Warts are formations on the skin and mucous membranes of a benign nature, which occur due to the activation of the human papillomavirus.
They don't look aesthetically pleasing and often cause complexes. A person wants to get rid of them, but does not know how.
Should we remove accumulation?
It depends on the size of the papillomas, their nature and the age of the person. But most of the time, the answer is unequivocally positive, because warts are contagious and can be passed on to other people. Perhaps autoinfection is also autoinoculation.
First of all, the spread of neoplasms is manifested not only through direct contact with them, but also when using common household items, personal hygiene items or simply by touching places wherean infected person touched. For example, a bus handrail.
Second, the location of the wart may be in a place with a higher probability of injury: the neck, feet, armpits, groin. These places are more frequent than others rubbing with clothing, squeezing and touching. So it is fraught with malignancy, bleeding, overgrowth.
Third, the formations can increase in size and number, this causes aesthetic problems. This phenomenon can be called the conquest of the territory by a wart.
Important! Not always, but perhaps the degeneration of a wart into melanoma, an aggressive and incurable skin cancer.
Main misconceptions about the danger of surgery
Early treatment and treatment of warts is the best option. It will save you a lot of time, effort and money. Although 70% of warts can disappear spontaneously after 2 years of existence, they can return with the same success and, in addition, to new places.
The fears of many when contacting a surgeon are associated with the fear of the operation, its complications, relapses and possible pain during the procedure. They are completely unfounded, as modern methods provide very good pain relief and many do not require anesthesia at all.
There is still a widely held opinion that an extra touch of a wart with a scalpel will increase its growth. This is the deepest misconception: it is surgery that will prevent the spread of the virus and prevent the wart from growing. Fortunately, there are enough methods for this.
Those patients who are not afraid to use traditional home-grown methods and refuse qualified help can be called Strange. The experience and qualifications of a physician are, of course, crucial, but a good surgeon is not uncommon.
And one more help: don't trust cosmetologists and run to them with warts. They just don't have enough medical education.
Modern methods
There are newer or older removal methods. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Also, the effect depends on the size of the wart, its position and the depth of growth.
All methods can be grouped into 3 groups: hardware, surgical, and chemical. The alternative treatment is more related to the physical (mechanical) impact method.
When communicating with the doctor, the doctor may recommend the best option, in his opinion, but the last choice is made by the patient himself.
A prior consultation is also necessary because not all the methods you have chosen may be suitable, as there are contraindications and limitations.
Laser treatment
The laser method can be called universal. Among all the methods, today it is in the lead. With the help of a laser, you can remove warts in the most difficult, delicate and painful places. It is also advantageous because it does not leave scars. Lightning is the safest and least traumatic.
The efficiency is so high that one procedure is sufficient. The essence of the thermal effect on the wart burns with temperature. Healing is fast, without scars or complications.
More advantages of laser:
- the patient does not feel pain;
- does not require anesthesia;
- removal complete;
- fast: takes 1 to 2 minutes. Relapses are possible only in 20% of cases.
Burning leaves a pit that heals in 2 weeks. The skin may temporarily lighten, which also clears up 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 leads to the death of the growth tissue. When exposed to freezing, the papilloma thickens and turns white. After a minute, it becomes red and swollen.
A gray liquid bubble will appear at home. In a week, it will open on its own and form a scab. The scab heals and falls off in 2 weeks.
A pink stain remains, gradually its color will become the same as skin. The formation will disappear in 2 weeks and a pink spot will appear at the extraction site, gradually disappearing.
Advantages:
- no pain, no scars and no need for anesthesia;
- no infection or bleeding.
The only drawback is that there is no way to control the depth of the impact.
On the soles of the feet, the impact lasts approximately 1 minute. The procedure can be repeated on the sole up to 5 times. Less: prolonged wound healing.
Electrocoagulation
Electrocoagulation for warts uses high frequency currents. It concentrates on a loop that cuts the wart. The moxibustion temperature is about 80 degrees.
No bleeding due to simultaneous coagulation of blood vessels. Local anesthesia is required. A great advantage of the method is that it prevents the virus from spreading further. Furthermore, the method is quite inexpensive and efficient.
The surrounding tissue must be covered and the skin must be disinfected. There is also a stage of scabbing. Disappears in a week. After this, an almost imperceptible transparent scar remains, but more often a point of light. There are no relapses!
