Warts on fingers are a benign tumor of a viral nature. The causative agent of the appearance of such tumors is the human papillomavirus. Warts are considered safe formation, because. less carcinogenic. However, this fact does not mean that treatment is not needed. This article provides detailed information about the causes of the disease, its external signs and modern methods of treatment.
Causes of warts on fingers
Warts are not uncommon, because. The human papillomavirus that causes their growth is highly contagious and does not spare adults as well as children. Pathogens, penetrating the skin, are introduced into tissues through the slightest injury and remain in the body forever. Simultaneously, different viral load levels were observed at different time points, i. e. microbial populations increased or decreased. For a long time, the disease may be asymptomatic. The incubation period can vary considerably from case to case and ranges from 1-6 months to several years. All this, without a doubt, affects the nature of external manifestations. So increased virus activity causes the appearance of similar warts on fingers, feet, knees and other skin areas.
The surest way to get infected is by direct contact with someone who is already infected. HPV is usually sexually transmitted, so unprotected sex or promiscuous sex is the most likely cause of increased incidence. However, most growth of warts on fingers is caused by contact of the upper extremities with infected surfaces, whether it is the hand of a virus carrier or an object he has just used. Use - pens, cutlery, towels, books, etc. v. All public facilities are considered places with a higher level of danger, but especially those with elevated humidity.
Even babies from their mothers can be infected. This happens during childbirth.
With the localization of warts on the fingers, the risk of self-infection increases, ie. the rapid spread of the infection to the face and other parts of the body. The reason for this is the frequent development of vulnerability, which leads to the release of large amounts of pathogens to the surface, and the fact that the fingers come into contact with all other skin areas and can transmit the virus. withdraw to them.
The fact is that the answer to the question of why warts appear on the fingers is quite vague and involves many provoking factors. First of all, the development of a viral infection is facilitated by a decrease in the immune status of the infected person, when the body is unable to fight off the activity of the virus, keeping its populationold levels and prevent the uncontrolled growth of the virus. epithelial cells in the form of warts on fingers or other parts of the body. Here, too, everything is ambiguous, because the decrease in immunity also has some reason. This is an unbalanced diet, drug abuse, bad habits, emotional and physical overload.
What else causes warts on fingers? Various acute and chronic diseases, such as severe colds, diabetes, HIV, venereal diseases, skin diseases, etc. v. , leading to pathogen activation. . . An individual feature such as increased sweating or increased sweating also stimulates the growth of pathogenic microflora.
Lack of daily care and lack of personal hygiene also create conditions for HPV to infect more and more areas of the skin. Unwashed hands, untreated wounds, dehydrated skin and weather, nail and nail biting can all cause warts on the fingers.
What do finger warts look like?
Most people confuse warts with other skin tumors such as calluses, lichen planus, parakeratosis, and molluscum contagiosum and often choose the wrong treatment or completely ignore the outward manifestations of the disease. , putting themselves at risk of infection. and others at risk of infection.
In order not to make such mistakes, it is better to find out in detail what the warts on your fingers look like, what type they are, and go to the hospital in time to make an accurate diagnosis and determine the treatment method. effective. regimen.
Benign epithelial changes caused by HPV have a network of capillaries that nourish their cells. Therefore, when the integrity of the tumor is compromised, slight bleeding often occurs, increasing the risk of spreading infection and infection of the wound. This is part of the reason why trying to remove these hard tissues is highly discouraged.
The first warts appear in a single number - only one or two. But due to problems in the functioning of the immune system, more and more formations can appear. Sometimes they even fuse together, thus forming an extensive skin lesion.
It is worth considering that the rapidly developing focus indicates strong activity of the pathogen and provokes an urgent trip to the doctor. Also visit the hospital to find out how to treat the warts on the fingers if the tumor starts to darken or redden, if there is a marked change in structure and there is swelling, festering, or presentvoluntary image. remove pathological fluid from the growth body.
The color of the wart can be slightly yellow, in color with the skin, gray-brown. In some cases, black dots are visible on the surface - these are just places where thrombosis of small blood vessels occurs.
The most common types of warts on the fingers are as follows:
- vulgar warts. The second name is normal. They usually appear not only on the insides of the palms but also on the entire surface of the fingers, sometimes affecting the periungual area, where the skin is tight and ridged. Flesh-colored forms are more common, but fawn or grayish forms can also be found. The shape is nodular or domed. Diameter 2-7 mm. The structure of the build-up is quite dense and a bit rough. It is drier than healthy skin. May crack and cause pain.
