A wart on a finger is a benign neoplasm that has a viral nature. The causative agent that provokes the appearance of such growths is the human papillomavirus. Warts are considered safe formations because. rarely causes cancer. But this fact does not mean that treatment is not required at all. This article provides detailed information about the etiology of the disease, external signs and modern methods of treatment.
Causes of finger warts
Because warts are not uncommon. The human papillomavirus that causes them to grow is highly contagious and does not spare either adults or children. With the slightest damage to the skin, the causative agent enters the tissues and remains in the body forever. At the same time, different levels of viral load are observed at different times, i. e. the population of the microorganism either increases or decreases. The disease can be asymptomatic for a long time. The incubation period can vary significantly in each case and ranges from 1-6 months to several years. All this undoubtedly affects the nature of external manifestations. Thus, an increase in the activity of the virus causes the appearance of the same warts on the fingers, legs, knees and other areas of the skin.
The surest way to get infected is through direct contact with an already infected person. HPV is often sexually transmitted, so unprotected sex or promiscuous sex is the most likely reason for the increased incidence. However, in most cases, the growth of warts on the fingers occurs as a result of the contact of the upper extremities with infected surfaces, whether it is the hands of the virus carrier or objects he has just used - a pen, a knife, a knife or other objects. towels, books, etc. All public buildings are considered places of increased danger, but especially places with high humidity.
Even a newborn baby can be infected. This happens during childbirth.
With the localization of warts on the fingers, the risk of self-infection increases, i. e. rapid spread of infection to the face and other parts of the body. This is because the growths that release large amounts of pathogens are often susceptible to injury and the fingers come in contact with all other skin integuments and can transmit the virus. they are.
The reality is that the answer to the question of why warts appear on the fingers is quite vague and includes many provoking factors. First, the development of a viral infection is facilitated by a decrease in the immune status of an infected person, when the body is unable to resist the activity of the virus, maintain its population at the same level and prevent the uncontrolled growth of the virus. epithelial cells in the form of warts on the finger or other parts of the body. Here, too, everything is not unambiguous, because there are a number of reasons for the decrease in immunity. This is an unbalanced diet, drug abuse, bad habits, emotional and physical stress.
What else causes warts on fingers? Various acute and chronic diseases, such as severe colds, diabetes, HIV, venereal diseases, skin pathologies, etc. , causing activation of the pathogen. An individual characteristic such as hyperhidrosis or increased sweating also stimulates the development of pathogenic microflora.
Lack of daily care and non-observance of personal hygiene also allow HPV to infect more and more areas of the skin. Unwashed hands, untreated injuries, dehydrated and abraded skin, nail biting and curling can cause finger warts.
What do finger warts look like?
Most people confuse warts with other skin growths such as callus, lichen planus, keratosis, molluscum contagiosum and often choose the wrong treatment options for themselves or completely ignore the outward manifestations of the disease, risking the spread of infection, and the risk of infecting others.
In order to avoid such mistakes, it is better to learn in detail what warts on the finger look like, what types they are, and to go to the hospital in time to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment. mode.
Benign epithelial changes caused by HPV have a capillary network that feeds their cells. Therefore, when the integrity of the growth is violated, small bleeding occurs very often, which increases the risk of spreading infection and wound infection. This is partly why attempting to cut through these hardened tissues is highly discouraged.
Warts appear at first in a single amount - only one or two. However, more and more formations may appear due to problems in the functioning of the immune system. Sometimes they even merge, so a large skin lesion is formed.
It is worth considering that the rapidly increasing attention indicates the strong activity of the pathogen and causes an urgent visit to the doctor. If the neoplasm begins to darken or redden, there is a visible change in its structure, and there is swelling, suppuration or something arbitrary, it is worth going to the hospital to find out how to treat warts on the fingers. removal of pathological fluid from the growth organ.
Colored warts can be yellowish, skin tone, gray-brown. In some cases, black dots appear on the surface - these are only places where thrombosis of small blood vessels occurs.
The most common types of finger warts are:
- Vulgar warts. The second name is common. They appear quite often not only in the palms, but also on the entire surface of the fingers, sometimes they affect the periungual space, where the skin is exposed to tension and wrinkles. Flesh-colored formations are more common, but brownish-yellow or grayish ones are also found. The form is nodular or domed. Diameter 2-7 mm. The structure of the structure is quite dense and somewhat rough. It is drier than healthy skin. It can cause cracking and pain.
