Warts are mostly contagious but harmless skin diseases that come in different forms and shapes on the human body. Typical warts are slightly raised and differ in color from the normal skin color. Dangers of infection exist, as with athlete’s foot, mainly through smear infections in swimming pools and showers.
What are warts?
Warts occur on every conceivable part of the body. Warts are clearly visible on fingers and hands, but they also occur on the feet, for example. The wart is a benign growth of the upper layer of the skin. It is clearly noticeably raised and sharply defined. Warts are usually small and can take on practically any color from gray to brown to various shades of pink. They appear on every conceivable part of the body. Warts are clearly visible on fingers and hands, but they also occur on the feet, for example. Variants called genital warts also occur in the genital and anal areas.
Causes
The most common cause of warts is human papilloma viruses. These are viruses that are unlikely to pose a major threat to humans. They penetrate the uppermost layer of the skin via the smallest injuries to the skin and mucous membranes and initially nest there. Weeks or even months can pass before the wart forms. Papillomaviruses are bound to humans, so they damage them only as much as is absolutely necessary for their own survival. Sources of infection are many. For example, the vulgar wart or plantar wart can be contracted in a swimming pool or by touching raw, infected sweat. In such cases, it is a smear infection. Genital warts, on the other hand, are transmitted through sexual intercourse. The viruses spread when minimal injuries to the mucous membrane occur. A special form of warts are age warts. They are brownish warts that can form anywhere on the body. In most cases they are benign, rarely they develop into a malignant tumor that must be removed. They are special cases because their origin is not known and therefore no cause can be identified.
Diseases with this symptom
- Genital warts
- Plantar warts
- Plantar warts
- Fibroma
- Dell warts
- Seborrheic keratosis
Complications
Warts can be caused by different pathogens and can be associated with different complications. Thus, the appearance of warts in general can lead to local diseases of the skin such as abscesses or eczema. These can be caused by an additional infection with bacteria, but they can also be triggered by a reaction of the immune system. Pain and the formation of scars are also frequently present as complications in this context. Another complication is that warts can spread further on the skin from their place of origin, thus spreading the infection with the particular pathogen. In the case of plantar warts, which occur mainly on the soles of the feet, a very deep and extensive growth into the skin tissue can occur as a complication. Often these warts are then also painful when walking. If surgically removed, inflammation can also occur, characterized by pain and redness of the skin. Plantar warts tend to recur even after initially successful treatment. Genital warts, or genital warts, caused by infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV) show a relatively high recurrence rate of about 30 percent despite treatment with medication or surgical methods. Also, certain types of human papilloma virus can cause cells to degenerate and contribute to the development of cervical cancer.
When should you see a doctor?
Various types of warts can become more common with age. In itself, this is not a reason to see a doctor. However, a visit to the doctor is recommended for plantar warts on the foot if they cause pain. Plantar warts can cause severe pain and increased callus formation due to inward growth. Calluses increase the pressure pain even more. Self-treatment should only be undertaken in the early stages. Whether warts actually disappear by simply talking about them varies. Often it is possible.However, there is no cure for age warts. They are not contagious and are a natural phenomenon. Age warts usually do not require treatment. If they are very disturbing or tend to ooze, a dermatologist can remove them surgically. This also becomes necessary if a wart changes significantly over the years. Cow warts in the anal or genital area should always be presented to a doctor. The problem with such types of warts is that they are transmissible. Therefore, medical education about treatment and protection options is useful. It is also important to determine whether it is a wart at all. Wart-like neoplasms are occasionally skin cancers. If a person is concerned about a newly formed wart-like structure, a visit to the doctor is always advisable. Immediate action is needed at the slightest suspicion of a skin cancer.
Treatment and therapy
Warts are treated mainly for aesthetic reasons. If the immune system is intact, they regress on their own after a few months. The viruses die off, and the horny wart is abraded. Often not even a visible change of the skin remains. However, treatment can make it go much faster, and in some cases it is necessary. Surgical removal is performed when the warts reach deep into the tissue or the immune system is too weak to fight them. They are scraped out with a sharp spoon – this can cause considerable pain and heavy blood loss. Much gentler methods are icing the wart or treating it with salicylic acid, for example. This causes it to gradually disappear as the viruses are killed. Virustatics, which inhibit the multiplication of the papilloma viruses and are also considered gentle, are also a possibility.
Outlook and prognosis
Warts are generally harmless. With treatment of the causative viruses, they usually disappear on their own. However, depending on the type of virus and wart, this can take weeks to months. In people with a weakened immune system, it sometimes takes a long therapy for the small skin growths to heal completely. As a study of schoolchildren and adolescents shows, about seventy percent of all those affected are free of warts again after about two years. Even after that, however, there is a high relapse rate. Thus, the viruses are usually still in the body and reappear at other skin sites. With non-surgical methods, the risk of recurrence is particularly high. Genital warts can also recur and sometimes even develop into a chronic disease. In the case of vulgar warts, the prognosis is more positive. Corresponding growths are usually free of complications and do not need to be treated. After years, they usually regress on their own or can be reliably and quickly removed by typical treatment measures. The prognosis for warts is accordingly positive and almost always promises a good course of the disease without major complications.
Prevention
In the group of warts, especially genital warts can be effectively prevented. There is a vaccine against them – in a study, women were vaccinated with it, it provided full protection against the pathogens for all participants. Other types of warts can also be prevented by following hygienic principles. The risk cannot be completely avoided, but it can be reduced. In swimming pools, for example, people should only wear slippers, and towels should not be shared. Even in public showers, the floor should not be touched directly. Ideally, contact with warts already present on other people should also be avoided.
This is what you can do yourself
In the case of warts, it is not necessary to consult a doctor. Most of the time, the small growths can be removed by yourself with the help of home remedies and simple measures. Castor oil, for example, is considered an effective remedy. Applied daily to the affected area, the oil of the miracle tree softens the wart and eventually makes it disappear. Similarly effective is the juice of the celandine leaf, which is applied to the skin growths in the form of a cream. Other herbal home remedies include Swedish bitters dressings, propolis, spurge, tea tree oil and calendula ointment. For external applications, a bandage with a piece of banana peel or onion is also suitable.The skin growths can also be treated with lemon juice or soap, but these remedies should always be applied overnight. For pedunculated warts on the fingers or nose, homeopathic remedies such as Causticum or Schüssler salts help. Besides, warts can also be iced. Cold sprays from the pharmacy are just as effective as ice-cold compresses from the freezer. Special wart plasters or wart tinctures also reliably remove most skin growths. If these measures do not show the desired effect, the warts should be treated by a dermatologist.