- Superficial flat warts. Their surface is only slightly raised above the skin. Shapes are rounded, although as they spread and merge, there are also parts that grow with uneven borders. The color can be both brown and light yellow. The diameter of a flat wart on the finger is 3 to 4 mm. Their presence on the skin is usually not accompanied by pain.
- Deep flat warts. This type of skin formation is often painful due to its structure. Outwardly, the tumors look flat with a slight indentation in the center, but their roots grow deeper into the layers of the dermis. This, of course, causes significant daily discomfort, which often prompts a person to see a doctor more than other reasons. The shape of the deep nodules is irregular, and the color and size often resemble shallow warts.
- warts under the skin. The name was not chosen by accident. Such growth occurs precisely in the area below the free edge of the nail plate. At first, the pimples on the fingers are flat and have a smooth surface, then become rough and horny. With low activity of the virus, they practically do not cause symptoms, but with a significant deterioration in health and without proper hygienic treatment, they grow, penetrate the tissues under the nail, causerelease plaque from the nail bed. . In this case, it is not possible to talk only about cosmetic defects. Soreness and ultrasound appear, gradually the formation reaches the matrix and destroys it irrevocably.
Many people believe that treatment for such a disease is not required if you are trying to strengthen the immune system so that the body can cope on its own. However, this view is largely wrong. After all, there are many reasons that lead to the need to treat warts on fingers and other parts of the body. First, such tumors are quite contagious and a person with just one wart can infect several healthy people, where the disease can progress to a more severe form. Secondly, many children, adolescents and adults are simply very embarrassed by the presence of such skin masses, which, of course, causes the desire to find an effective way to get rid of acne. toads on fingers. What can we say about the pain, vulnerability and danger of the cancerous process.
How to treat warts on fingers
Modern medicine knows many effective ways to get rid of warts on the fingers. Each of them has both advantages and disadvantages and should be used only as prescribed by a doctor and in combination with drug treatment, because removing the tumor by any means alone does not help. suppresses viral activity and does not guarantee the absence of virus recurrence. disease in the near future.
Remove warts on fingers in clinic
At an appointment with a dermatologist, a detailed diagnosis is carried out, the result of which, in addition to the main indicators of health, also determines the strain of the virus that causes the disease, as well as the risk of developing a cancerous process. Often, tests for concomitant diseases, such as HIV, may be ordered, which can also cause warts on the fingers and worsen the disease process.
As a result, multimodal treatment is prescribed. It involves removing the tumor using one of the modern instrumental methods, including:
- laser removal. The most popular method. It is offered by most clinics. The special device allows you to burn the epithelial tumor almost painlessly, preventing bleeding. The healing time of the crust is minimal. Tissues after such exposure are quickly restored, so there are practically no traces in the form of scars on the skin.
- eliminate radio waves. This method is based on the intensity of radio waves, which helps to remove the tumor without causing bleeding. With the help of a radio knife, you can remove warts on your fingers practically without touching healthy tissue. The procedure is quite expensive, but it is recognized as highly effective and safe.
- electric burning. The applied force is an electric current of different frequency. It burns off the wart cells on the fingers in just a few seconds. At the same time, the vessels are sealed, preventing bleeding.
- Surgical way.It is not done without local anesthesia, because. Removal is done with a scalpel. Appointed less frequently than other options. The main sign is a large lesion, if it is necessary to take the material for histological examination, as well as the presence of deep bruises into the skin and under the nail plate. During this process, healthy tissue is often injured. After healing often leaves a scar. The cost of surgical intervention is calculated individually in each individual case.
- cold pressure. The method is widely used. The body of the wart on the finger is removed by exposure to liquid nitrogen at extremely low temperatures. This option is characterized by good performance, is painless, does not require local anesthesia. However, during the recovery period - about 7-10 days - it is necessary to follow all the doctor's recommendations so that the treated area heals quickly and without problems.
- chemical method. Removal of warts on the fingers is done using harsh chemicals, such as trichloroacetic acid. You are better off leaving the work to a qualified specialist to avoid burns to healthy tissue. The impact must be very precise and only on the body of the accumulation. After healing, the scar may remain. The cost of the procedure depends on the selected drug and is calculated individually by the doctor.
There is no method that guarantees 100% effectiveness and no recurrence. The results depend not only on the type of wart and its location, but also on the qualifications of the medical staff, the equipment and preparations used. During the recovery period, the patient himself plays an important role, who must follow all the instructions of the doctor: daily treatment of places to remove warts on the fingers, prevent injury, cool downpalm, take medications as prescribed, get rid of bad habits and normalize the diet. Only then will you not have to decide again how to remove warts on your fingers.
