Warts are benign formations on the skin and mucous membranes that occur due to human papillomavirus activation.
They do not look aesthetically pleasing and often cause complexes. Man wants to get rid of them but does not know how.
Should we avoid accumulation?
It depends on the size of the papillomas, their nature and age. More often than not, the answer is unequivocally positive because warts are contagious and can be passed on to others. Self-infection may also be autoinoculation.
First of all, the infectivity of neoplasms is manifested not only by direct contact with them, but also by the use of ordinary household items, personal hygiene items or by simply touching the infected person's touch areas. For example, a bus railing.
Secondly, warts can be localized to the area most likely to be damaged - neck, legs, ankles, groin. These places are washed, stretched and touched more often than others. Then it is full of malignant tumors, bleeding, excess growth.
Third, formations can increase in size and number, this causes aesthetic problems. This phenomenon can be called the conquest of territory by a wart.
Important! Not always, but the wart may degenerate into melanoma, an incurable aggressive cancer of the skin.
Major misconceptions about the dangers of surgery
Early treatment and treatment of warts is the best option. This will save you a lot of time, effort and money. Although 70% of warts may disappear spontaneously after 2 years of their existence, they can return with the same success and, moreover, to new places.
Many fears about contacting a surgeon are related to the fear of surgery, its complications, relapses, and possible pain during the procedure. They are completely unfounded, since modern methods give very little pain relief and many do not require anesthesia at all.
It is still widely believed that the extra touch of a wart with a surgeon's knife increases its growth. This is the deepest wandering - this is a surgical intervention that will prevent the spread of the virus and prevent the growth of warts. Fortunately, there are enough methods for this.
Strange can be called patients who are not afraid to use traditional home methods and refuse qualified help. The experience and qualifications of a physician are certainly crucial, but a good surgeon is not uncommon.
And one more help - do not rely on cosmetologists and run to them with warts. They just do not have enough medical education.
Modern methods
There are newer or older removal methods. Each of them has its own pros and cons. In addition, the effect depends on the size of the wart, its position and the depth of growth.
All methods can be grouped into 3 groups: technical, surgical and chemical. Alternative treatment is more related to the method of physical (mechanical) exposure.
When contacting a doctor, the doctor may recommend the best option, in his opinion, but the final choice is made by the patient himself.
Prior consultation is also necessary as not all of the methods you choose may be suitable as there are contraindications and limitations.
Laser treatment
Thelaser method can be called universal. Among all the methods he leads today. With the help of a laser you can remove warts in the most difficult, delicate and painful areas. It is also beneficial in that it does not give scars. The beam is the safest and least traumatic.
The efficiency is so high that one procedure is enough. The essence of the thermal effect on the wart is burning temperature. Healing is fast, without scars and complications.
More laser plus:
- The patient does not feel pain;
- No anesthesia required;
- complete removal;
- fast - takes 1-2 minutes. Relapses are possible only in 20% of cases.
The burn leaves a fossa that heals in 2 weeks. The skin may temporarily become light, which also disappears on its own after 3 weeks.
Cauterization with liquid nitrogen
Cryodestruction is the freezing of a wart by the low temperature method using liquid nitrogen. Duration - 30 seconds. Freezing causes growth tissue death. Upon freezing, the papilloma thickens and whitens. After a minute, it reddens and swells.
A gray liquid bubble will appear in the house. Within a week, it will disintegrate on its own and a crust will form. The bark heals and falls off in 2 weeks.
The pink spot remains, gradually its color will equal the skin. The formation disappears within 2 weeks and a black spot appears at the site of removal, which gradually disappears.
Pros:
- No pain, scarring or anesthesia required;
- No infection and no bleeding.
The only downside is that there is no way to control the depth of influence.
The impact on the feet lasts about 1 minute. The procedure can be repeated 5 times at the base. Disadvantage - long wound healing.
Electrocoagulation
Electrocoagulation of warts uses high frequency currents. It is concentrated in a loop that cuts the wart. The temperature of the moxibus is about 80 degrees.
Bleeding is not due to simultaneous clotting of blood vessels. Local anesthesia is required. The big plus of the method is that it prevents further spread of the virus. In addition, the method is quite budget-friendly and efficient.
The surrounding tissue should be covered and the skin should be disinfected. There is also a cortical stage. He disappears in a week. After that, an almost invisible, transparent scar remains, but more often a light spot. No relapses!
