A wart on a finger is a benign neoplasm that has a viral nature. The causative agent that causes the appearance of such growths is the human papilloma virus. Warts are considered safe formations, because. rarely cause cancer. However, this fact does not mean that treatment is not necessary at all. This article provides detailed information about the etiology of the disease, external signs and modern methods of treatment.
Causes of warts on the finger
Warts are not uncommon, because. the human papilloma virus that causes their growth is highly contagious and does not spare either adults or children. The causative agent, having come to the skin, enters the tissues with the slightest damage and remains in the body forever. At the same time, different levels of viral load are observed at different times, ie. the microorganism population 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, without a doubt, 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, feet, knees and other parts of the skin.
The surest way to get infected is direct contact with an already infected person. HPV is often sexually transmitted, so unprotected or promiscuous sex is the most likely cause of the increased incidence. However, the growth of warts on the fingers is most often caused by the contact of the upper limbs with infected surfaces, whether it is the hands of the virus carrier or the objects he has just used - a pen, cutlery, towel, book, etc. All public premises are considered places of increased danger, especially those where the level of humidity has increased.
Even the baby can be infected from the mother. This happens during childbirth.
With the localization of warts on the fingers, there is an increased risk of self-infection, i. e. rapid spread of infection to the face and other parts of the body. The reason for this is the susceptibility of growths to frequent injuries that lead to the release of a large amount of pathogens on the surface, and the fact that the fingers are in contact with all other skin integuments and can transmit the virus on them.
The reality is that the answer to the question of why warts appear on the fingers is quite ambiguous and includes many provoking factors. First of all, the development of a viral infection is facilitated by a decrease in the immune status of an infected person, when the body becomes unable to resist the activity of the virus, keep its population at the same level and prevent uncontrolled growth of the virus. wart-shaped epithelial cells on the finger or other parts of the body. And here everything is ambiguous, because the reduction of immunity has a number of reasons. It is an unbalanced diet, drug abuse, bad habits, and emotional and physical overload.
What else causes toe warts? Various acute and chronic diseases, such as severe colds, diabetes mellitus, HIV, venereal diseases, skin pathologies, etc. , lead to the activation of pathogens. An individual characteristic such as hyperhidrosis or increased sweating also stimulates the development of pathogenic microflora.
Lack of daily care and lack of personal hygiene also allow HPV to infect more and more areas of the skin. Unwashed hands, untreated injuries, dehydrated and damaged skin, nail biting and bumps can all be causes of finger warts.
What do finger warts look like?
Most people confuse warts with other skin growths such as calluses, lichen planus, keratosis, molluscum contagiosum and often choose the wrong treatment options themselves or completely ignore the external manifestations of the disease, exposing themselves to the risk of spreading the infection and others to the risk of infection.
In order not to make such mistakes, it is better to study in detail what the warts on the finger look like, what types they are, and go to the hospital in a timely manner in order to make an accurate diagnosis and determine an effective treatment regimen.
Benign epithelial changes caused by HPV have a capillary network that feeds their cells. Because of this, when the integrity of the growth is violated, minor bleeding very often occurs, which increases the risk of spreading infection and wound infection. This is partly why trying to cut away these hardened tissues is highly discouraged.
Warts first appear in one quantity - just one or two. But due to problems in the functioning of the immune system, more and more formations may appear. Sometimes they even merge, forming an extensive skin lesion.
It is worth considering that a rapidly growing focus indicates a strong pathogen activity and causes an urgent visit to the doctor. It is also worth going to the hospital to find out how to treat warts on the fingers in cases where the neoplasm begins to darken or redden, if there is a visible change in its structure, and swelling, suppuration or arbitrary removal of pathological fluid from the growth body appears.
The color of the warts can be yellowish, skin tone, gray-brown. In some cases, black dots are visible on the surface - these are just places where thrombosis of small blood vessels has occurred.
