop under high frequency current. Local anesthesia is performed before the operation. Complete healing occurs in a week.
- Laser coagulation. . . It's similar to electrocoagulation, only a laser is used instead of electricity.
- Surgical intervention. . . The wart is cut out with a scalpel under local anesthesia and the site of the surgical wound is sewn with a cosmetic suture. It is only used when removing large papillomas.
- Chemical methods. . . They are used extremely rarely because the risk of damaging surrounding tissue is too great.
What to do to dissolve warts on hands
A woman's son was only four years old when warts appeared on his arms. There were so many that the mother was asked in kindergarten not even to take him there. And what they simply did not do with this misfortune! Doctors recommended burning the warts with acid. But the woman still decided to turn to folk remedies for the treatment of warts.
Cut a twig of thuja (the size of a palm tree) into 3–7 mm long pieces. Pour into a glass vial, for example, hydrogen peroxide, pour alcohol. Close with a stopper and let steep for 12 days, shaking occasionally. Open the bottle after 12 days and keep it open for 1-2 days. After that, the tincture is ready to use.
You need to dip a cotton ball in it on a matchstick and lubricate the warts several times a day. It is recommended to lubricate up to six times a day. And after such treatment, the warts eventually began to disappear from the boy's skin without a trace. However, don't expect instant results. So the boy's duration of treatment was quite long. By the way, the tincture has a very long shelf life.
Propolis against warts on the fingers
For a very long time - over six years - a woman could not get rid of a wart on her finger. She tried to burn it out with liquid nitrogen, but the wart continued to grow. She even went to the oncologist because she already thought it was a malignant neoplasm.
But at the hospital her fears were not confirmed, and the doctor suggested that she take a piece of propolis the size of a wart, put it in her mouth, and soften it with saliva. At this point in slightly warm water - clean, without additives - hold a finger with a wart for 30-40 minutes so that it becomes soft. Then you need to wipe your finger and apply propolis to the wart that has just been softened in your mouth.
It should be taped in place for three to four days. The lunar calendar says that it is best to start warts removal at the full moon and continue until the new moon.
On the day before the new moon, remove all bandages and stop treatment until the full moon and start again at the full moon.
With such a popular method of treating warts, she got rid of this unpleasant calamity painlessly. If you have minor warts, you may be able to get rid of the warts with a full moon to new moon treatment.
Prevention of warts
It is known that it is easier to prevent an illness than to cure it later. This is fully true of warts. First of all, you need to follow the basic rules of personal hygiene.
You should not go barefoot in public areas, especially wet areas such as showers, changing rooms, swimming pools; do not abuse such shoes in which the feet are constantly sweating, or at least find an opportunity to qualitatively dry them; Do not touch your own warts or someone else's warts or objects that the patient has touched with you unnecessarily.
You should also take care of your general health, and especially your immune system - eat a balanced diet and lead a healthy lifestyle.
It would also be nice to learn how to relax and avoid stress - this is guaranteed to get rid of not only the possible occurrence of warts, but a whole host of possible diseases as well.