What is a Wart?
Warts are very common growths over the skin and mucosa caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and almost 1 in 20 persons will get a wart some time in his or her life.
Why do you get Warts?
It is a common contagious skin virus infection where the virus enters the skin or hair follicles through a small microscopic injury leading to the development of the dry rough extra skin growth in a person who has less resistance (immunity) towards this virus.
In adults it can also be transmitted by sexual contact with another person suffering from warts over the genitals.
When do you get warts?
Warts is commonly seen in children and adolescents, but can be seen in any age, including adults whose skin resistance is weak. Low skin resistance is seen in diabetes, obesity, immunosuppression with medications or malignancy or HIV infection, poor nutrition, bad lifestyle etc.
People get warts by sharing clothes, towels, skin to skin contact from an infected person.
Children get the infection from other children due to overcrowded classes or vans, buses.
Commonly adults get the infection from saloon, beauty parlor, by sharing the unsterilized clothes or instruments. Infection spreads from Gym, swimming pool, by sharing the common area, towel or walking bare foot.
It is seen in promiscuous adults through sexual contacts over the genitals.
How does warts look like?
Warts are painless, even when touched or manipulated and are seen as dry rough 0.5 to 2 cm firm growths. They are generally seen as domed or flat-topped growths, but can also appear like a feather or a miniature fir tree with finger like projections.
Common warts have a bumpy, cauliflower-like appearance.
Plantar warts are the warts appearing over the sole often have “black dots.”
Flat warts are small, smooth, skin colored, and flat seen over face in adolescents & adults.
Warts over the sole are painful.
When they occur on the genitals, they appear fleshy and pink.
Where do you see Wart?
These are seen on palms, hands, forearm, soles, feet, legs, face in children & adults.
It is seen on genitals, thighs in adults as a sexually transmitted disease.
Also inside nose, throat rarely in babies born through normal vaginal delivery to the mother with warts over genitals
General information about wart:
There are more than 120 types of virus (HPV) causing wart. It is contagious, yet it doesn’t harm the body & affect the internal organs usually, as it is a superficial skin infection affecting the dead skin.
It is not hereditary.
But warts in women infecting the genitals can turn into cancerous growth (cervix) if left without treatment
If it is seen in adults especially in large numbers, large size inside mouth or genitalia, it is a sign of immunosuppresion especially AIDS has to be suspected.
If it is seen over the genitals, then it is a sign of sexually transmitted disease, where in infected sexual partners has to be treated.
What are the aggravating factors for Warts?
Warts increases in numbers due to scratching, injury, low immunity due to steroid treatment, Diabetes, obesity etc.
How do you confirm warts?
Skin specialist can easily confirm it with the dry, rough look of the bump, which is usually painless with the exception of wart over soles. Diagnosis can be confirmed by dermascopy or biopsy of the wart.
Doubtful faintly visible warts over genitals can be confirmed by applying little quantity of acetic acid, which makes barely visible wart turn white in colour
How long warts will last?
Warts are self-limiting in that they disappear spontaneously but this disappearance is influenced by the type of virus causing the wart, the extent and duration of warts and person’s immunity. This period is unpredictable in a given person, though it roughly between 2 and 7 years.
When do you treat warts?
Wart is present over the sole is painful & it looks ugly if located in an exposed area such as the face or hands. So these warts need to be treated early.
Since warts tend to spread easily from one part of the body to other & from one person to another, it has to be treated early. It has to be treated early to prevent it going out of control in people with weakened immune system.
How do you treat Warts?
The treatment options depend on the location and type of warts, like application of a wart medication (salicylic acid + lactic acid) at home over a 16 to 20 week period, freezing with liquid nitrogen (Cryotherapy), burning with Radiofrequency Cautery or Co2 laser. If there are many growths, multiple treatment sessions may be needed every 3-6 weeks until the growths are gone.
What if the Wart comes back after treatment?
If the patient skin resistance is good, warts usually do not reappear, but if the resistance is poor, it can reappear in the same place or nearby places within few weeks. Given the fact that the wart virus could seed any area of the skin and wart is only a visible location, treatment of a wart is no guarantee against new warts occurring at the same or a different site. Hence, after treatment it is very much necessary to review once a month for about 3 months to check for new warts if any and treat them. If no new warts are detected for 3 consecutive months, if constitutes reasonable (though not certain) proof of cure.
How do you treat recurrent warts?
Warts can be prevented by improving the local immunity using Immiquiod creams, Intralesional inj with Vit D3 inj, MMR vaccine, TB Vaccine etc. Oral medications like Acetretin, Zinc tablets can improve the body immunity & thereby prevent warts.
All treatments for warts are to be taken under strict supervison of dermatologist.
Tips to prevent spreading of Warts:
Improving life style habits
Timely treatment from skin specialist
Avoid injury to the skin
Trying not to scratch or pick at the warts
Not sharing towels, washcloths, clothing, and other personal items.
Ironing the clothes
Not shaving skin that has bumps.
Not having unprotected sex.