The most common types of warts on the finger are as follows:
- Vulgar warts. The second name is common. They often appear not only on the inside of the palm, but also on the entire surface of the fingers, sometimes affecting the periungual space, where the skin is subject to tension and protrusions. More often, the formations are flesh-colored, but there are also brown-yellow or grayish ones. The shape is nodular or domed. 2-7 mm in diameter. The build structure is quite dense and a bit rough. It is more dry than healthy skin. It can burst and cause pain.
- Superficial flat warts. Their surface only slightly protrudes above the skin. The shape is rounded, although growths with an uneven contour appear due to expansion and fusion. The color can be brown or pale yellow. The diameter of one flat wart on the finger is from 3 to 4 mm. Their presence on the skin is usually not accompanied by pain.
- Deep flat nipples. This type of skin formation often causes pain due to its structure. Outside the skin, growths appear flat with a slight depression in the middle, but their roots grow deeper into the layers of the dermis. This, of course, causes considerable everyday discomfort, which, more often than other reasons, forces a person to go to the doctor. The shape of deep formations is irregular, the color and size are usually the same as in surface 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 is flat and smooth, then it becomes rough and keratinized. With a low activity of the virus, they practically do not cause symptoms, but with a significant weakening of health and the absence of proper hygienic treatment, they grow, penetrate the tissues under the nail, causing rejection of the nail plate. . In this case, we can no longer speak only of an aesthetic defect. Pain and suppuration appear, gradually the formation reaches the matrix and irreversibly destroys it.
Many believe that treating such an ailment is not mandatory 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 for the need to treat warts on the fingers and other parts of the body. First, such neoplasms are quite contagious, and a person with even one wart can infect several healthy people, in whom the disease can proceed in a more serious form. Secondly, many children, adolescents and adults are simply very embarrassed by the presence of such skin formations, which, of course, causes a desire to find an effective way to remove warts on the finger. What to say about pain, susceptibility to injury 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 advantages and disadvantages and should be used only according to the doctor's recommendation and in combination with drug therapy, because just removing growths by any method does not suppress the activity of the virus and does not guarantee the absence of recurrence. diseases in the near future.
Removal of warts on fingers in the clinic
During the examination at the dermatologist, a detailed diagnosis is carried out, the results of which, in addition to the main health indicators, determine the strain of the virus that caused the disease, as well as the risk of developing an oncological process. Tests for co-morbidities, such as HIV, which can also cause warts on the finger and worsen the course of the disease, may often be required.
As a result, multilateral treatment is prescribed. It includes the excision of growths by one of the modern instrumental methods, including:
- Laser removal. The most popular method. Almost all clinics offer it. Special equipment allows you to burn the epithelial tumor almost painlessly, preventing bleeding. The healing time of the crust is minimal. Tissues are quickly restored after such exposure, so there are practically no traces of scars on the skin.
- removal of radio waves. The method is based on the power of radio waves, which simply cut out growths without 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.
- Electrocoagulation. The acting force is a current of different frequencies. Burns the wart cells on the finger in seconds. At the same time, the vessels are sealed, which prevents bleeding.
- Surgical method.It is not performed without local anesthesia, because. removal is done with a scalpel. Appointed less often than other options. The main indication is a large lesion, if it is necessary to take material for histological examination, as well as the presence of deep growths in the skin and under the nail plate. Healthy tissues are often injured 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 eliminated by exposure to liquid nitrogen at ultra-low temperatures. This option is characterized by good performance, painlessness, no need for local anesthesia. However, during the recovery period - about 7-10 days - you should follow all the doctor's recommendations so that the treated areas heal quickly and without problems.
- Chemical method. Removal of the wart on the finger is done with aggressive chemicals, such as trichloroacetic acid. It is better to entrust the implementation to a qualified specialist in order to prevent burns of healthy tissues. The impact must be very precise and only on the body of the deposit. Scars may remain after healing. The price of the procedure depends on the selected drug and is calculated by the doctor individually.