Use of radiotherapy
Themethod is considered to be no less efficient than electricity. Moxibustion is done using special devices; Your doctor will help you make a choice. It is a radio wave generator, its high frequency electric waves do not touch the wart but completely cut it off.
The essence of the action is that the wart cells contain a liquid that expands by radio waves, causing the wart to swell and explode. The work is done with a special tip that looks like a ballpoint pen.
There are no scars or infections. The only downside is the pain of the procedure, because of this the accumulation in advance is lubricated with anesthetic. Healthy cells are not damaged. Moxibustion lasts about 20 minutes.
Tip! At the stage of the bark it can not be soaked and cleaned! He disappears in a week.
Surgical excision
Surgical removal is a traditional, classic method performed with a scalpel. Not often used now. The method is traumatic and gives relapses, scars.
There is a risk of damage to adjacent tissues, the possibility of infection. But it is irreplaceable if the wart is large. Under local anesthesia, the wart is removed with a special spoon after cutting. The stitches are cosmetic, they open after a week. The scar remains about 3 mm in size, it disappears over time.
Chemical moxibustion
The formation ofis affected by acid or alkali. Wash after some time. There are usually at least 6 procedures to achieve the effect. A burning sensation is noted during it. Wart drying and loss.
Disadvantages:
- There is a risk of further spread of the virus and infection is not ruled out;
- Healthy tissue is often damaged;
- Scars are possible, it takes about 10 days to heal.
method is used only if other methods are not possible.
Advantages and disadvantages of different methods, which one is better
Any method of removal has its pros and cons, there are no ideal options. Today, the most popular methods are: laser therapy, cryotherapy, electrocoagulation, radio waves, surgical scalpel - according to the reduction of the frequency of use. The cost of the first 3 methods is actually in the same price range.
The laser leads first: there are no places inaccessible to it, it is safe, fast and painless. Cryodestruction is considered the second most effective, but with it there is no possibility to control the depth of impact, which is why relapses are possible.
And one more conclusion - the laser can remove only 1 small formation during 1 session.
Cryotherapy is used for papillomatosis, when up to 40 growths can be removed in 1 procedure. But here the doctor's experience is of the utmost importance for quality.
How do location and growth type affect equipment choices?
There are 4 types of warts:
- vulgar- in the form of small nodules, often growing on the fingers and toes, on the back of the hands;
- flat- typical of adults, they are in the form of rash spots; These include plantar (thorns);
- thread-like (acrocords)- elastic thin growths on the legs, appearing on the face (eyelids, lips) and neck;
- Genital warts - often localized on the genital mucosa; In appearance it resembles cauliflower.
These 4 types are of viral origin and belong to the real warts.
But there is also senile keratosis, which is caused by functional disorders of the skin. They do not need treatment, only observation. Cryotherapy can be used if desired.
The doctor recommends the removal method, but in the end the patient chooses. How the method is chosen depends on the type of wart: Small growths can be safely removed with aradio wave "knife" or liquid nitrogen.
Radio knifeis used on the face and neck, legs and palms, chest. With papillomas on the eyelids, it is not used. They can use a laser or liquid nitrogen.
FreezingAlso used on hands and feet (feet), papillomas on the neck. The cryo method can be called universal. უსაფრთხო is safe.
Laser- removes warts on any part of the body, under the nail.
Surgical methodis used for large growths on the oral mucosa.
ElectrocoagulationRecommended for flat and vulgar warts. You can also apply it on the face. With large formations, the effect is negligible. Also, electric saws are not used for plantar warts because they usually have deep roots and they are very dense.
Important! It is advisable to remove plantar growths only in a hospital.
The chemical method gives good results in plantar lesions, flat and intermittent. Physical methods are ineffective compared to it.
What method do doctors recommend to remove formations?
The client chooses, of course, according to his capabilities. But it should be guided by the opinion of the doctor to make the right decision. Specialists prefer complex (combined) treatment of warts, where the leading place belongs to the removal.
In addition, treatment includes oral administration of medications with antiviral activity. Although the HPV virus (human papillomavirus) is not 100% curable and in many ways its activation depends on the state of the immune system, it can slow down, "fall asleep" and prolong remission.
In addition to antiviral drugs, immunomodulators are used for this purpose. It is primarily a group of interferons.
Doctors treat folk methods without much enthusiasm, because the treatment is not carried out by doctors and will be dangerous. It is full of damage to the surrounding tissues, infection, inflammation. Children under the age of 5 should not get rid of warts in any way.