- Superficial flat warts. Their surface only slightly protrudes above the skin. The shape is rounded, although there are unevenly contoured ridges as they spread and converge. Its color can be both brown and light yellow. A flat wart on a finger is between 3 and 4 mm in diameter. Their presence on the skin is often not accompanied by pain.
- Deep flat warts. This type of skin formation often causes pain due to its structure. Outside the skin, the growths appear flat with a small indentation in the center, but their roots go deeper into the layers of the dermis. This, of course, causes significant daily discomfort that forces a person to consult a doctor more often than other reasons. Deep formations are irregular in shape, color and size are usually the same as superficial warts.
- Subungual warts. The name was not chosen by chance. Such growths occur precisely in the area below the free edge of the nail plate. At first, the wart on the finger has a flat and smooth surface, then it becomes rough and keratinized. Due to the low activity of the virus, they practically do not cause symptoms, but with a significant weakening of health and lack of proper hygienic treatment, they grow, penetrating the tissues under the nail, causing the rejection of the plate from the nail bed. . In such a case, it is no longer possible to speak only of an aesthetic defect. Pain and suppuration appear, gradually the formation reaches the matrix and destroys it irreversibly.
Many believe that the treatment of such a disease is not mandatory if you try to strengthen the immune system so that the body can cope on its own. But this view is largely wrong. After all, there are many reasons for the need to treat warts on the fingers and other parts of the body. Firstly, such neoplasms are highly contagious, and even one person with a wart can infect several healthy people, who can develop the disease in a more serious form. Secondly, many children, teenagers and adults are simply too embarrassed to have such skin forms, which, of course, leads to the desire to find an effective way to get rid of warts on the finger. What can we say about pain, sensitivity to damage and the danger of the oncological process.
Ways to treat warts on the finger
Modern medicine knows many effective ways to remove warts on the finger. Each of them has both advantages and disadvantages and should be used only as prescribed by a doctor and in combination with drug therapy, because the mere removal of growths by any method does not suppress the activity of the virus and does not guarantee the absence of virus replication. illness in the near future.
Removal of warts on fingers in the clinic
At the dermatologist's appointment, a detailed diagnosis is carried out, the results of which, in addition to the main indicators of health, determine the strain of the virus that causes the disease, as well as the risk of developing an oncological process. Often, tests may be required for co-morbidities such as HIV, which can cause finger warts and worsen the course of the disease.
As a result, a multifaceted treatment is prescribed. This involves the cutting of growths by one of the modern instrumental methods, including:
- Laser removal. The most popular method. It is offered by almost all clinics. Special equipment allows you to burn the epithelial tumor almost painlessly, preventing bleeding. The healing time of the peels is minimal. After such exposure, the tissues recover quickly, so there are practically no traces on the skin in the form of scars.
- removing radio waves. The method is simply based on the power of radio waves that cut the growths without bleeding. With the help of a radio knife, you can remove warts on the fingers practically without touching healthy tissue. The procedure is quite expensive, but it is known to be highly effective and safe.
- Electrocoagulation. The acting force is a current of different frequencies. It burns the wart cells on the finger in seconds. At the same time, the veins are sealed, which prevents bleeding.
- Surgical method.It is not performed without local anesthesia, because. removal is done with a scalpel. It is prescribed less than other options. The main symptom, if you need to take material for histological examination, is a large lesion, as well as the presence of deep growths on the skin and under the nail plate. Healthy tissues are often damaged during the procedure. Scars often remain after healing. The price of surgical intervention is calculated individually in each individual case.
- Cryotherapy. A widely used method. The body of the wart on the finger is removed by the action of liquid nitrogen at an ultra-low temperature. This option is characterized by good performance, painlessness, no need for local anesthesia. However, during the recovery period - approximately 7-10 days - all the doctor's recommendations should be followed for a quick and smooth recovery of the treated areas.
- Chemical method. Removal of a wart on a finger is carried out using aggressive chemicals such as trichloroacetic acid. To avoid burning healthy tissues, it is better to entrust the implementation to a qualified specialist. The effect should be very precise and only on the body of the structure. Scars may remain after healing. The cost of the procedure depends on the selected drug and is calculated individually by the doctor.
