What are warts?

What are warts?

Synonyms: plantar wart, periungual wart, subungual wart, verruca, verrucae planae, filiform warts, wart

Warts are small growths in the skin, which usually are not painful. Caused by viruses, warts are usually harmless and may disappear on their own. These may occur anywhere in the body and can also be of various types.

Warts can vary greatly in size and shape from one to another. The texture also tends to differ, and may present from smooth surfaces even rougher.

Types

There are several possible types of warts:


Plantar wart
Genital wart
Periungual wart
Subungual wart
Common wart
Wart filiforme
Verruca vulgaris
Flat wart.

Causes

There are numerous possible causes for the appearance of warts. They are caused by a virus called Human Papilloma Virus - popularly known as HPV, which infects the top layer of skin, causing warts. They may come more easily when the person has an injury or cut in the skin. It is so common to find warts in children. They are also quite common in body areas where people tend to shave, and in face, in the case of males who shave, and legs, in the case of women who shave their legs.

It is also possible, indeed, transmit warts to other people as well, mainly through touch, in a process called self inoculation - very common in shared bathrooms gyms, swimming pools, clubs, etc. Transmission can also occur during unprotected sex.

Reinfection is also possible. A person does not become immune to wart now presented a ever.

Risk factors

Anyone is subject to eventually present warts, but some behaviors are considered facilitators for the appearance of them, such as:

Being a child or préadolescente, which usually suffer more injuries on the skin than adults
People who bite their fingernails
People with weakened immune systems such as people with HIV or autoimmune diseases.

Seeking medical help

Warts are usually not a medical emergency as they are not formed by cancer cells. Nevertheless, they require treatment, because if not properly treated can spread throughout the body, making it difficult to cure. The treatment is also needed because, although there is the possibility of warts regress spontaneously, this process can be long. Thus, the treatment is necessary to prevent the bearer of wart infecting other people and that he may return to their normal activities. Who has warts can not go swimming clubs, gyms, etc.

The warts, however, can cause aesthetic nuisance. Because of this, some people may choose to do an intervention to remove them.

In some cases, if they are located in parts of the body where there is pressure, as the soles of the feet, for example, the warts may possibly scratching and hurting. A quick surgery, applying acid on site, cauterization or applying liquid nitrogen or dry ice (and these last two freeze the wart, destroying it), may solve the problem.

In the medical consultation

Make an appointment with a dermatologist to see what type of wart you carry. In practice, the positive diagnosis for warts is through a simple observation. A biopsy can determine the cause and the type of wart.

Among the specialties that can diagnose a wart are:

Medical clinic
Dermatology
Infectious Diseases
Urology
Pediatrics
Gynecology.
Be prepared for the query can facilitate diagnosis and optimize time. This way, you can now get to the consultation with some information:

A list of all the symptoms and how long they appeared
Medical history, including other conditions the patient has and medications or supplements he takes regularly
The doctor will likely make a series of questions such as:

When the wart came about?

How many warts you noticed in your body?
Did you notice any symptoms related to warts?
They hurt or itch?
They bother you aesthetically or physically?
It is also important to take your questions for written consultation, starting with the most important. This ensures that you get answers to all the relevant questions before the end query. For warts, some basic questions include:

I need to do some treatment for my warts?
They can represent any danger to my health?
Must make use of some kind of medication?
Is there any measure I can take to make the warts go away?
If I choose to surgically remove the warts, what the estimated time to recovery?
What can I do to make new warts do not arise again in my body?
Most warts do not need treatment. But if you have warts that are painful, itchy or that are easily spread throughout the body, or if you are simply uncomfortable with the presence and appearance of them, talk to a doctor about whether to surgically remove them.

 living (prognosis)

Care
Never manipulate the injury. Do not try to remove it without medical advice. Do not use pliers or other tools to cut them. This can cause an infection at the site. Wash the region in the bath and applying a dressing (such as micropore) on the lesions to prevent manipulation thereof causes inoculation into other body locations or other people to transmit.