Application of radio wave therapy
The method is considered to be no less efficient than electric current. Moxibustion is carried out using special devices, a doctor will help you choose the right one. This is a radio wave generator, its high frequency electrical waves do not touch the wart, but cut it completely.
The essence of the action is that the cells of the wart contain fluid, which expands with radio waves, the wart swells and bursts. The work is done with a special tip that resembles a ballpoint pen.
Scars and infections do not occur. The only drawback is the pain of the procedure, because of this, the build-up is pre-lubricated with an anesthetic. Healthy cells are not damaged. Moxibustion takes about 20 minutes.
Tip! At the crust stage, it cannot be wetted or peeled! She herself disappears in a week.
Surgical excision
Surgical excision is a classic and traditional method that is performed with a scalpel. It is not used often now. The method is traumatic and gives relapses, scars.
There is a risk of damaging adjacent tissues, the possibility of infection. But it is irreplaceable if the wart is large. Under local anesthesia with a special spoon after the incision, the wart is scraped off. The seams are cosmetic, they take off in a week. The scar is about 3mm in size and fades over time.
Chemical moxibustion
The formation is acted upon with an acid or alkali. After a certain time, wash off. Usually there are at least 6 procedures to achieve the effect. There is a burning or tingling sensation during it. The wart dries up and falls off.
Disadvantages:
- there is a risk that the virus will spread further and infection is not excluded;
- healthy tissue is often damaged;
- scars are possible, healing takes about 10 days.
The method is used only if other methods are impossible.
Advantages and disadvantages of different methods, which one is better
Any removal method has its pros and cons, there are no ideal options. Currently, the most popular methods are: laser therapy, cryotherapy, electrocautery, radio waves, surgical scalpel, in decreasing order of frequency of use. The cost of the first 3 methods is in the same price range.
The laser is the first to lead: there are no inaccessible places for it, it is safe, fast and painless. Cryodestruction is considered the second most effective, but with it there is no possibility of controlling the depth of exposure, so relapse is possible.
And one more conclusion: the laser can remove only 1 small formation in 1 session.
Cryotherapy is applicable for papillomatosis, when up to 40 growths can be removed in 1 procedure. But here the experience of the doctor is of great importance for quality.
How does the location and type of growth affect the choice of technique?
There are 4 types of warts:
- vulgar- in the form of small nodules, often growing on the fingers and toes, the back of the hands;
- flat: typical of adolescents, they have the shape of protruding spots; These include the plantar (thorns);
- filiform (skin tags)- thin elastic growths on the leg, appearing on the face (eyelids, lips) and neck;
- genital warts: often located on the mucous membrane of the genitals; they resemble cauliflower in appearance.
These 4 types are viral in origin and belong to real warts.
But there are also senile keratomas, which are caused by functional disorders in the skin. They do not require treatment, only observation. Cryotherapy can be used if desired.
The doctor recommends a removal method, but ultimately the patient chooses. How the choice of method depends on the type of wart: small formations can be safely removed with aradio wave "knife" or liquid nitrogen.
Radio Knifeis applied to the face and neck, feet and palms of the hands, groin. With papillomas on the eyelids, it is not used. They can use a laser or liquid nitrogen.
Frostbiteis also used on the arms and feet (on the sole), papillomas on the neck. The cryogenic method can be called universal. It is safe.
Laser: removes warts anywhere on the body, even under the nail.
The surgical methodis used for large growths on the oral mucosa.
electrocoagulationis recommended for flat and common warts. It can even be applied to the face. With large formations, the effect is negligible. Also, the electric knife is not used for plantar warts, because they tend to have deep roots and are very dense.
Important! It is advisable to remove plantar growths only in a hospital.
The chemical method gives good results on flat, pointed and plantar lesions. Physical methods are ineffective compared to him.
Which Formation Removal Method Do Doctors Recommend?
The client chooses, of course, according to his capabilities. But you must be guided by the opinion of the doctor to make the right decision. Specialists prefer complex (combined) treatment of warts, where the main place belongs to removal.
In addition, treatment will include oral administration of drugs with antiviral activity. Although the HPV virus (human papillomavirus) is not 100% cured and in many respects its activation depends on the state of immunity, it can slow down, "fall asleep" and prolong remission.
In addition to antiviral drugs, immunomodulators are used for this purpose. This is, first of all, a group of interferons.
Doctors treat folk methods without much enthusiasm, as treatment is not carried out by doctors and will not be safe. It is fraught with surrounding tissue damage, infection, and inflammation. Children under the age of 5 should not remove warts in any way.