Treatment of warts on fingers with medicine
Effective medical treatment for finger warts involves the administration of medications that inhibit viral infections, enhance immunity, and restore the balance of minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients. other beneficial compounds.
Types of medical products used to treat warts on fingers:
- Oral preparations. This category includes means with a complex effect - antiviral and immunomodulatory. Currently, there is no drug that can completely destroy the human papillomavirus, so one of the tasks of modern medicine is to simulate the natural immunity to increase the body's resistance and reduce the risk of infection. significantly the viral load, preventing the growth of warts on the body. fingers and other places.
- External use. Some drugs are used to treat antiseptics, others accelerate tissue regeneration, others have antiviral and local immunostimulating effects, others nourish cells. skin, normalizes all metabolic processes.
- Cauterizing external agents. They may contain both acid that causes burns and other ingredients that contribute to growth destruction. Home use is associated with a risk of burns, so this procedure must be done with great care. Some drugs work on the principle of cold destruction, others on the principle of chemical destruction.
- Vitamin and mineral complex. They are prescribed to prevent nutrient deficiencies in the body, restore metabolism and performance of individual organs and systems, including the immune system.
Folk remedies for warts on fingers
The effectiveness of traditional medicine does not resolve the dispute. Some people consider it ineffective and people simply waste valuable time by refusing to see a doctor, others consider it the only correct way to cure most diseases properly. safe.
In search of the right answer to the question of how to reduce warts on fingers, it is better to use the golden mean. Consult a doctor and discuss with him the options for complex therapy, which include instrumental removal of the tumor, the use of specific drugs for HPV and suitable folk remedies.
Popular folk remedies for the treatment of warts on the fingers:
- compressed plum. Dissolve salt (20 g) in water (150 ml), add vinegar (20 ml) here, stir and soak half of a pitted plum in this solution. Transmission time - 2 hours. Remove plums and puree. Apply the resulting mud mixture on the wart and fix it with a bandage or plaster for 2-8 hours.
- thuja oil for warts. It is applied externally 4-5 times a day. Daily use of this remedy ensures a quick recovery of epithelial cells.
- I'm alcoholic.Thuja leaves (20 g) are poured with vodka (100 ml). Emphasize 14 days. Lubricate the areas affected by warts on the fingers several times for 3 minutes. The procedure is repeated twice a day for 14-20 days.
- coniferous alcohol. Take young coniferous branches and juniper berries in equal quantities. Mix and grind all the raw ingredients. Put 50 g of the resulting mixture in a glass dish and pour 200 g of alcohol. Leave for about 3 weeks. Filter and use to lubricate the growth. It is enough to apply 1 time per day.
- infusion of lemon peel. 1-2 lemons peeled and chopped, can use a knife, can use a meat grinder. Put the mass in a glass jar and fill it with vinegar with a volume of 100-150 ml. Close the lid tightly. To infuse for a week, do not forget to shake every day. Then remove the cake and treat the warts on the fingers with the resulting infusion, trying not to touch the healthy skin.
- Horse chestnut broth. To prepare, you need to boil 2. 5 liters of water, put horse chestnut leaves (120 g) in and boil over low heat for 15 minutes, filter the water and pour the broth into the pot. When it cools down to 36-40 degrees, lower your palm to it. Such bath time is 20 minutes. It is necessary to carry out 8 procedures within 2. 5 weeks, that is, repeat every 3 days before going to bed.
- herbal infusion. Such a tool affects the entire body in a complex. But its most important property is stimulating immunity to fight viruses. Systematic reception prevents the growth of warts on the fingers. To prepare, mix and then grind 20 g of juniper needles, banana leaves, chicory and dandelion roots, birch leaves, as well as 30 g of horsetail and nettle. Store in a glass container with a lid. For a decoction, take 20 g of the mixture, put it in an enameled pan, pour boiling water (500 ml) and leave for 60 minutes. Filter and drink inside before meals, 100-150 ml 3-4 times a day.
Regardless of what causes the weakening of the immune system and stimulates the growth of epithelial tumors, warts arise on the fingers and toes, on the elbows, knees, feet, and in other parts of the body. elsewhere need special attention and proper treatment. Timely admission to the hospital, as well as the selection of appropriate methods to eliminate the development and treatment of the HPV virus, will help you recover faster and forget about the unpleasant manifestations of the viral disease duringa long time.