No method gives a 100% guarantee of effectiveness and absence of recurrence. The result depends not only on the type of wart, its localization, but also on the qualification of the medical staff and the equipment and preparations used. During the recovery period, an important role is played by the patient himself, who must follow all the doctor's instructions: treat places on the fingers to remove warts daily, prevent injuries, hypothermia of the palms, take prescribed medications, eliminate bad habits and normalize the diet. Only then you won't have to decide again how to get rid of a wart on your finger.
Treatment of warts on the fingers with drugs
Competent medical treatment of warts on the fingers involves taking drugs whose action is aimed at suppressing viral infection, raising the immune status and establishing the balance of minerals, vitamins and other useful 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 papilloma virus, so one of the tasks of modern medicine is the simulation of natural immunity in order to increase the body's resistance and significantly reduce the viral load, stopping the growth of warts on the skin. 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 care for skin cells, normalizing all metabolic processes.
- Cauterization of external agents. They may also contain acids for cauterization and other components that contribute to the destruction of growths. Use at home is associated with the risk of burns, so the procedure should be carried out with great care. Some drugs work on the principle of cryodestruction, others on the principle of chemical destruction.
- Vitamin-mineral complexes. They are prescribed for the prevention of lack of nutrients in the body, restoration of metabolism and work of certain organs and systems, including the immune system.
Folk remedies for warts on the finger
The effectiveness of traditional medicine does not abate disputes. Some argue that it is ineffective and that people simply waste valuable time by refusing to go to the doctor, others believe that it is the only correct way to safely cure most diseases.
In search of the right answer to the question of how to reduce a wart on a finger, it is better to use the golden mean. Consult a doctor and discuss with him the possibilities of complex therapy, including instrumental removal of growths, taking HPV-specific drugs and suitable folk remedies.
Popular folk remedies for treating warts on fingers:
- Plum wraps. Dissolve salt (20 g) in water (150 ml), add vinegar (20 ml), mix and immerse half of the pitted plum. Infusion time - 2 hours. Remove the plum, mash the pulp. Apply the resulting slurry to the warts and fix with a bandage or patch for 2-8 hours.
- Thuja oil for nipples. It is applied externally 4-5 times a day. Daily use of this drug ensures rapid recovery 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 several times for 3 minutes. The procedure is repeated twice a day for 14-20 days.
- Tincture of conifers. Take young conifer twigs and juniper fruits in equal amounts. Mix and grind all the raw materials. Place 50 g of the obtained mixture in a glass container and pour over 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. Remove the peel from 1-2 lemons and chop them, you can use a knife or a meat grinder. Put the mass in a glass jar and fill it with table vinegar in a volume of 100-150 ml. Close the lid tightly. Let it sit for a week, don't forget to shake it every day. Then take out the cake, and treat the warts on your fingers with the resulting infusion, trying not to touch healthy skin.
- Horse chestnut decoction. To prepare it, you need to boil 2. 5 liters of water, add horse chestnut leaves (120 g) and cook for 15 minutes on low heat, strain and pour the soup into a pot. When it cools down to 36-40 degrees, lower your palms into it. The duration of such a bath is 20 minutes. It is necessary to perform 8 procedures within 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 property is the stimulation of immunity in the fight against viruses. Systematic reception stops the growth of warts on the finger. To prepare, mix and then grind 20 g of juniper needles, plantain leaves, chicory and dandelion roots, birch leaves, as well as 30 g each of horsetail and nettle. Store in a glass container with a lid. For the decoction, take 20 g of the mixture, put it in an enamel pot, pour boiling water (500 ml) over it and leave it for 60 minutes. Strain and consume inside before meals, 100-150 ml 3-4 times a day.
Regardless of what caused the weakening of the immune system and the growth of epithelial tumors, warts that appeared on fingers and toes, elbows, knees, feet and other places require special attention and proper treatment. Timely admission to the hospital, as well as the choice of adequate methods for the removal of growths and treatment of HPV, will allow you to recover faster and forget about the unpleasant manifestations of the viral disease for a long time.