HPV-WART/ SKIN TAGS

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Warts/Skin tags are one of the most commonly occurring skin infections. A typical wart is a raised round or oval growth on the skin with a rough surface.

What are warts?

Warts are one of the most commonly occurring skin infections. A typical wart is a raised round or oval growth on the skin with a rough surface. Also compared to surrounding area, the warts may appear darker in colour. They may occur as a single growth or may appear in clusters. Most of the warts are painless and harmless. But it is only because of the unsightly appearance that they become troublesome.

Warts are caused by viruses of the human papilloma virus (HPV) family. There are more than 60 sub-types of HPV. Some varieties cause warts to appear on hands, fingers while other may cause warts to appear on soles of feet or genital areas. The virus has the tendency to reside in the epidermis, i.e. outermost covering of the skin and replicates there. When they grow down, they displace the second layer of skin (the dermis) but they do not grow into the dermis. So it's a myth that warts have deep 'roots'.

Types of warts

Type of wart

Appearance

Location

Feature

Common warts

Small in size, hard, dome shaped with rough surface( looks like head of cauliflower), usually grayish-brown.

fingers, hands, knees, and elbows

No discomfort unless they are in areas of repeated friction or pressure.

Flat warts

Size of a pinhead, smoother surface with flat top, may be pink, light brown, or yellow in colour. The sometimes appear in clusters.

Mostly on faces, but also on arms, knees, or hands

Common in children

Plantar warts

 

Found on the bottom of the foot

Extremely painful. difficulty in walking

Filiform warts

a finger-like shape, are usually flesh-colored

around the mouth, eyes, or nose

 

Genital warts

Dark brown in colour

On the genitals, in the pubic area, and the area between the thighs, but can appear inside the vagina and anal canal

 

Periungual warts

 

under and around the fingernails or toenails

What causes Warts?

Warts can occur in all age groups but they are more commonly found in children and young adults. Warts usually resolve on their own but some may persist for a very long time. It appears that a person's susceptibility to warts and the time it takes for them to go away is related to the individual's immune system.

They spread simply by direct contact. But just touching a wart will not cause its spread. A tiny cut or scratch on the skin can make one vulnerable to warts. Also, if the child picks at a wart, it can spread to other parts of the body. Biting your nails can also cause warts to spread on your fingertips and around your nails. Genital warts are quite contagious, while common, flat, and plantar warts are much less likely to spread from person to person. All warts can spread from one part of your own body to another. The incubation period (i.e. the time between getting infected with HPV and appearance of warts) is long because they develop very slowly. Warts have a tendency to re-occur.

How do you identify Warts?

Warts are small, usually painless growths on the skin caused by a virus. They are mostly harmless and painless. But sometimes, a wart can get infected and may develop pus. This can cause pain. Many a times, children pick at the wart causing it to bleed. So let us study the symptoms of this infection:

How are Warts Diagnosed?

Warts can generally be diagnosed simply by their location and appearance. Most warts are benign (non-cancerous) but sometimes they could turn out to be malignant (cancerous). So if a wart is persisting or a long time then the physician may advice for a biopsy test. This test can also differentiate between corns, calluses or warts.

• Small, hard growth appearing on the skin • The colour of the growth is darker than the surrounding skin. • May appear singly or in multiple. • Very rarely it is itchy or painful • Incase of plantar warts, difficulty in walking

How can warts be Treated?

Mostly people want to take treatment or warts because of its unpleasant look and the embarrassment they face because of it. Plantar warts though can be very painful because of its location and frequently requires treatment.

Conventional methods Salicylic acid is a very common over-the-counter treatment, but requires consistent application every day. There is one more treatment offered by conventional system called Cryotherapy. In this, liquid nitrogen is sprayed so that it freezes the wart but it does not kill the human papilloma virus. The blisters which are formed in this treatment are quite painful. So cryotherapy is not appealing to many. Besides this, formalin, lactic acid and trichloroacetic acid are also used but none of them is very effective and they require multiple applications. They even have the reputation of damaging the healthy skin along with warts. There is another treatment called Electrocautery in which the wart is burnt off using low-voltage electrical current. Besides this, these days you must have heard a lot about laser surgery for warts. This uses an intense light to destroy the warts. But again all these treatments do not offer 'cure'. Under suitable circumstances, the warts again re-appear. As the quote from the American journal of medicine on the top of the page mentions, most conventional therapies for warts result in the wart re-appearing. This occurs as freezing, burning and other topical treatments do nothing whatsoever to address the underlying issues.

Natural treatment for warts?

Natural therapy

Warts (unless plantar warts) rarely cause any pain. So the reason why people want to be treated is because of its unsightly appearance and the infectious nature of HPV. Most of the allopathic physicians offer treatments like drugs, topical creams, laser or freezing off the warts. But these only shrink and remove the warts temporarily but they do nothing to address the underlying problem and do nothing to deter the disease from returning. Removal of warts is only a symptomatic treatment. The human papilloma virus (HPV) remains latent in the body and will again cause warts to re-appear under suitable environmental conditions. Many patients come to us saying that they had only 1 wart which they got lasered but now have 4! Infact some physicians believe that getting surgery actually leads to the immune system slacking off further when it comes to fighting off future attacks.</p>

Tips to avoid Warts

Wash your hands regularly and well. 

It is wise to wear waterproof sandals or flip-flops in public showers, locker rooms, and around public pools.

Keep your immune system strong

Practice safe sex

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