What causes warts? Can we prevent it?

Warts are small formations that occur on the skin. They appear in the form of dark protruding bumps or brown flat lesion on the skin surface. Sometimes they might also have tiny black specks on them. Warts usually form on the hands, feet, face and genitals, although they may appear on other parts of the body in some cases.

What causes the formation of warts?

Common warts are caused due to infection of the outermost layer of skin that occurs as a result of viral contamination. The virus that is responsible for this condition belongs to the human papillomavirus (HPV) family.

This infection is highly contagious and easily spreads from one person to the next. It is most likely to occur on skin that is cut or damaged as that allows easy access for the virus to enter the skin system.

How to prevent the formation of warts?

Common warts are contagious and spread very easily. Preventing the spread of the HPV virus can be done through simple steps that will help you avoid getting affected by this condition.

Some of the preventive measures that can be adopted are as follows:

- picking and scratching on warts should be avoided

- avoid biting fingernails as gnawing on the skin around the nails makes it more prone to infection

- grooming, brushing and shaving around infected areas should be done with care

- moisture and dampness should be avoided as the virus thrives on it

Do not self-medicate with lime (chuna), garlic, onion or Dettol.

Treatment

Wart removal should be done by a qualified dermatologist. It is simple, safe opd procedure which takes few minutes only and does not leave any scars.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.
Related Tip: 6 Effective Ways to Get Rid of Warts - Cauliflower-like Skin Inflammation

What Causes WARTs? Can We Prevent it?

Everyone wants to have a bright and radiating skin. But blemishes and skin abnormalities are common and can occur due to lifestyle, diet or hormonal imbalances. Moles and warts are typical skin issues. But how do you tell them apart?

Moles   What are they?

Hardly ever causing pain, they appear in many different colours and can be bumpy or flat. Most often of red, brown or black colour, they occur as a result of skin pigmentation called melanocytes. They can be caused due to direct exposure to sunlight or due to genetic factors as well. They can appear in any part of the body and form slowly, taking a long time to grow.

Warts   What are they?

Small bumps or rough growth on the skin that appear in hands, legs, fingers, soles of the feet, face or in the genital area manifest as warts. They are white or pale. They occur as a result of harmful virus infection of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and hence, can be contagious. As opposed to moles, warts need to be removed quickly since a virus causes them.

How do you differentiate a mole from a wart?
Below are some common characteristics of each that can help you identify the skin problem:

Moles

Either flat or elevated from the skin, they are commonly referred to as beauty marks or birth marks.
At times, they have hair growing from them.
Usually, they have one colour   mostly on the darker side.
It cannot be transmitted between people.
They are generated by a collection of pigment cells in the body and darken during hormonal changes.
They tend to become cancerous and lead to melanoma.
Warts

They are harmless, yet contagious.
They have small black or dark dots in the centre that are tiny blood vessels, which provide them with nutrients.
They grow outwards on the skin with a scaly or bumpy deposit.
They can grow anywhere on the body, but are commonly found in feet, hands or fingers.
How to treat warts and moles?

The good news is that both warts and moles do not pose a grave risk to your health, but they are annoying and can turn dangerous in the long run. Especially with warts, you can give it to someone or acquire from someone, since it is a type of virus infection. So, seek medical assistance if you want them to be removed from your skin.

Be aware of the difference between warts and moles to know what you are dealing with. Consult a dermatologist to decide the right steps to remove it or not.

Warts vs. Moles - All You Need To Know!

Genital warts are a sexually transmitted disease caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and affects both men and women. Genital warts are treatable but can come back if the underlying infection is not treated properly.

Genital Warts appear as soft growths on the genitals and are known to cause itching, pain and discomfort. Although the disease affects both men and women, it causes more complications in women as some strains of HPV can cause cancer of the cervix and vulva.

Warts can appear on the penis, scrotum, groin, thighs, inside or around the anus for men. These can appear inside of the vagina or anus, outside of the vagina or anus or cervix for women. They can also appear on the mouth, lips, tongue, throat of the person who engages in oral sex with an infected person. Sometimes the warts may be invisible to the eye and still cause symptoms like vaginal discharge, itching, bleeding or a burning sensation.

