Warts are formations on the skin and mucous membranes of a benign nature, which occur due to the activation of the human papillomavirus.
They do not look aesthetically pleasing and often cause complexes. A person wants to get rid of them, but does not know how.
Should we remove the build-up?
It depends on the size of the papillomas, their nature and the person's age. But more often than not, the answer is unequivocally positive, because warts are contagious and can be transmitted to others. Perhaps self-infection is also autoinoculation.
Firstly, the infectiousness of neoplasms manifests itself not only through direct contact with them, but also when using common household items, personal hygiene items, or simply touching places where an infected person touched. For example, a bus handrail.
Secondly, the localization of the wart can be in a place that is most likely to be injured - the neck, feet, armpits, groin. These places are more often than others rubbed with clothes, squeezed and touched. Then it is fraught with malignancy, bleeding, overgrowth.
Thirdly, 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 possibly the degeneration of a wart into melanoma, an incurable aggressive 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 spontaneously disappear after 2 years of their existence, they can return with the same success and, moreover, 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 groundless, since modern methods provide very good pain relief, and many do not require anesthesia at all.
There is still a widespread opinion that an extra touch of a wart with a surgeon's knife will increase its growth. This is the deepest misconception - it is the surgical intervention that will prevent the spread of the virus and prevent the wart from growing. Fortunately, there are enough methods for this.
Strange can be called those patients who are not afraid to use traditional home-grown methods and refuse qualified help. The experience and qualifications of a doctor are, of course, crucial, but a good surgeon is not uncommon.
And one more help - don't rely on cosmetologists and run to them with warts. They just do not have sufficient medical education.
Modern Methods
There are newer or older removal methods. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. In addition, the effect depends on the size of the wart, its position and the depth of the growth.
All methods can be grouped into 3 groups: hardware, surgical and chemical. Alternative treatment is more related to the method of physical (mechanical) impact.
When you contact the doctor, the doctor can recommend the best option, in his opinion, but the last choice is made by the patient himself.
A preliminary consultation is also necessary because not all the methods you have chosen may be suitable, since there are contraindications and limitations.
Laser Treatment
The laser method can be called universal. Among all methods, he is in the lead today. With the help of a laser, you can remove warts in the most difficult, delicate and painful places. It is also advantageous 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 with temperature. Healing is fast, without scars and complications.
More laser pluses:
- the patient does not feel pain;
- no anesthesia required;
- complete removal;
- fast - takes 1–2 minutes. Relapses are possible only in 20% of cases.
Burning leaves a fossa that heals in 2 weeks. The skin may temporarily lighten, which also goes away on its own after 3 weeks.
Cauterization with liquid nitrogen
Cryodestruction is the freezing of a wart by the method of low temperatures 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, she turns red and swells.
A bubble of gray liquid will appear at home. In a week, it will break through on its own and a crust will form. The crust heals and falls off in 2 weeks.
A pinkish speck remains, gradually its color will become equal to the skin. The formation will disappear within 2 weeks and a pinkish speck appears at the site of removal, which gradually disappears.
Pros:
- no pain, no scarring and no anesthesia required;
- no infection or bleeding.
The only downside is that there is no way to control the depth of the impact.
On the soles of the feet, the impact lasts about 1 minute. The procedure can be repeated on the sole up to 5 times. Minus - long wound healing.
Electrocoagulation
Electrocoagulation for warts uses high frequency currents. It concentrates in a loop that cuts off the wart. The moxibustion temperature is about 80 degrees.
No bleeding due to simultaneous coagulation of blood vessels. Local anesthesia is required. A big plus of the method is that it prevents the virus from spreading further. In addition, the method is quite budgetary and effective.
The surrounding tissue should be covered and the skin should be disinfected. There is also a crusting stage. It disappears within a week. After this, an almost imperceptible, transparent scar remains, but more often a light spot. There are no relapses!
Application of radio wave therapy
The method is considered to be no less effective than electric current. Moxibustion is done 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 completely cut it off.
The essence of the action is that the cells of the wart contain liquid, which expands with radio waves, the wart swells and bursts. The work is done with a special tip resembling a ballpoint pen.
There are no scars or infections. The only downside is the painfulness of the procedure, because of this, the build-up is pre-lubricated with an anesthetic. Healthy cells are not damaged. Moxibustion lasts about 20 minutes.
Advice! At the stage of the crust, it cannot be wetted and peeled off! She disappears herself in a week.
Surgical excision
Surgical removal is a traditional, classical method that is 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 with a special spoon, after the incision, the wart is scraped out. The seams are cosmetic, they are removed after a week. The scar remains about 3 mm in size, it fades over time.
Chemical moxibustion
The formation is acted upon with an acid or alkali. After a certain time, wash off. There are usually at least 6 procedures to achieve the effect. There is a burning sensation or tingling sensation during it. The wart dries up and falls off.
Disadvantages:
- there is a risk of the virus spreading 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. Today the most popular methods are: laser therapy, cryotherapy, electrocoagulation, radio waves, a surgical scalpel - in decreasing order of frequency of use. The cost of the first 3 methods is actually 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, due to which relapses are 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 grow on the fingers and toes, the back of the hands;
- flat- typical for adolescents, they are in the form of protruding spots; these include the plantar (thorns);
- threadlike (acrochords)- elastic thin outgrowths on the leg, appear on the face (eyelids, lips) and neck;
- genital warts - often localized on the mucous membrane of the genitals; resemble cauliflower in appearance.
These 4 types are of viral 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 the method of removal, but ultimately the patient chooses. How the choice of method depends on the type of wart: small formations can be safely removed by aradio wave "knife", or liquid nitrogen.
Radio Knifeis applicable on the face and neck, feet and palms, groin. With papillomas on the eyelids, it is not used. They can use a laser or liquid nitrogen.
Freezingis also used on the arms and feet (on the sole), papillomas on the neck. The cryo method can be called universal. It is safe.
Laser- removes any warts on any part of the body, including under the nail.
Surgical methodis used for large growths on the oral mucosa.
Electrocoagulationis recommended for flat and vulgar warts. Can even be applied on the face. With large formations, the effect is negligible. Also, the electric knife is 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 pointed. Physical methods are ineffective in comparison with it.
What method of removing formations do doctors recommend?
The client chooses, of course, according to his capabilities. But he must be guided by the opinion of the doctor for the correct decision. Specialists prefer complex (combined) treatment of warts, where the leading place belongs to the removal.
In addition, the 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 be slowed down, "put to sleep", and remission can be prolonged.
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, since the treatment is not carried out by doctors and will be unsafe. It is fraught with damage to surrounding tissues, infection, inflammation. Children under 5 years old should not remove warts by any means.