Viral Warts

Viral Warts

What is it?

Viral warts are lesions caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Are self-inoculable (can spread by skin through contact of lesions with areas not reached) and transmitted by direct contact with infected persons.

Clinical manifestations of warts

Viral warts may appear in various ways according to their location and format:

Verruca vulgaris: located in the normal surface of the skin, the lesions are high, hard, rough surface and whitish. Some have dark dotted. Isolated or coalescent, can range from millimeters to centimeters in diameter. The most affected areas are the extremities, being very common in the hands, elbows and knees. More easily found in children and adolescents.

Peri-nail wart: they are the common warts that are located around the nails.Because of extenderem into the nail fold, this type of wart can be more difficult to treat.

Juvenile flat wart: the lesions are small, flat surface in large numbers. The most affected areas are the face and limbs. More frequent in adolescents.

Plantar wart: located in the soles these lesions grow into the skin due to the weight of the body stop their growth out. Are often mistaken for calluses, however, when scratched, the lesions show an uneven surface and dark spots inside, what differentiates the calluses. The largest are often painful to tread.

Threadlike wart: most common on the face and neck, this type of wart shape digitiform injury (like a finger) protruding from the skin surface. It is easily found in the elderly.

Genital wart or condyloma: this type of wart is found in the genital or perianal region. The lesions are softer and, when located in mucous membranes can be wet. The color varies from white to dark and the size of tiny dots to large vegetative lesions (aspect cauliflower). More common in adults, it can be acquired through sexual transmission. The finding of genital warts in children should raise the suspicion of sexual abuse.

Treatment

The treatment of warts is the destruction that may be made by surgical procedures (electrocoagulation and curettage), by chemically cauterizing the lesion (using caustic on the lesions), by cryosurgery (freezing by destruction of the lesions with liquid nitrogen) or the local use of substances known as immunomodulators, used for the treatment of warts resistant to conventional treatments.

Below, an example of plantar warts treated with cryosurgery session. Besides the effect of freezing, it seems that the inflammatory process resulting from this treatment favors the recognition of the virus as an aggressor, with consequent formation of antibodies to fight it.

When injuries occur in large numbers, may require immune stimulation of the patient so that your own body eliminate injuries. The appropriate treatment for each case must be indicated by a dermatologist.

Join to treatment psychological stimulus can be of great help, especially in the case of children. It is known that someone swear that was cured after making a sympathy. What happens is that, being a viral disease, stimulating organic defense by the subconscious can help the body to acquire immunity against the virus and eliminate injuries.