Symptoms of Genital Warts: HPV is very common and nearly 70 pc of the people are infected around the genital area. The Center for Disease control (CDC) says that most sexually active people, are affected by the disease at some point of there life. It is important to note that although the disease is transmittable through skin-to-skin contact, it doesn't spread from the hand to the genitals or vice versa.

Diagnosis: 

Genital Warts can be diagnosed by performing a physical examination of the infected areas by a medical professional. Since some warts can be inside a woman's body, a doctor may have to conduct a pelvic exam. While conducting the test they use a mild acidic solution which makes the Genital Warts more visible.
A Pap smear test may also be conducted, in which a swab of the area is taken from inside your cervix. Apart from that doctors may also ask questions about a person's sexual history as well as health as ask if they have participated in unprotected sex, including oral sex.

Treatment: Visible Genital warts go away with time; however treatment is essential to prevent their return. The virus cannot be eliminated once it is in your bloodstream, which makes it possible that an infected person will have many break outs in their life. Managing the symptoms of Genital warts is important as they can be easily passed on to your sexual partner, even if there are no visible symptoms.

Genital Warts - How They Can be Diagnosed?

A wart (also known as verruca) is generally a small, rough tumor, typically on hands and feet but often other locations, that can resemble a solid blister.

Warts are a type of infection caused by viruses in the human papillomavirus (HPV) family. There are more than 100 types of HPV viruses. Warts can grow on all parts of body. They can grow on skin, on the inside of mouth, on genitals and on rectal area. Common types of HPV tend to cause warts on the skin (such as the hands and fingers), while other HPV types tend to cause warts on the genitals and rectal area. Some people are more naturally resistant to the HPV viruses and don t seem to get warts as easily as other people.

Warts come in all shapes and sizes. They are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and can happen to any individual, irrespective of age or sex. They can grow on external skin, genitalia and even on the rectal area. Viral warts are contagious when one comes into contact with the skin of infected person. Sometimes they disappear on their own in a few months and at other times, they can last for years. Usually harmless in nature, warts become a cause of concern due to their unsightly appearance. 

Common Homeopathic Remedies: 

Homeopathy treats the person as a whole. It means that homeopathic treatment focuses on the patient as a person, as well as his pathological condition. The homeopathic medicines are selected after a full individualizing examination and case-analysis, which includes the medical history of the patient, physical and mental constitution etc. A miasmatic tendency (predisposition/susceptibility) is also often taken into account for the treatment of chronic conditions. The homeopathic remedies for warts given below indicate the therapeutic affinity but this is not a complete and definite guide to the treatment of this condition.

Homeopathy is a medicinal repository when we talk about treating viral warts. Medication is selected after a careful examination of the patient and considering his/her medical history. Here are some of the most advisable homeopathic medicines that are usually prescribed for viral warts. 

Thuja Occidentalis: Thuja is one of the most commonly prescribed homeopathic medicines for various kinds of warts. Especially if no other remedy is clearly prescribed, Thuja can be considered. 
Antimonium Crudum (Ant-c): This remedy works best for hard and smooth warts which appear in groups. These kinds of warts are often found on soles and hands. 
Calcarea Carbonica (Cal C.): Useful for treating warts that appear on the neck, this homeopathic remedy treats warts that are round, hard and appear solitarily. 
Causticum (Caust.): This remedy treats old, large warts that usually appear on the face (nose), under the fingernails or even on the fingertips. Such warts are hard, painful and bleed easily. 
Dulcamara (Dulc.): Flat looking warts appearing on the face and hands call for this remedy. These warts are brown to blackish in colour and get worse in cold or damp weather. 
Graphites (Graph.): This remedy works for warts that are periungual or corn-like in appearance. They appear on palms or soles of the feet and have a yellowish tinge. This medicine also works for patients of eczema. 
Different individuals respond differently to homeopathic treatments. It is important to take a holistic approach to the case in point and start treatment accordingly. We have treated more than 1200 such cases with Homeopathic treatment, so that dermatologists refers patients to us.

