Why warts grow is a question that a dermatovenerologist can often hear from a patient.
These neoplasms are often the cause not only of aesthetic but also of physical discomfort.
So it is not surprising that patients are interested in how to get rid of them.
What are these growths and why warts grow on the hands and other parts of the body, patients are often interested.
What provoking factors affect their appearance and what are the ways to get rid of the pathology?
Warts: what are they
If a person finds that his wart has started to grow, he involuntarily wonders what it is and where the growths come from.
Warts are benign skin lesions.
Man owes his appearance to an infection with the human papillomavirus.
The virus is considered very common, about 90% of the world's population suffers from it.
The peculiarity of the infection is that its symptoms may be absent for a long time.
Until the body is exposed to any negative influences.
Today, it is very easy to get HPV, doctors say.
There are several ways.
- Sexual contact. Sex without a condom easily leads to the infection passing from a sick person or carrier to a healthy one. In addition, even a condom is not always able to protect a person from this viral pathology. Although it significantly reduces the likelihood of infection. It is important to remember that not only classic sexual intercourse is dangerous, but also oral and anal sex.
- Vertical path. Another fairly common method of infection. In this case, the virus enters the child's body from the sick mother's body. The moment he passes through her birth canal. In exceptional cases, transplacental infection is possible. But this requires the fulfillment of special conditions.
- Contact-bit way. The human papillomavirus can remain on ordinary sponges, towels and linen. Of course, if a healthy person comes in contact with the personal hygiene items of an infected person, an infection is possible.
It is important to remember that warts are just one of the manifestations of HPV.
Also, the virus can be felt through the development of papillomas, genital warts and other types of neoplasms.
In addition, some subspecies (strains) of the virus are highly oncogenic.
This can lead to the development of malignant neoplasms if treatment is not taken in time.
Types of warts
No matter how fast the wart grows, doctors distinguish several types of this unpleasant skin formation.
Depending on the type of wart, its location can be assessed, as well as the presumed characteristics of the removal.
Distribute:
- ordinary growths, the formation of which most often occurs on the face and hands and especially often children suffer from them, in most cases many growths appear at once, they are rarely single;
- flat neoplasms - another variant of pathology that affects the face, neck, arms, often does not differ from the general skin tone in color, which may make it difficult to detect them;
- plantar warts form on the feet and in their structure resemble the most common corn, which can cause significant discomfort when walking;
- senile formations appear in elderly patients, are usually initially small in size, but over time acquire a clear tendency to grow, can cause discomfort, as they are often located on closed parts of the body and are subject to friction.
Some also refer to genital warts as warts, but this is not entirely true, although the nature of the formations is similar.
It is very important to understand what type the identified wart belongs to.
Because this will allow the doctor to choose the optimal tactics for removal, as well as means to prevent recurrence.
Causes of warts
Often patients, wondering why warts grow on the body, face and limbs, ask their doctors if the location of the growths depends in any way on their nature.
It is important to understand that the main cause of the appearance is always the same - it is the human papilloma virus activated in the body.
If the patient does not have HPV, then he will not form warts anywhere and ever.
If there is a virus in the body, the neoplasm can appear anywhere.
In some people, the virus is not felt throughout their lives.
In addition, if the immune system is strong enough, the patient may not even know he is infected.
Unless specialized studies have been performed.
If a neoplasm occurs, it should be understood that the infection has already occurred.
Today, alas, it is impossible to remove HPV from your body.
However, with effort, you can reduce the recurrence of the pathology to a minimum so that the virus no longer reminds itself.
Warts grow on the headmost often due to the fact that it has the most blood vessels.
This means that the easiest way for the virus to enter these areas is to infect the maximum number of cells.
But why other parts of the body are affected is often asked by patients.
Why warts grow on the hands
It is not uncommon for people to ask their doctors why warts grow on their fingers.
There are several reasons.
First of all, as doctors note, the reason is that the hands are one of the main parts that are in constant contact with the external environment.
Therefore, the easiest way for the virus to enter the body is through the contact-household route.
True, as noted by doctors, if there are no injuries and injuries to the skin of the hands, the risk of infection is minimized.
But if the patient's skin is traumatized, it becomes extremely easy to become infected.
