What is it about ?
Warts are benign thickenings of the skin. They are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are over 100 different kinds of HPV. Some cause warts on the skin or mucous membranes, others are the basis of cervical cancer. The virus is transmitted by direct contact with the skin and easily survives in a humid environment (swimming pools, showers and sports locker rooms or wet towels). Often the virus enters the skin through a gateway. It could be just a small sore. People with weakened resistance (for example with AIDS or chemotherapy) are more susceptible to these infections.
We distinguish
- genital warts (condylomata acuminata), which develop on the sexual organs,
- non-genital warts elsewhere on the body. In this last category:
- classic warts (common warts), which can appear anywhere on the skin, but especially on the hands (80%), elbows, feet and knees. There are also filiform warts which appear rather in the face;
- flat warts;
- warts on the sole of the foot (plantar warts).
In children we often see what some people sometimes call water warts. They are caused by another virus, the molluscum contagiosum. These are not really warts.
What is their frequency?
All categories of warts combined, one in two times they develop in people under 19 years of age. They are less common in adults. They have indeed made antibodies against the virus.
How to recognize them?
Classic warts are round or oval, with a hard, rough surface, and a diameter of 0.1 to 1 cm. There are small black dots. They can be very close to each other, so that the affected area looks like the surface of a cauliflower. If you try to cut them, there will be little bleeding. Usually, these warts are not painful.
Plantar warts (on the sole of the foot) can put pressure on the underlying structures and be painful. Often they are covered with a thick layer of callus, which makes them look like a horn.
Genital warts are found around the penis, vagina, or anus. They are pinkish-reddish to gray-white and are usually in clusters, very close to each other. Sometimes they aren’t a problem, but sometimes they are itchy or stinging. Fluid may also leak from the vagina or urethra.
How is the diagnosis made?
Warts are usually diagnosed on sight. If in doubt, the doctor takes a piece of tissue for microscopic analysis in the laboratory.
What can you do ?
Your body makes antibodies against the virus. Most warts (60%) heal spontaneously within 2 years of onset. Usually, therefore, no treatment is necessary. It is impossible to prevent the spread of ordinary warts. Avoiding swimming pools or shaking hands with someone who has warts just doesn’t make sense. You can limit your risks by having good hygiene and using your own towel. Also always wash your hands after contact with a wart. Do not try to cut the wart yourself. You would make a new sore there, from which the virus can then form new warts.
There are a whole host of over-the-counter warts at the drugstore. But the results often leave much to be desired. You will also find products based on salicylic acid and / or lactic acid that you apply with a small brush or pen to the wart, or markers with silver nitrate. These substances are very biting and can also damage the healthy skin around the wart. In addition, you should use them daily for 2-3 months. Other products destroy the wart by freezing it at a temperature of – 50 ° C. But this process is often insufficient to obtain a good result.
What can your doctor do?
The doctor will only treat warts that do not go away on their own or those that bother you. Your doctor or dermatologist can freeze the wart with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy) at temperatures as low as – 170 ° C. This extremely low temperature destroys the wart. This process is a bit painful. The first few days, a blister can form. Usually several sessions are needed, for example 3 to 6 every 1 to 2 weeks. Before the doctor applies cryotherapy, he may first remove some callus.
Surgery to remove warts does not give better results than cryotherapy. This procedure further leaves a scar which can be painful at the pressure points.
Laser treatment may be offered for warts that resist other treatments.
The process of burning warts is hardly ever practiced again. This is an aggressive method that leaves scars.
Finally, there is also the possibility of injecting an anti-tumor agent. This alternative is only practiced if all other methods have failed.
Normally, genital warts also heal spontaneously. They can be treated locally by applying cream, laser or cold burn (cryotherapy). Larger warts can also be removed surgically. However, the virus will remain present. This is why genital warts come back so easily.
Want to know more?
- Warts: annoying intruders – mongeneraliste.be – SSMG – Scientific Society of General Medicine
- Wart (image) – Global Skin Atlas
Source