They are often confused with dry calluses due to their external similarity and localization features. Incorrect treatment or ignoring the problem leads to relapses, severe pain, and proliferation of tumors. Getting rid of plantar warts is recommended in clinical settings. Doing this at home is much more difficult.
Types of warts
What types of warts are there? There are several types of neoplasms.
Shapes:
- Simple. These are ordinary elevations above the skin and can reach a size of 1 cm. Quite often, the top layer is keratinized. For the most part, they are not dangerous and often go away on their own.
- Smooth. The second name for warts is juvenile. Frequent owners of this species are children and adolescents. They have a smooth surface and a round shape.
- Plantar. The cause is the use of tight shoes. Appears on the feet, initially small in size, then can grow.
- Condylomas. They are also called pointed. This type of growth has a “leg”. Warts usually appear on intimate places.
- Senile neoplasms are characteristic of older people and are located on the skin in large numbers.
Before removing a wart, it is necessary to determine what type it is. This will help you choose the most appropriate treatment.
Bibliography:
1) Cockayne S, Hewitt C, Hicks K, Jayakody S, Kang'ombe AR, Stamuli E, Turner G, Thomas K, Curran M, Denby G, Hashmi F, McIntosh C, McLarnon N, Torgerson D, Watt I; EVerT Team. Cryotherapy versus salicylic acid for the treatment of plantar warts (verrucae): a randomized controlled trial. BMJ. 2011 Jun 7; 342:d3271. doi: 10.1136/bmj.d3271.
2) Dall'oglio F, D'Amico V, Nasca MR, Micali G. Treatment of cutaneous warts: an evidence-based review. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2012 Apr 1; 13(2): 73-96. doi: 10.2165/11594610-000000000-00000.
3) Nguyen NV, Burkhart CG. Cryosurgical treatment of warts: dimethyl ether and propane versus liquid nitrogen – case report and review of the literature. J Drugs Dermatol. Oct 2011; 10(10): 1174-6.
4) Ahn CS, Huang WW. Imiquimod in the treatment of cutaneous warts: an evidence-based review. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2014 Oct; 15(5): 387-99. doi:10.1007/s40257-014-0093-5.
Causes of growths in humans
Why do people get warts? The main cause is human papillomavirus (HPV). Until a certain point, it does not develop in the body. However, several factors can provoke this process.
What provokes:
- Weakened immunity,
- Poor quality and uncomfortable shoes,
- Constant stressful conditions,
- Poor nutrition
- Bad habits,
- Promiscuous sex life
- Lack of vitamins
- Lack of hygiene in general and after visiting public places,
- Using household appliances after an infected person.
Thus, it is quite easy to get a wart on the skin, so you should carefully monitor your health. Types and reasons - more details
When is it necessary to go to the clinic?
If neoplasms on the skin and mucous membranes begin to itch, hurt, bleed or change, you should immediately seek help from a dermatologist. These signs may indicate malignant degeneration of papilloma.
The doctor will prescribe surgical treatment using laser, electric current or surgical excision followed by histological examination.
The ineffectiveness of treatment with home remedies may also indicate a high oncogenic danger of the papilloma virus. Therefore, if traditional methods do not produce results within the specified time frame, you should not expose yourself to danger and delay a visit to the doctor.
Symptoms and treatment of warts
How to understand that a wart has appeared on the skin? This disease is characterized by certain signs that are worth paying attention to.
Signs:
- A hill or bump on the skin, condylomas have the appearance of a grain on a stalk,
- No pain or itching,
- Most often, the keratinized surface,
- There are black dots on the top of the wart.
You should not self-diagnose and prescribe therapy. This can lead to negative consequences. Treatment of warts must be taken seriously.
The therapy process is carried out at home, medications are prescribed for external and internal use. In addition, you can use folk remedies.
We remove growths at home
It is quite possible to remove warts at home. There are a sufficient number of different methods to help cope with the disease.
Pharmacy medicines
How to quickly get rid of growths? There are many drugs available in pharmacies aimed at removing warts.
DRUGS:
- Viferon. It is considered one of the most effective drugs. It is an ointment that contains interferon. Applied to the seal according to the instructions, it stops its growth and has a depressing effect on the virus. When used correctly, the tumor gradually dies and disappears. It has minimal adsorption, so it can be used in pregnant women and small children.
- Panavir. A popular medicine that helps remove growths from the skin even in a child. Contains interferon and has an antiviral effect. Apply to the formation and the skin around it. Approved for use in pregnant women.
- Aldara. This remedy is considered the best in removing genital warts. Prescribed only by a specialist, cannot be used during pregnancy and lactation.
- Oxolinic ointment. The medicine can remove warts on the legs, arms and even the face. The medication contains safe ingredients; there are no special instructions for application, except that it is better to steam the skin before the procedure. This will help the ointment penetrate better. Copes with genital warts and plantar warts.
These are the most effective ointments for treating the disease. Read more about the list of ointments for warts on our website.
You can often find other medications in pharmacies. Solutions Verrukacid, Ferezol contain ingredients that have a cauterizing effect. This medicine is applied only to the growth to avoid damaging areas of normal skin. Care must be taken when using.
For therapy, a solution of Celandine, sold in pharmacies, is also used. However, you should know that it has nothing to do with the plant. The solution contains caustic alkali. The product is applied directly to the wart using a small pipette.
You can rub various oils into the growth. Castor oil has proven itself best. Warts disappear after about a month of this treatment.