Among other reasons, they are called:
- constant contact with objects from the external environment in public places (railings, door handles, common objects) that can be infected;
- handling a person who is ill with HPV and has characteristic rashes or microtraumas on the skin of the hands, through which the virus can reach a healthy person;
- excessive dryness of the skin, which contributes to the formation of various microtraumas;
- sweating of the palms, which also adversely affects the protective properties of the skin;
- regular injuries to the skin in the hands (work in industries without gloves, cuts, etc. );
- ignoring the recommendation to use gloves in cold weather (slowing down the flow of blood in the hands allows viruses to accumulate and more actively infect healthy cells).
Warts in the area of the feet
The wart on the leg also grows in frequent cases.
Initially, the patient may ignore it for a long time or fight it in the same way as he usually fights callus.
But these methods prove ineffective.
There are several reasons for the appearance of growths due to HPV in the sole area:
- the wart hurts and grows on the sole if a person often wears shoes made of unnatural materials, in which the skin sweats a lot and does not allow the feet to breathe normally;
- the appearance of a pathological growth is also possible if the patient walks without shoes in saunas, baths, swimming pools (since these places are considered public places, the virus can easily enter the environment, and due to high humidity is also able to remainin it for a long time);
- constant wearing of rubber shoes also negatively affects heat transfer and sweating, which can lead to the development of infection;
- as in the case of the hands, excessive dryness of the skin also plays a role, leading to easier trauma to the skin than normal (for example, due to dryness the heels often crack and the wounds become a good door for infection);
- fungal diseases of the feet also contribute to HPV infection as they reduce local immunity.
The wart began to grow: provoking factors
As already mentioned, the human papillomavirus, even if it has an infection, does not occur in all people.
If the wart grows and itches or hurts?
This is a reason to think about the fact that the body has been affected by any pathological factors that have negatively affected the immune system.
Among the reasons for the growth of warts or provoking factors are often called:
- the presence of diabetes mellitus of any kind in a state of decompensation;
- infected with HIV;
- reduced immunity under the influence of factors of unfavorable environment (for example, due to cold, unhealthy diet, etc. );
- the period of pregnancy, which is always associated with immunosuppression, otherwise the woman would not be able to bear the fetus;
- the use of drugs with glucocorticosteroid hormones in the composition that have an immunosuppressive effect;
- some severe genetic pathologies can lead to activation of the virus;
- neglect of the rules of hygiene can cause pathological processes in the body;
- neglect of the principles of protection during sexual intercourse also often leads to infection and then to the development of the disease;
- exposure to severe stress and fatigue adversely affects the body's immune defenses in all cases.
Exposure to one or more of these factors can lead to the fact that warts begin to grow in an adult or child.
Methods for removing warts
What to do if a wart grows, many patients are interested in doctors.
After all, this pathology, although usually not painful, still causes aesthetic discomfort.
Especially ifthe wart grows on the face. . .
First of all, a patient with a similar problem is advised to undergo the removal of the accumulation.
One of the following methods can be selected:
- chemical removal with the help of special drugs, with which the neoplasm is cauterized until it completely disappears;
- laser removal, which is also based on direct beam burning, which minimally injures the surrounding tissues;
- cryotherapy, in which the removal is performed with the help of nitrogen, which sharply cools the pathological tissues, thus killing them;
- electrocoagulation is another popular method in which removal is provided due to the point effect of the current;
- Surgical intervention is a technique that is used in exceptional cases if the growth is large or there are contraindications to the use of other methods of intervention.
If the eye grows a wart or the growth is localized to another part of the face, you should definitely consult a doctor.
You cannot fight such delicately located neoplasms on your own.
Because this can lead to serious complications.
Once the removal is complete, the doctor cannot guarantee that the warts will no longer appear.
Recurrences of the pathology are registered in about 30% of cases.
Also, in some cases, the growths disappear on their own without outside interference.
Which doctor should you consult if you grow warts?
If warts grow on the neckor other parts of the body, then which doctor should be consulted, patients are interested.
First of all, it is worth visiting a dermatologist.
It is this specialist who deals with various skin pathologies, including those caused by viral infections.
The doctor specializes in both dermatology and venereology.
He can also give advice on how to boost immunity to prevent the recurrence of neoplasms.
Warts are unpleasant growths on the skin.
They significantly reduce the aesthetic appeal, especially if they are located in prominent places.
A person suffers especially badly when the face is affected.
A timely visit to the doctor will help you easily get rid of the growth formed under the influence of HPV.
And following the recommendations will prevent recurrences.
If warts appear, consult a dermatovenerologist at a specialized clinic.