Warts: symptoms, causes and treatment

Definition

What are warts?

Warts are a contagious skin disease with a sign of an overgrowth of the skin caused by a virus. Usually, it looks like a cauliflower and is classified as a benign tumor. The main cause of this condition is human papillomavirus (HPV).

This virus infects the top layer of the skin and grows rapidly. You can become infected with the virus if you have sores on your skin. You can also get it if you touch someone who has the virus.

Based on the location where they appear, warts are divided into several types, namely as follows.

• Common warts, appearing on the fingers.
• Plantar, is on the soles of the feet.
• Genital warts, appearing on the genitals or rectum.
• Flat warts, occur on the face, knees and elbows.
• Filiform, often appearing around the folds of the eyes and lips.

How common is this condition?

Warts are a fairly common skin disease, but they are more common in people who are younger. In most cases, this condition resolves and goes away on its own without treatment.

Even so, there are cases where the symptoms can recur and recur quite frequently. If so, you need to go to a doctor to treat it.

Signs & symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of warts?

Generally, warts are painless, their presence has only been found to be a disruptive appearance to some people. However, sometimes warts can also get pinched and bleed if the bumps are located on the face and head.

In addition, there are several different forms of warts from one another.

In common warts, symptoms tend to appear around the fingers, nails, and back of the palms. Most of the lumps are rough texture and brown or white, sometimes accompanied by black dots that look like seeds. It is for this reason that common warts are also often called seed warts.

In plantar warts, the symptoms appear on the soles of the feet and can grow in groups. Often, plantar warts appear flat or ingrown, giving rise to hollows. When you experience it, you will feel like there are pebbles in the shoe.

Another with flat warts, the shape is smaller and smoother than other types. Symptoms can appear anywhere, but appear more often on the face. Men most often experience it in the beard area.

Meanwhile, filiform warts are shaped like long threads or thin, protruding bumps. The lumps often grow rapidly. If it grows on a sensitive skin area, it can cause itching or irritation.

There may be signs and symptoms not listed above. If you have concerns about a particular symptom, consult your doctor.

When should I see a doctor?

You should contact your doctor if you experience any of the following.

• Treatment with over-the-counter drugs does not work after 2 - 3 months.
• The lump still appears and even spreads even though you are undergoing treatment.
• Signs of a bacterial infection appear, such as pain, swelling, redness, or pus.
  
• If you are diabetic or have peripheral artery disease and have these excess skin bumps on the legs.
• Lumps appear on the genitals or around the anal area.

Given the incidence that mostly affects children or young adults, those of you who are over 60 years of age need to see a doctor when a similar lump appears on your skin.

This is especially so if these symptoms are new and you have never experienced them before. This is to determine whether the lump is a sign of skin cancer or not.

Causes and Risk Factors

What causes warts?

As mentioned above, the cause of this skin disease is a virus human papillomavirus (HPV). This virus actually has 150 different strains, but only a few can cause warts on your skin.

Some HPV viruses can be transmitted through sexual contact, for example in genital warts. However, most of these conditions are transmitted through skin contact with someone who has the virus or through sharing something like a towel.

Additionally, scratching or picking at warts can spread infection. Skin that has open sores is also more at risk of becoming infected with the virus.

What are the risk factors?

There are several factors that put a person at a higher risk of developing warts. These factors include:

• age: children, adolescents, to young adults are more susceptible to this condition.
• body immunity level: people with weakened immune systems such as PLWHA or who have had an organ transplant are more prone to infection.
• nail biting habit: nail biting can spread the virus around the nails and fingers.

Medicine & medication

What are the treatment options for wart skin disease?

Indeed, most warts can heal on their own without the need for special skin disease treatment. However, many people are annoyed by its appearance, so various methods are used to get rid of it.

If you want to solve it, of course the first thing to do is to determine whether the differences that appear on the skin are a sign of warts.

At the time of the examination, the doctor looks at the lumps that have appeared on the skin and looks at the shape and color to see if there are any characteristics that can indicate certain skin conditions. If these observations are not clear, the doctor will take a small sample of your skin to be examined in the laboratory to confirm disease.

After that, the doctor will provide treatment. Apart from destroying warts, some medications aim to stimulate the immune system's response to fighting the virus. The duration can take weeks or even months.

Drugs given by doctors can vary, depending on the appearance. Reporting from the American Association of Dermatology, here are some treatment options.

• Cantharidin: a medicine that will be applied by the doctor to the affected area to make the skin blister and make it easier to remove the wart.
• Chemical peel : chemical drug to peel the affected layer of skin. Usually the drug chosen contains salicylic acid or glycolic acid.
• Cryotherapy: the treatment process through freezing using liquid nitrogen.
• Minor surgery: the doctor will dissect the skin to remove the wart.
• Laser: The laser burns the tiny blood vessels in the infected tissue to destroy the wart.
• Immunotherapy: a treatment that uses the patient's own immune system to fight the virus. Immunotherapy is only used for patients with conditions that are more severe or difficult to treat.

Home care

What are the treatments that can be done at home?

If you want to get rid of it yourself, you can use topical drugs that contain salicylic acid. These topical drugs are available over the counter without a doctor's prescription and come as a gel, liquid, or patch.

How to use it, you can soak the area affected by the wart in warm water for a few minutes. Then, apply salicylic acid medication. Usually the results will only be seen after routinely doing it for several weeks.

Pay attention if you start to feel pain or irritation, stop using the drug immediately.

In addition, below are some things you can do to help your condition.

• Washing hands. Especially after you touch the affected skin area to avoid spreading it.
• Don't bite your nails. Warts are more common on damaged skin. Biting the skin around the nails opens the door to the virus.
• Do not pick and touch warts. Picking can spread the virus.
• Care for skin. To avoid spreading the virus, do not brush, cut or shave nearby areas of interest. If you must shave, use an electric razor.
• Don't share personal items. The virus can be transmitted from the personal property of a person who has the following conditions.
• Keep your feet clean and dry. Change your shoes and socks every day.
• Use shoes or sandals in a public place with exposure to disease-causing viruses, such as around a swimming pool or gym bathroom.

If you have any questions, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.