Another effective means of combating neoplasms is the Salipod patch. The medication is used as follows: stick to the growth and leave for a couple of days. After which the patch is removed, the wart is steamed and a layer of skin is removed using pumice. The procedure is completely repeated until the tubercle completely disappears.
Traditional recipes for warts
How to remove a tumor the traditional way? There are many different recipes.
RECIPES:
- Chop one clove of garlic and add the same amount of Vaseline. Mix thoroughly. Apply to the bulge before bed every day, and apply a bandage on top.
- Vinegar is often used to prepare preparations. For example, an ointment made from two tablespoons of flour and the same amount of vinegar is applied carefully to the wart every day, after which the affected area is wrapped with a bandage.
- Another remedy is prepared from onions and vinegar. To do this, pour half an onion with a glass of vinegar. The container should not be metal. After a couple of days of storage in a dark place, the vegetable is taken out and turned into pulp. This remedy can be used for tumors on the foot or toes. It is applied to the affected area and secured with a plaster. Then put on warm socks.
- If plantar warts constantly appear, then you can use horse chestnut foot baths. To do this, leaves, branches, fruits are poured into a bucket, poured with four liters of boiling water and left to infuse for 12 hours. The feet are kept in this solution for twenty minutes, the treatment lasts ten days.
One of the wonderful remedies used at home is celandine. It is necessary to lubricate the growths with the juice of this plant. At the same time, it needs to be collected only at the moment of flowering. We should not forget to be careful and ensure that the juice does not get on healthy skin.
Birch tar
You can cure a wart in four days by applying a bandage with tar.
The natural product has characteristic medicinal properties. Birch tar in its pure form and tar soap are used to treat inflammatory processes, internal and external diseases. The effect of tar on the papilloma virus stops the further development of bacterial infection, prevents the appearance of new tumors and promotes the removal of old ones.
Recipe for healing medicine against warts:
- drop 2-3 drops of tar onto a cotton swab;
- apply to papilloma;
- secure the tampon with a bandage;
- do not remove for 6-7 hours, longer if possible;
- if the procedure is carried out within 4 days, the tumors will disappear without a trace.
Alternative methods: burning and freezing
How to remove a growth if nothing helps? To remove a wart, there are surgical techniques.
At home, you can use the drug Cryopharma for this. The medicine is a spray that is applied to the growth.
The kit includes several applicators, which makes it possible to treat several formations at once.
The advantages of the drug are that it can be used from the age of four, and also that after use there are no scars or damage to the skin..
As a rule, one application is enough to completely remove the unpleasant formation. The medicine Wartner Cryo has similar properties. The cost of both medications is not low, however, they allow you to remove warts forever.
For burning at home, use onion juice, garlic, and vinegar. Apply one drop of the product to the growth, making sure that it does not get on healthy areas of the skin.
You can use Collomac drops. This medication is based on salicylic acid, which gradually softens the upper layer of the formation. It is worth remembering that the use of such a drug is prohibited on mucous membranes. An iodine solution is used for cauterization. Apply pointwise, only to the damaged area.
Solcoderm solution contains acetic acid and helps cope with the disease. However, the high price and discomfort during therapy make this remedy not particularly popular among patients.
If necessary, the removal procedure can be performed in a medical facility.
What happens if a wart is not removed in time?
How to remove a wart - methods:
- Liquid nitrogen (cryodestruction). The growth is frozen using low temperatures. When using this method, the recurrence of the disease is practically eliminated. After the procedure, the wart becomes pale, then changes color to red, after which it completely dies and falls off.
- Laser. This method is suitable for removing tumors anywhere. As a rule, one procedure is enough to remove the growth. After the operation there are no traces left and no bleeding. The wart is destroyed under the action of a laser beam.
- Radio wave removal. It is performed under local anesthesia. The operation is performed using a special knife that emits waves. They are the ones who have a detrimental effect on the tumor. The process itself lasts approximately thirty minutes. It is considered the safest method of therapy, does not cause side effects, no scars appear after removal, and there is no bleeding.
- Removal with an electrocoagulator. A special advantage of this technique is that you can get rid of several formations at once. In addition, the surgical intervention can be performed on the same day when the patient consults a specialist. The wart is removed under anesthesia using a special electrode. Its temperature reaches eighty degrees Celsius. The process itself lasts about a minute, after which the person can safely go home.
Which method is best is decided based on the diagnostic results and the patient’s condition. After any intervention, the wart is sent for examination to determine the possible presence of oncology.
Strengthening the immune system
Modern medicine has not yet learned to kill viruses. But an important fact is that HPV carriage is not lifelong. In addition, medicine has a small number of means at its disposal that allow it to remove some of the viruses from the body. The use of these drugs is fully compatible with immunomodulatory therapy.
The amount of virus in the body is directly related to the state of the body’s immunity - the better the immunity, the less virus. Therefore, the most promising way to reduce the concentration of HPV in the body is to strengthen the immune system. For this purpose, a separate course of treatment is carried out, after which the person begins to feel much better.
Finally, there are very effective preparations for topical use - creams, gels, sprays that increase local immunity and reduce the concentration of the virus in the affected tissues.
Stages of prevention
It is easier to prevent the occurrence of warts than to remove them later. There are certain points that you should pay attention to in order to avoid illness.
Measures:
- Strengthen your immune system, take vitamins,
- Follow the rules of hygiene,
- To refuse from bad habits,
- Review your diet, eat more healthy foods,
- Lead a healthy lifestyle,
- Limit contact with infected people.
Removing a wart can be difficult. Often the reasons lie inside the human body. You should not self-medicate, as this can lead to negative consequences. Do not forget that such neoplasms can develop into oncology.
