Warts are benign lesions of the skin and mucous membranes caused by human papillomavirus activation.
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 clean up the stack?
It depends on the size, nature and age of the papilloma. But more often than not, the answer is unequivocally positive, because warts are contagious and can infect others. Perhaps self-infection is autoinoculation.
FirstThe contagion of neoplasms manifests itself not only in direct contact with them, but also when using ordinary household items, personal hygiene items or simply touching the places where an infected person touches them. For example, a bus handle.
Second, the location of the wart may be in the area most likely to be injured - neck, legs, armpits, groin. These areas are rubbed, squeezed and woven more often than others. Then it is fraught with malignancy, bleeding, excessive growth.
Third, formations can increase in size and number, leading to aesthetic problems. This phenomenon can be called the conquest of territory by a wart.
Important! Not always, but perhaps the transformation of a wart into melanoma, an incurable aggressive skin cancer.
Major misconceptions about operational hazards
Early treatment and cure of warts is the best choice. This will save you a lot of time, effort and money. Although 70% of warts may disappear spontaneously after 2 years of existence, they can return to their new location with the same success.
Many people's fears when contacting a surgeon are associated with fear of surgery, complications, recurrences, and pain that may occur during the procedure. Modern methods are completely unreasonable because they provide a very good painkiller, and many do not require anesthesia at all.
There is still a widespread belief that a surgeon's knife will increase the growth of extra tissue in the wart. This is the most profound misconception - it is a surgical procedure that prevents the spread of the virus and prevents the growth of warts. Fortunately, there are enough methods for this.
It may seem strange to patients who are not afraid to use traditional home-grown methods and refuse specialized care. The experience and qualifications of a doctor are certainly very important, but a good surgeon is not uncommon.
And one more help - do not trust cosmetologists and run to them with warts. He simply does not have enough medical education.
Modern methods
There are newer or older deletion methods. Each of them has its advantages and disadvantages. In addition, the effect depends on the size, position and depth of growth of the wart.
All methods can be divided into 3 groups: apparatus, surgical and chemical. Alternative treatment is more related to the method of physical (mechanical) action.
When you contact a doctor, the doctor may recommend the best option, but the final choice is up to the patient.
Pre-consultation is also important, as not all of the methods you choose may be appropriate, as there are contraindications and limitations.
Laser Treatment
The laser method can be called universal. It is the leader among all methods today. With the help of a laser, you can clean warts in the most difficult, sensitive and painful places. It is also useful not to leave scars. The beam is the safest and least traumatic.
The efficiency is so high that one procedure is enough. The essence of the heat effect of warts burns with temperature. Healing is fast, without scars and complications.
More laser surplus:
- the patient does not feel pain;
- anesthesia is not required;
- complete deletion;
- fast - takes 1-2 minutes. Recurrences are possible in only 20% of cases.
Burning creates a hole that heals in 2 weeks. The skin may temporarily lighten, which disappears on its own after 3 weeks.
Coterization with liquid nitrogen
Cryodestruction is the freezing of a wart by liquid temperature using liquid nitrogen. Duration - 30 seconds. Ice cream causes the death of growth tissue. When exposed to ice cream, the papilloma thickens and turns white. After a minute, it turns red and swollen.
A gray liquid foam will appear in the house. Within a week, it will go away on its own and a crust will form. The crust heals and sheds in 2 weeks.
A pink spot remains, gradually becoming the same color as the skin. The formation will disappear within 2 weeks and a pink spot will appear at the site of removal, which gradually disappears.
Pros:
- pain, scarring and anesthesia are not required;
- No infection or bleeding.
The only downside is that there is no way to control the depth of the blow.
The effect on the soles of the feet lasts about 1 minute. The procedure can be repeated up to 5 times on the sole. Negative - healing of a long wound.
Electrocoagulation
Electrocoagulation for warts uses high frequency currents. Concentrates in a curve that cuts the wart. The moxibustion temperature is about 80 degrees.
There is no bleeding due to simultaneous clotting of blood vessels. Local anesthesia is required. A major advantage of this method is that it prevents the virus from spreading further. In addition, the method is quite budget-friendly and effective.
