Why warts grow is a question that a dermatovenerologist can often hear from a patient.
These neoplasms are often the cause of not only aesthetic, but also 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 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 discovers that his wart has begun to grow, he involuntarily wonders what it is and where the growths come from.
Warts are benign skin lesions.
A person owes their appearance to infection with the human papillomavirus.
The virus is considered to be very common; about 90% of the entire population of the planet 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 effects.
It is very easy today to get infected with HPV, as doctors say.
There are several ways.
- Sexual contact. Sex without a condom easily leads to the transition of infection from a sick person or carrier to a healthy one. Moreover, 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 classical 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 also possible. But this requires the fulfillment of special conditions.
- Contact-household way. The human papillomavirus can remain on common sponges, towels, and linen. Naturally, if a healthy person comes into contact with the personal hygiene items of an infected person, infection is possible.
It is important to remember that warts are only one of the manifestations of HPV.
Also, the virus can make itself felt by the development of papillomas, genital warts and other types of neoplasms.
Moreover, some subspecies (strains) of the virus are highly oncogenic.
This can lead to the development of malignant neoplasms if treatment is not taken up in a timely manner.
Types of warts
Regardless of how quickly the wart grows, doctors distinguish several types of this unpleasant skin formation.
Depending on the type of wart, one can judge its localization, as well as the proposed features of removal.
Allocate:
- ordinary growths, the formation of which most often occurs on the face and hands, and especially often children suffer from them, in most cases a lot of growths appear at once, rarely they are solitary;
- flat neoplasms - another variant of pathology that affects the face, neck, hands, often does not differ from the general skin tone in color, which may make them somewhat difficult to detect;
- plantar warts are formed on the soles and in their structure resemble the most common callus, which can cause significant discomfort when walking;
- senile formations appear in elderly patients, they are usually initially small in size, but over time they acquire a clear tendency to grow, can cause inconvenience, since 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 species the identified wart belongs to.
Since this will allow the doctor to choose the optimal removal tactics, and also the means to prevent relapse.
Causes of the appearance of warts
Often patients, wondering why warts grow on the body, face and extremities, ask their doctors whether the localization of growths somehow depends on their nature.
It is important to understand that the main reason for the appearance is always the same - it is the human papillomavirus activated in the body.
If the patient is not sick with HPV, then he will not form warts anywhere and never.
If there is a virus in the body, a neoplasm can appear anywhere.
In some people, the virus does not make itself felt throughout their lives.
Moreover, if the immune system is strong enough, the patient may not even know that he is infected.
Unless specialized studies have been performed.
If a neoplasm has appeared, it should be understood that the infection has already occurred.
Alas, it is impossible to erase HPV from your body today.
However, with an effort, you can reduce the recurrence of pathology to a minimum so that the virus no longer reminds of itself.
Warts grow on the headmost often due to the fact that there are the most blood vessels.
This means that the easiest way for the virus to get into these zones and infect the maximum number of cells.
But why other parts of the body are affected is often asked by patients.
Why do 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 constantly in contact with the external environment.
Consequently, the easiest way for a virus to enter the body is through them through the contact-household route.
True, as doctors note, if there are no injuries and injuries on the skin of the hands, the risk of infection is minimized.
But if the patient's skin is traumatized, it becomes extremely easy to get infected.
Among other reasons, they are called:
- constant contact with objects of the external environment in public places (handrails, doorknobs, common items) that can be infected;
- shaking hands with a person who is sick with HPV and has characteristic rashes or microtrauma on the skin on his hands, through which the virus can get to a healthy person;
- excessive dryness of the skin, which contributes to the formation of various microtraumas;
- sweating of the palms, which also negatively affects the protective properties of the skin;
- regular trauma to the skin in the area of the hands (work in industries without gloves, cuts, etc. );
- ignoring the recommendation for using gloves in cold weather (slowing blood flow in the hands allows viruses to accumulate and more actively infect healthy cells).
Warts in the area of the soles
The wart on the leg also grows in frequent cases.
The patient may initially ignore it for a long time or fight it in the same way that a callus is usually fought.
But these methods turn out to be ineffective.
There are several reasons for the appearance of growths due to HPV in the zone of the soles:
- 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 foot to breathe normally;
- the appearance of a pathological outgrowth 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 it is also able to remain in it infor a long time);
- constant wearing of rubber shoes also negatively affects heat exchange 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, which leads to easier trauma to the skin than normal (for example, due to dryness, heels often crack, and wounds become good gates 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 there is an infection, does not manifest itself in all people.
If the wart grows and itches or hurts?
This is a reason to think about the fact that the body was affected by any pathological factors that negatively affected immunity.
Among the reasons for the growth of warts or provoking factors are often called:
- the presence of diabetes mellitus of any type in a state of decompensation;
- being infected with HIV;
- decreased immunity under the influence of factors of an unfavorable environment (for example, due to being in the 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 medications with glucocorticosteroid hormones in the composition, which have an immunosuppressive effect;
- some severe genetic pathologies can lead to the activation of the virus;
- ignoring the rules of hygiene can trigger pathological processes in the body;
- neglect of the principles of protection during sexual intercourse also often leads to infection, and then the development of the disease;
- exposure to severe stress and overwork 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 a child.
Wart removal methods
What to do if a wart grows, many patients are interested in their attending physicians.
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 build-up.
One of the following methods can be selected:
- chemical removal with the help of special medicines, with which the neoplasm is cauterized until it completely disappears;
- laser removal, which is also based on burning with a directed beam of rays, which minimally traumatizes the surrounding tissues;
- cryotherapy, in which the removal is carried out with the help of nitrogen, which sharply cools the pathological tissues, thereby killing them;
- electrocoagulation is another popular method in which the removal is provided due to the point effect of 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 a wart grows on the eye or the growth is localized on any other part of the face, you should definitely consult a doctor.
You cannot fight such delicately located neoplasms on your own.
As this can lead to serious complications.
After the removal is done, the doctor cannot guarantee that the warts will no longer appear.
Relapses of pathology are recorded in about 30% of cases.
Also, in some cases, the growths disappear on their own without outside interference.
Which doctor should you contact if warts grow?
If warts grow on the neckor on other parts of the body, then which doctor should be consulted, patients are interested.
First of all, it is worth visiting a dermatovenerologist.
It is this specialist who deals with various skin pathologies, including those caused by viral infections.
The physician specializes in both dermatology and venereology.
He can also give advice on how to boost immunity in order to prevent 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 strongly when the face is affected.
A timely visit to the doctor will help to easily get rid of the growth formed under the influence of HPV.
And following the recommendations will prevent relapses.
If warts appear, consult a dermatovenerologist at a specialized clinic.