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08/13/2018 · Warts · No comments yet
Warts on the legs are not only an aesthetic problem, but also a source of constant discomfort. Most often, painful growths form in the sole area. Such neoplasms are called plantar warts or thorns. Other types of warts (flat, vulgar) can be localized on the skin of the lower extremities, interdigital spaces or toes.
Why do warts appear on the feet?
Foot warts are a fairly common occurrence that can bother absolutely anyone, regardless of age. Such neoplasms cause not only aesthetic discomfort, but also even pain.
Despite the fact that these are benign formations, they are subject to timely and competent treatment. Otherwise, complications may arise. Excessive sweating or poor personal hygiene contribute to the appearance of growths on the legs, but there are a number of other reasons:
- skin damage;
- reducing skin acidity levels;
- disturbances in the functioning of the endocrine system;
- weak immunity.
Of course, these are not all the reasons, but the main ones. Any of these factors not only contributes to infection, but can also cause complications in the treatment of tumors in the future.
Types of growths on the legs
There are 2 types of growths on the feet:
- Ordinary. This type of wart can appear quite quickly and is caused by contact with infected people or their personal belongings. Such a growth has a clearly defined border, round or oval in shape. As for color, the shade can range from light yellow to dark brown. Ordinary papillomas can appear on any part of the leg - be it the thigh or foot.
- Plantar. Such warts appear in places where the skin has been subjected to severe trauma or pressure. They often occur on the feet of children and people who suffer from excessive sweating. When papilloma occurs, it has a convex shape, becoming flat over time. A plantar wart is characterized by a clearly defined contour and a keratinized surface.
Very often, people mistake a plantar wart for an ordinary callus. When the keratinized part is removed from the growth, black dots will be visible under it, representing blood capillaries that are characteristic of this neoplasm.
Typical locations of warts
Warts most often appear in the following places:
- Warts on the face: Flat – the most common type, affects the cheeks and the area around the mouth.
- Vulgar - can appear on any part of the face in single formations or several in different areas.
- Thread-like - favorite places are eyelids, lips, neck.
- Vulgar – affects fingers, palms, hands (photo).
What is the danger of warts?
Due to the fact that plantar warts grow deep into the cells, as the roots deepen, the mole increases in width. This leads to the appearance of many spines on the foot. Therefore, it is worth finding out not only what causes warts on the legs, but also how to cure the disease in general. Absolutely all types of neoplasms require treatment, especially plantar and heel tumors, which over time can develop into malignant tumors.
Medical statistics show that 35 out of 50 people with growths disappear on their own. These are people with strong immunity who are able to independently overcome the virus, suppress its development and heal dermal tissue. Please note that you should not try to eliminate a wart yourself, since removing one growth can lead to an increase in its diameter or the appearance of more of them.
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If the human papillomavirus begins to progress, it can cause cancer. The DNA will be contaminated and then healing and removal methods will not help. A person will have to use chemotherapy, various procedures with acupuncture and injections, strengthen the body’s immune system with vitamin complexes and constantly be in a specialized clinic under the supervision of doctors. Remember that the reason for the appearance of warts on the legs can be the most trivial factors: wiping with someone else’s towel, shaving with a razor that is not yours, or simply shaking the hand of an unfamiliar virus carrier.
Causes of warts
An unattractive formation has appeared on your beautiful legs, and you cannot understand the reason for its appearance? Now we will find out where warts come from.
- Poor nutrition. It would seem that for this reason you can only gain weight. However, it has been proven that eating unhealthy foods gradually weakens your body. In turn, this leads to the formation of growths on the skin.
- Weak immunity. As noted above, when the body is not healthy, it costs nothing to place new growths on your skin. Especially, weakness is experienced in winter, autumn, when you are sick or have been sick.
- Papilloma virus. Infection occurs very quickly through objects used by the infected, which constitute 90% of the entire population. "How?" - you will be surprised. The fact is that one in three is a carrier of the virus, but not everyone develops growths.
- Intestinal ailments. Intestinal diseases (dysbacteriosis, enterocolitis, etc.) lead to unpleasant neoplasms. This occurs due to insufficient absorption of nutrients from food.
- Liver diseases. In these cases, the blood is not fully purified, which leads to the growth of warts.
Treatment methods for warts on the feet
Having found out why warts appear on the legs, you need to know about ways to get rid of them. Or maybe there is a need for treatment for papillomavirus? In some cases, they may disappear within 2-3 years. If you have one or more small papillomas on your body, there is no particular reason to be concerned. But if discomfort occurs and tumors grow, treatment must be carried out without fail. The feet are exposed to enormous stress when walking, periodically causing pain.
It is worth noting that foot warts are the most difficult to treat. It is possible that such a treatment procedure will need to be repeated more than once. From what? Because healing on the feet or if it is the sole is the most difficult, because then the person will not be able to walk - he will need to do bandages, lotions and compresses all the time while lying down.
There are several methods for treating growths on the legs:
- Surgical.
- Removal using laser beams.
- Coagulation using electric current.
- Cryogenic therapy.
- Use of medications.
- Immunomodulatory therapy.
The most modern method of treating warts is cryogenic therapy, which involves the use of nitrogen. Using a special device, the substance mixture is applied to the papillomas, as a result of which it is frozen. At the end of cryogenic therapy, which usually lasts for 10-12 days, the formations on the skin completely disappear.
Another effective excision method is laser. The only thing is that this procedure is very expensive and not all branches of the population can afford it. After removal, no body marks remain, which, of course, is very important for people who care about their body and the aesthetic appearance of the epidermis.
Main types of warts
There are many more types of papillomas than you might imagine. Modern medicine distinguishes 5 main types.