No method guarantees 100% effectiveness and non-repetition. The result depends not only on the type and localization of the wart, but also on the qualifications of medical personnel and the equipment and preparations used. The patient himself plays an important role in the recovery period, he must follow all the doctor's instructions: treat the places to remove warts on the fingers every day, prevent injuries, hypothermia of the palms, take the prescribed medications, eliminate bad habits and normalize the condition. diet. Only then you will not have to decide again how to get rid of the wart on your finger.
Treatment of warts on the fingers with drugs
Competent medical treatment of warts on the fingers includes taking drugs whose actions are aimed at preventing viral infection, improving the state of immunity and restoring the balance of minerals, vitamins and other beneficial compounds.
Types of medical products intended for the treatment of warts on the fingers:
- Oral preparations. This category includes means of complex action - antiviral and immunomodulatory. Currently, there are no drugs that can completely kill the human papillomavirus, so one of the tasks of modern medicine is to increase the body's resistance and significantly reduce the viral load, simulating natural immunity to stop the growth of warts. fingers and other places.
- External use. Some drugs are intended for antiseptic treatment, others accelerate tissue regeneration, others have a local antiviral and immunostimulating effect, others nourish skin cells, normalize all metabolic processes.
- Cauterizing external agents. They may contain both cauterizing acids and other components that contribute to the destruction of growths. Home use is associated with the risk of burns, so the procedure should be carried out very carefully. Some drugs act on the principle of cryodestruction, while others act on the principle of chemical destruction.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes. It is prescribed to prevent nutritional deficiencies in the body, to restore metabolism and the functioning of individual organs and systems, including the immune system.
Folk remedies for finger warts
The effectiveness of traditional medicine does not cease to be controversial. Some argue that it is ineffective and that people simply waste valuable time by refusing to go to the doctor, while others consider it the only correct way to safely treat most diseases.
To find the right answer to the question of how to reduce warts on a finger, it is better to use the golden mean. Consult a doctor and discuss options for complex therapy with him, including instrumental removal of growths, taking HPV-specific drugs and appropriate folk remedies.
Popular folk remedies for treating warts on the fingers:
- Plum compresses. Salt (20 g) is dissolved in water (150 ml), where vinegar (20 ml) is added, mixed, and dip half of prunes with cut sticks into this solution. Duration of infusion - 2 hours. Remove the plum, crush the pulp. Apply the resulting slurry to the warts 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 tool ensures rapid regeneration of epithelial cells.
- Tui tincture.Thuja leaves (20 g) are poured with vodka (100 ml). Insist for 14 days. Lubricate the areas affected by warts on the fingers for 3 minutes several times. The procedure is repeated twice a day for 14-20 days.
- Coniferous tincture. Take equal amounts of young conifer branches and juniper berries. Mix all the ingredients and chop. Put 50 g of the resulting mixture into a glass container and pour 200 g of alcohol. Leave for about 3 weeks. Strain and use to lubricate growths. It is enough to apply once a day.
- Infusion of lemon peel. You can remove the peel of 1-2 lemons and chop them with a knife or meat grinder. Put the mass in a glass container and fill it with 100-150 ml of table vinegar. Close the lid tightly. Leave to insist for a week, do not forget to shake every day. Then remove the cake and treat warts on the fingers with the resulting infusion, trying not to touch healthy skin.
- Horse chestnut decoction. To prepare, you need to boil 2. 5 liters of water, add horse chestnut leaves (120 g) and boil for 15 minutes on low heat, filter and pour the broth into a basin. When it cools down to 36-40 degrees, lower your palms. The duration of taking such a bath is 20 minutes. It is necessary to carry out 8 procedures in 2, 5 weeks, i. e. repeat every 3 days before going to bed.
- Herbal infusion. Such a tool affects the whole body in a complex. But its most important feature is the stimulation of immunity to fight the virus. Systemic intake stops the growth of warts on the finger. To prepare, mix 20 g of juniper needles, plantain leaves, chicory root and dandelion, birch leaves, as well as 30 g of horsetail and nettle, and then chop. Store in a glass container with a lid. For a decoction, take 20 g of the mixture, put it in an enamel container, pour boiling water (500 ml) and leave it for 60 minutes. 100-150 ml 3-4 times a day is filtered and taken internally before meals.
Regardless of what causes the weakening of the immune system and the growth of epithelial tumors, warts that appear on the fingers and toes, elbows, knees, feet and other places require special attention and proper treatment. Going to the hospital on time, as well as choosing adequate methods for removing growths and treating HPV, will allow you to recover faster and forget about the unpleasant manifestations of the viral disease for a long time.