The wart on the finger is a benign neoplasm of a viral nature. The causative agent of the appearance of such growths is the human papillomavirus. Because warts are considered safe formations. rarely causes cancer. But this fact does not mean that treatment is not necessary at all. This article provides detailed information about the etiology of the disease, its external manifestations and modern methods of treatment.
Causes of warts on the finger
Because warts are not uncommon. The human papillomavirus that causes them to grow is highly contagious and does not protect either adults or children. The agent that infects the skin enters the tissues with the slightest damage and remains in the body forever. Also, different levels of viral load are observed at different times, i. e. ;The microorganism population either increases or decreases. For a long time, the disease may be asymptomatic. The incubation period can vary significantly in each case and can range 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 same warts to appear on the fingers, feet, knees and other areas of the skin.
The surest way to become infected is by direct contact with an already infected person. HPV is usually transmitted sexually, so the most likely reason for the increase in incidence is unprotected sex or random sex. However, most often the growth of warts on the fingers is caused precisely by the contact of the upper limbs with infected surfaces, whether it is the hands of the virus carrier, or the objects that he has just used - a pencil, cutlery, a pencil. towels, books, etc. All public areas are considered areas of increased danger, especially those with high humidity levels.
Even a baby from a mother can be infected. This happens at birth.
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 due to the susceptibility of growths to frequent injuries, which leads to the release of a large amount of the pathogen to the surface, and the fingers are in contact with all other skin integuments and can transmit the virus. to them.
The fact is that the answer to the question of why warts appear on the fingers is rather 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, it can maintain its population at the same level and prevent uncontrolled growth. epithelial cells in the form of warts on the finger or other parts of the body. Here, too, everything is unclear, because there are also several reasons for reduced immunity. This is an unbalanced diet, abuse of drugs, bad habits and emotional and physical overload.
What else causes warts on fingers? With severe colds, diabetes mellitus, HIV, venereal diseases, skin pathologies, etc. Various acute and chronic diseases, such asSuch an individual feature 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 areas of the skin. Unwashed hands, untreated injuries, dry and worn skin, nail biting and burrs can all cause warts on the fingers.
What do finger warts look like?
Many people confuse warts with other skin formations such as calluses, lichen planus, keratosis, molluscum contagiosum, and often choose the wrong treatment options on their own or completely ignore the outward manifestations of the disease and risk the spread of infection. and others against the risk of infection.
In order not to make such mistakes, it is better to go to the hospital in time to study in detail what the warts on the finger look like, what type they are, and to make an accurate diagnosis and determine an effective treatment. diet.
Benign epithelial changes caused by HPV have a network of capillaries that nourish their cells. Therefore, when the integrity of the growth is damaged, very often small hemorrhages occur, which increases the risk of infection spreading and infection of the wound. Partly for this reason, attempting to cut these hardened tissues is strongly discouraged.
Warts first appear in a single amount - only one or two. However, more formations may occur due to problems in the functioning of the immune system. Sometimes they even coalesce to form a large skin lesion.
It is worth considering that a rapidly growing focus indicates a strong activity of the pathogen and prompts an urgent visit to the doctor. It is also worth going to the hospital to learn how to treat warts on the fingers in cases where the neoplasm begins to darken or redden, there is a noticeable change in its structure, and swelling, suppuration appear or it is arbitrary. removal of pathological fluid from the growth body.
Colored warts can be yellowish, flesh-colored, gray-brown. In some cases, black dots may appear on the surface - these are just places where thrombosis of small blood vessels occurs.
The most common types of warts on the finger are as follows:
- rough warts. The second name is ordinary. They often appear not only on the palm, but also on the entire surface of the fingers, sometimes affecting the periungual area, where the skin is subject to tension and burrs. Although skin-colored formations are more common, brown-yellow or grayish ones are also encountered. The shape is nodular or domed. 2-7 mm in diameter. The structure of the building is quite dense and slightly rough. It is drier than healthy skin. It can crack and cause pain.
- Superficial flat warts. Their surface only slightly protrudes above the skin. The shape is round, but there are also protrusions with irregular contours as they spread and merge. The color can be both brown and pale yellow. A flat wart on the finger is 3 to 4 mm in diameter. Its 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 slight indentation in the center, but their roots grow deep into the layers of the dermis. This, of course, causes significant daily inconveniences that cause a person to visit the doctor more often than for any other reason. Deep formations are irregular in shape, color and size are usually the same as superficial warts.
- sublingual warts. The name was not chosen by chance. Such growths occur precisely in the area under the free edge of the nail plate. The wart on the finger has a flat and smooth surface at first, then it becomes rough and keratinized. With low activity of the virus, they practically do not give symptoms, but with a significant weakening of health and the absence of proper hygienic treatment, they grow, penetrating into the tissues under the nail, causing the rejection of the plate from the nail bed. . In this case, it is no longer possible to talk about just an aesthetic defect. Pain and suppuration appear, the formation gradually reaches the matrix and irreversibly destroys it.
Many believe that the treatment of such an ailment is not mandatory if you try 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. Firstly, such neoplasms are highly contagious, and a person with a wart can infect several healthy people, for whom the disease can progress to a more severe form. Secondly, many children, adolescents and adults are 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 can we 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 get rid of a wart 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, since the mere removal of growths by any method does not suppress viral activity and does not guarantee that the disease will not relapse. disease in the near future.