The surrounding tissue should be covered and the skin disinfected. There is also a shell stage. It disappears in a week. After that, an almost imperceptible, transparent scar remains, but it is a much lighter stain. There is no relapse!
Application of radio wave therapy
The method is no less effective than electric current. Moxibustion is performed using special devices, the doctor will help you choose the right one. It is a radio wave generator, high-frequency electric waves do not touch the wart, but are completely cut off.
The essence of the activity is that the wart cells contain fluid, which expands with radio waves, the wart swells and explodes. The work is done with a special tip that looks like a depleted pen.
No wounds or infections. The only downside is the pain of the procedure, so the collection is pre-lubricated with an anesthetic. Healthy cells are not damaged. Moxibustion lasts about 20 minutes.
Tip! Cannot be soaked or peeled in the crust phase! It disappears in a week.
Surgical excision
Surgical removal is a traditional, classic method performed with a scalpel. Now it is not used often. The method is traumatic and gives recurrences, scars.
There is a risk of damage to adjacent tissues, the possibility of infection. But if the wart is large, it is irreplaceable. Under local anesthesia with a special spoon, the wart is shaved after the incision. The stitches are cosmetic, removed after a week. The scar remains about 3 mm in size and fades over time.
Chemical combustion
The form is affected by an acid or alkali. Rinse after a while. There are generally at least 6 procedures to get the effect. During this time there is a burning or tingling sensation. The wart dries up and falls off.
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, healing takes about 10 days.
The method is used only when other methods are not available.
Advantages and disadvantages of different methods, which is better
There are pros and cons to any lifting method, there is no ideal choice. The most popular methods today are: laser therapy, cryotherapy, electrocoagulation, radio waves, surgical scalpels - in order to reduce the frequency of use. The price of the first 3 methods is really in the same price range.
The laser is the first lead: there are no inaccessible places for it, it is safe, fast and painless. Cryodestruction is considered the second most effective, but it is not possible to control the depth of exposure due to the possibility of relapses.
And another result - the laser can remove only 1 small form in 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 great importance for quality.
How does the location and type of growth affect the choice of technique?
There are 4 types of warts:
- vulgar- grows in the form of small nodules, often on the fingers and toes, behind the hands;
- straight- typical for teenagers, in the form of protruding spots; these include plantar (thorns);
- like a string (chords)- elastic thin growths on the legs, visible on the face (eyelids, lips) and neck;
- genital warts - often localized in the mucous membrane of the genitals; resembles cauliflower in appearance.
These 4 types are of viral origin and belong to real warts.
But there are also aging keratomas caused by functional disorders of the skin. There is no need for treatment, just observation. Cryotherapy can be used if desired.
The doctor recommends a lifting method, but eventually chooses the patient. 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, legs and palms, groin. Not used with eyelid papillomas. They can use laser or liquid nitrogen.
Ice creamis also used for papillomas on the arms and legs (sole), neck. The cryo method can be called universal. It is safe.
Laser- cleanses warts all over the body, including under the nails.
Surgical methodis used for large growths in the oral mucosa.
Electrocoagulationis recommended for straight and vulgar warts. Can also be applied to faceIn large formations, the effect is negligible. The electric knife is not used for plantar warts because they generally have deep roots and are very dense.
Important! It is advisable to remove the plant growths only in a hospital.
The chemical method gives good results in straight and pointed plantar lesions. Physical methods are ineffective in comparison.
What method do doctors recommend to eliminate formations?
The customer, of course, chooses according to his abilities. But the right decision should be guided by the opinion of a doctor. Specialists prefer a complex treatment for warts, which is the leading cause of removal.
In addition, treatment will include oral administration of drugs with antiviral activity. Although the HPV virus (human papillomavirus) is not 100% curable and its activation depends in many ways on the state of immunity, it can be delayed, "suppressed" and remission prolonged.
In addition to antiviral drugs, immunomodulators are also used for this purpose. This is primarily a group of interferons.
Doctors treat people without much interest in folk methods, 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 remove warts in any way.