Warts

Warts are mostly contagious but harmless skin diseases that occur in different forms and shapes on the human body. Typical warts are slightly raised and differ in color from normal skin color. As with athlete's foot, there is a risk of infection, especially through smear infections in swimming pools and showers.

What are warts?

The wart is a benign tumor on the top layer of the skin. It is clearly raised and sharply delimited. Warts are usually small and can take on practically any color, from gray to brown to various shades of pink.

They occur in every imaginable part of the body. Warts on fingers and hands are clearly visible, but they also occur on the feet, for example. Variants known as genital warts also occur in the genital and anal areas.

causes

The most common cause of Warts are human papilloma viruses. These are viruses that hardly pose a major threat to humans. They penetrate the top layer of skin through the smallest of injuries to the skin and mucous membranes and initially nest there. It can take weeks or even months for the wart to form. Papilloma viruses are tied to humans, so they only damage them as much as is absolutely necessary for their own survival.

There are many sources of infection. The vulgar wart or plantar wart, for example, can be contracted in the swimming pool or by touching raw, infected sweat. In such cases it is a smear infection. Genital warts, on the other hand, are transmitted through sexual intercourse. The viruses spread when there is minimal damage to the mucous membrane.

Age warts are a special form of warts. It is brownish wart formation that can form anywhere on the body. In most cases, they are benign; they rarely result in a malignant tumor that needs to be removed. They are special cases because their origin is unknown and therefore no cause can be identified.

Diseases with this symptom

• Genital warts
• Plantar warts

• Foot warts
• Fibroma

• Dellar warts
• Seborrheic keratosis

Complications

Warts can be caused by different pathogens and are associated with different complications. The occurrence of warts can lead to local skin diseases such as abscesses or eczema. These can be caused by an additional infection with bacteria, but they can also be triggered by an immune system reaction.

Pain and the formation of scars are also often present as complications in this context. Another complication is that warts can spread further on the skin from their place of origin and thus the infection with the respective pathogen can also spread. In the case of plantar warts, which mainly occur on the soles of the feet, a very deep and extensive growth into the skin tissue can occur as a complication.

Often these warts are painful when walking. Surgical removal can also cause inflammation, which is characterized by pain and reddening of the skin. Plantar warts tend to reappear even if treatment is initially successful.

Genital warts that are caused by an infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV) show a relatively high relapse rate of around 30 percent despite treatment with medication or surgical methods. Certain types of the human papilloma virus can also cause cells to degenerate and contribute to the development of cervical cancer.

When should you go to the doctor?

Different types of warts can become more common with age. In itself, this is not a reason to see a doctor. If you have plantar warts on your foot, however, a visit to a doctor is recommended if they cause pain. Plantar warts can lead to severe pain and increased callus formation due to their inward growth. Cornea intensifies the pressure pain. Self-treatment should only be undertaken in the early stages.

Whether warts actually go away simply by discussing them varies. Often it is possible. However, there is no herb against age warts. They are non-contagious and natural. Age warts usually do not require treatment. If they are very annoying or have a tendency to water, a dermatologist can surgically remove them. This is also necessary if a wart changes significantly over the years.

Genital warts in the anal or genital area should always be shown to a doctor. The problem with such types of warts is that they are transmissible. It is therefore sensible to get medical information about treatment and protection options. It is also important to determine whether it is a wart at all. In wart-like neoplasms, it is occasionally a skin cancer. If a newly created wart-shaped structure seems uncanny to a person, a visit to the doctor is always useful. If there is the slightest suspicion of skin cancer, immediate action is required.

Doctors & therapists in your area

Treatment & Therapy

Warts are mainly treated for aesthetic reasons. If the immune system is intact, they resolve on their own after a few months. The viruses die and the keratinized wart is sanded off.

Often not even a visible change in the skin remains. However, the treatment can make it much faster and in some cases it is necessary.

Surgical removal is performed if the warts are deep into the tissue or if the immune system is too weak to fight them. They are scraped off with a sharp spoon - this can cause significant pain and blood loss.

Icing the wart or treating it with salicylic acid, for example, are much more gentle. As a result, it gradually disappears as the viruses are killed. Antivirals that inhibit the multiplication of papilloma viruses and are also considered to be gentle are also possible.

↳ More information: Home remedies for warts

Outlook & forecast

Warts are generally harmless. With treatment of the causative virus, they usually disappear again on their own. However, depending on the virus and wart type, this can take weeks to months. People with a weakened immune system sometimes require long therapy until the small skin growths have completely healed. As a study on school children and adolescents shows, after about two years around seventy percent of all those affected are free from warts again.

Even after that, however, there is a high relapse rate. The viruses are usually still in the body and reappear in other areas of the skin. The risk of recurrence is particularly high with non-surgical methods. Genital warts can also recur and sometimes even develop into a chronic disease.

With vulgar warts, the prognosis is more positive. Corresponding growths are usually free of complications and do not need to be treated. After years, they usually regress on their own or can be removed quickly and reliably using typical treatment measures. The prognosis for warts is accordingly positive and almost always promises a good course of the disease without major complications.

prevention

In the group of Warts especially genital warts can be effectively prevented. There is, however, a vaccine - in one study women were vaccinated with it; it offered all participants full protection against the pathogens.

Other types of warts can also be prevented by adhering to hygienic principles. The risk cannot be avoided entirely, but it can be contained. In swimming pools, for example, you should only walk with slippers, towels should not be shared. Even in public showers, the floor should not be touched directly. Ideally, contact with other people's existing warts should also be avoided.

You can do that yourself

A doctor does not necessarily have to be consulted with warts. You can usually remove the small growths yourself with the help of home remedies and simple measures. Castor oil is considered to be an effective agent. Applied daily to the affected area, the oil of the miracle tree softens the wart and finally makes it disappear.

The juice of the celandine leaf, which is applied to the skin growths in the form of a cream, is similarly effective. Other herbal home remedies are Swedish bitter toppings, propolis, milkweed, tea tree oil and marigold ointment. A bandage with a piece of banana peel or onion is also suitable for external use. The skin growths can also be treated with lemon juice or soap, whereby these agents should always be applied overnight.

Homeopathic remedies such as Causticum or Schüssler salts help with stalked warts on the fingers or nose. In addition, warts can also be iced up. Cold sprays from the pharmacy are just as effective as ice cold compresses from the freezer. Special wart plasters or tinctures also remove most skin growths reliably. If these measures do not show the desired effect, the warts should be treated by a dermatologist.