Removal of warts on fingers in the clinic
At an appointment with a dermatologist, a detailed diagnosis is made, the results of which, in addition to the main indicators of health, determine the type of virus that caused the disease, as well as the risk of developing an oncological process. Often times, tests may be required for co-morbidities such as HIV, which can cause finger warts and aggravate the course of the disease.
As a result, multilateral treatment is prescribed. It involves the removal 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 almost painlessly burn an epithelial tumor and prevent bleeding. The healing time of the crusts is minimal. After such exposure, the tissues are quickly restored, so almost no scars remain on the skin in the form of scars.
- radio wave suppression. The method is based on the power of radio waves, which simply cut the growths without bleeding. With the help of a radio knife, you can remove warts on the fingers practically without touching healthy tissues. The procedure is quite expensive, but it is recognized as quite effective and safe.
- electrocoagulation. The acting force is a current of various frequencies. It dissolves the wart cells on the finger in seconds. At the same time, bleeding is prevented by closing the vessels.
- surgical route.Because it is not done without local anesthesia. removal is done with a scalpel. It is assigned less often than other options. The main indication is a large lesion if material for histological examination is required, as well as the presence of deep ingrowths on the skin and under the nail plate. During the procedure, healthy tissues are often injured. Scars often remain after healing. The price of surgical intervention is calculated individually for each case.
- cryotherapy. Commonly used method. The body of the wart on the finger is removed by exposure to liquid nitrogen at ultra-low temperatures. This option is characterized by good performance, painlessness and no need for local anesthesia. But during the recovery period - about 7-10 days - all the recommendations of the doctor should be followed in order for the treated areas to heal quickly and without any problems.
- chemical method. Removal of the wart on the finger is carried out using aggressive chemicals such as trichloroacetic acid. It is better to entrust the application to a qualified specialist in order to avoid burns of healthy tissues. The impact 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 chosen drug and is calculated by the doctor individually.
No method guarantees 100% effectiveness and non-repetition. The result depends not only on the type of wart, its localization, but also on the qualifications of the medical staff and the equipment and preparations used. During the recovery period, the patient himself plays an important role, who must follow all the instructions of the doctor: daily treat the places to remove warts on the fingers, prevent injury, hypothermia of the palms, take prescription drugs, eliminate bad habits and normalize diet. Only then will you 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 action is aimed at suppressing a viral infection, raising the immune status and restoring the balance of minerals, vitamins and other useful compounds.
Types of medicinal products for the treatment of warts on the fingers:
- Oral preparations. This category includes means of complex effects - 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 simulate natural immunity to increase the body's resistance and significantly reduce the viral load, stop the growth of warts. fingers and other places.
- external use. Some drugs are designed for antiseptic therapy, others accelerate tissue regeneration, others have a local antiviral and immunostimulating effect, others nourish skin cells, normalizing all metabolic processes.
- Etching external agents. They can 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 done very carefully. Some drugs act on the principle of cryodestruction, while others act on the principle of chemical destruction.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes. They are prescribed to prevent a lack of nutrients in the body, to restore the metabolism and performance of individual organs and systems, including the immune system.
Folk remedies for warts on the finger
The effectiveness of traditional medicine does not reduce disputes. While some argue that it is ineffective and people waste valuable time refusing to go to the doctor, others think it is the only correct way to safely cure most diseases.
When looking for the right answer to the question of how to reduce the wart on the finger, it is better to use the golden mean. Consult a doctor and discuss with him complex treatment options, including instrumental removal of growths, HPV-specific drugs and taking appropriate folk remedies.
Popular folk remedies for treating warts on the fingers:
- Plum compresses. Dissolve salt (20 g) in water (150 ml), add vinegar (20 ml) there, mix and soak half of the pitted plum in this solution. Infusion time - 2 hours. Remove the plum, crush the pulp. Apply the resulting slurry to the warts and fix 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 drug promotes rapid recovery of epithelial cells.
- Tui tincture.Thuja leaves (20 g) are poured with vodka (100 ml). Insist 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.
- coniferous tincture. Take young coniferous branches and juniper berries in equal quantities. Mix and grind all the raw materials. Put 50 grams of the resulting mixture in a glass dish and pour 200 grams of alcohol. Leave for about 3 weeks. Strain and use to lubricate the growths. It is sufficient to apply once a day.
- Lemon peel infusion. Peel and chop 1-2 lemons, you can use a knife, you can use 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 cover tightly. Let it insist for a week, do not forget to shake it every day. Then remove the paste and treat the warts on the fingers with the resulting infusion, trying not to touch the healthy skin.
- horse chestnut decoction. To prepare it, boil 2. 5 liters of water, add horse chestnut leaves (120 gr) into it, boil it for 15 minutes on low heat, strain and pour the water into a basin. When it cools down to 36-40 degrees, lower your palms into it. The time to take 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 entire body in a complex. But its most important feature is the stimulation of immunity to fight the virus. Systematic intake stops the growth of warts on the finger. To prepare it, mix and grind 20 g of juniper needles, plantain leaves, chicory root and dandelion, birch leaves, as well as 30 g of horsetail and nettle. Store in a covered glass container. For boiling, take 20 g of the mixture, put in an enameled saucepan, pour boiling water (500 ml) and leave for 60 minutes. Strain and drink 100-150 ml 3-4 times a day 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 elsewhere require special attention and appropriate treatment. Timely admission to the hospital, as well as the selection of adequate methods of removing growths and treating HPV will allow you to recover faster and forget about the unpleasant manifestations of a viral disease for a long time.