Viral Warts and Its Solution With Homeopathy

Have you been noticing bumps on your skin surface? Does the top of this growth resemble a cauliflower and feel bumpy or smooth when you touch it? These are the symptoms of a disease known as warts, which is caused by HPV or human papillomavirus. Generally, warts are not very dangerous, but they are ugly, contagious and may cause pain as well. Warts may be caused by more than 100 types of HPV viruses. A certain type of HPV causes warts around the genitals. In women, these are called genital warts and it is a severe disease.

Treatment
All warts do not require treatment and disappear on their own. This is because over time, the body s immune system can destroy the HPV virus which causes warts. A wart needs to be treated when it is painful, embarrassing, gets irritating easily, spreads to other parts of the body or spreads to other people. The goal of the treatment is to eliminate or remove the wart, avoiding a scar tissue. Creating a scar tissue would cause more pain than the wart. The treatment of warts depends upon the type, location and specific symptoms of the disease.

Self-treatment
Warts can be treated at home using salicylic acid and duct tape. Most warts do not require treatment, but in case the symptoms worsen and do not go away on their own, you require proper care.
Medical treatment

The medical treatment for warts prescribed by a doctor includes the following:

Cryotherapy
Certain medicated creams and ointments
Surgical methods such as electrosurgery or laser surgery
Chemical peels with certain acids
Excision or cutting of the warts
Before going for a treatment, it is important to detect the exact type of wart. Treatment for some types of warts may be quite painful with the chances of a scar tissue. Warts which lie beneath the skin are difficult to treat and the doctor might need to make an incision on the skin over the wart to let the medicine penetrate through it.

An HPV vaccine can be taken to protect men and women from the common warts caused by HPV viruses. This vaccine can be taken up to the age of 26. The vaccine should be taken before getting sexually active and is more effective when taken before being exposed to the HPV virus. In order to prevent transmission of the HPV virus, having protected sex is recommended. In case of any severe symptoms of warts, you must consult a doctor immediately.

Warts - Dermatological Treatments For It!

6 effective ways to get rid of warts

Warts are small, rough patches on the skin (resembling cauliflowers) that are caused due to the human papillomavirus (hpv- a dna virus that can infect humans). In this condition, only the topmost layer of your skin gets infected and acquires a rough texture. Warts are not fatal (they do not cause cancer), but they are contagious in nature and do not vanish easily. 

Read on to find the most effective ways to get rid of warts. 

1. Over-the-counter wart removers
Over-the-counter wart treatments containing salicylic acid (a type of fungicide) as an active ingredient are commonly used for effective removal of warts. These medications generally eliminate warts by removing the topmost layer of the skin, following the peel-off process.

2. Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy, also known as freezing therapy, is generally performed by a dermatologist and consists of the use of liquid nitrogen for freezing the warts. The application of the chemical results in the formation of a blister around the warts, which shed off after about a week. It takes almost 3 to 4 weeks to have completely wart-free skin. This method proves to be more effective when used with salicylic acid-based wart removers.

3. Laser treatment
Another form of wart removal is pulsed-dye laser treatment. An ablative co2 laser acts by cutting and burning the wart. In this type of treatment the affected blood vessels are burnt, leading to the death of the infected tissue, following which the wart too disappears. However, this method is not commonly used if other treatment methods tend to work as it is painful and may leave behind scars.

4. Vaccine
Sometimes your dermatologist may recommend the use of human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccine to successfully eliminate warts.

5. Bleomycin
In this type of treatment each wart is injected with a shot of bleomycin, a medicine that fights cancer. However, this treatment is not preferred generally as it may be painful and comes with side effects like nail loss if the wart is present on the finger.

6. Immune therapy
When warts refuse to vanish after the use of all common treatments, this method is put into use. This type of treatment involves the use of medications or solutions, which strengthens your immune system so that it can repel warts. In this case your warts may be injected with an antigen or a solution or cream may be applied on them. 

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on'consult.

6 Effective Ways to Get Rid of Warts - Cauliflower-like Skin Inflammation

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