- Flat (youthful). Such warts are characterized by abundant growths. They are up to 5 mm in size, but their number drives teenagers crazy.
- Vulgar. The most common growths at any age. It is worth noting that such neoplasms are not at all scary, since within 6-8 months they resolve on their own.
- Thread-like. Their size reaches 6 mm. Such elongated neoplasms should be feared, since they tend to spread throughout the body.
- Genital warts can occur in both men and women. They are warty formations that are located on the genitals. It is worth noting that this growth can easily be located both on the skin and in the mucous area.
- Age. A neoplasm of a non-viral nature that never turns into cancer.
Unconventional ways to eliminate spines
Among traditional medicine there are those that allow you to remove formations forever. These include all kinds of drugs, ancient spells, and also elements of conspiracies that confirm the effectiveness of these drugs. Very often, to eliminate warts on the feet, grandmothers and great-grandmothers, healers and shamans used the following products:
- Onion. You need to grate a small onion and mix with vinegar. A patch with a cut out circle equal in diameter to the size of the papilloma is applied to a healthy area of skin near the wart. A mixture of onion and vinegar is applied to the growth, and several pieces of plaster are glued on top. 3-4 procedures will be enough to get rid of tumors.
- Dough. It is very convenient to use a mixture consisting of flour and vinegar. First you need to steam the plantar wart and carefully remove the upper part. In this case, a cloth must be applied to a healthy area of skin. Having brought the mixture of flour and vinegar to a dough-like mass, it must be applied to the papilloma, sealed with a band-aid and left for 5-6 hours. Repeat several times until the formations disappear.
- Garlic or horseradish. This method is similar to the previous one, only horseradish or garlic gruel is used instead of flour and vinegar. It should be noted that this must be done once a day – at night. In the morning, to avoid odor, you can disinfect it with alcohol diluted with water.
Oils from various plants can be used to treat skin tumors. Particularly popular is castor oil, which is often used in the treatment of dermatological diseases. Do not forget that alternative medicine only helps to neutralize skin growths, but does not destroy the cause of their occurrence - the human papillomavirus. There is a high probability that in the future, the patient will encounter such a problem again, so it is very important to know the reasons for the appearance of warts on the legs in order to prevent the infection itself in time.
How to delete?
Chemical removal
Is it possible to get rid of papillomas forever using various chemicals? The success of treatment depends on the stage of development of the disease .
Warts can be destroyed with a mixture of perhydrol, podophellin and trichloroacetic acid.
The solution destroys cells containing viruses.
The disadvantage of this method is the pain during removal . In addition, it is quite difficult to predict the final result.
The reason is that chemicals are not always able to remove a wart on the heel completely. In this case, it will grow again.
Cryosurgical method
Freezing the growth with liquid nitrogen removes the layer of epidermis infected with the virus.
However, this method also has disadvantages:
- the patient feels pain during the removal procedure;
- the damaged area takes a long time to heal after surgery;
- there is no guarantee that the growth will be completely removed.
Photochemotherapy
Irradiation of papillomas with ultraviolet light is a completely painless method of treatment . To get rid of papillomas you will have to undergo a course of treatment for 14 days.
Surgical methods
They involve removing a tumor on the leg by a surgeon under anesthesia. In this case, the root of the papilloma may remain.
Electrocoagulation
The essence of the method is to pass an electric current through a thin needle.
When current passes through the affected tissues, they are burned. Visible scars may remain at the site of the removed wart.
Laser method
The advantage of the laser method is the complete removal of tumors. The laser beam is able to penetrate to the desired depth, removing the growth from the roots. At the same time, it does not affect healthy cells, and this promotes rapid healing.
Treatment with ointments
Salicylic ointment is a reliable way to get rid of papillomas
Salicylic acid, which is part of the ointment, penetrates the upper layer of the wart and destroys cells affected by the virus.
Directions for use : Before applying salicylic ointment, steam the wart. This should be done in the evening. In the morning, wash off the product.
The drug should not be applied to irritated areas of the skin.
Feresol
Feresol should be applied carefully. After application, wait a few minutes.
For large growths, the procedure is repeated 3-4 times.
Plantar warts are pre-steamed in a hot bath. The stratum corneum can be cut off with nail scissors.
Verrucacid
Improved version of Feresol. The product acts more gently and precisely. A special applicator will allow you to avoid getting the drug on healthy skin.
Viferon
Interferon, which is part of the drug Viferon, fights the papilloma virus.
Directions for use: Apply ointment to warts 2-4 times a day.
The treatment period can be up to 30 days.
Pills
Reduced immunity is one of the reasons for the formation of warts . In this case, you cannot do without isoprizonin . These tablets are a strong immunomodulator.
You need to take them 3 times a day, 2 tablets. The drug has no age restrictions. The optimal dose for children is 0.5 tablets per day.
You can see the 10 best pharmaceutical remedies for warts in our article.
Traditional methods of fighting papillomas
- Rubbing with cut garlic cloves will allow you to get rid of unpleasant growths.
- You can remove warts with acetic acid. Please note that the acid should not come into contact with healthy skin. Apply 1 drop of the substance to warts daily.
- Lubricating with celandine is another way to get rid of papillomas. Plant juice is dripped onto the affected area.
You can learn more about how to get rid of warts at home here.
Are you sure that you have a wart and not a callus on your foot? Like a wart, a callus can appear:
- on the thumb and little finger;
- between the toes;
- on the heel;
- and even under the nail.
Therefore, anyone who has encountered this problem should know:
- 3 ways to remove calluses.
- Folk remedies for growths on the leg.
- What to do if the callus is inflamed?
- How to cure a callus on the foot with pus?
Prevention of warts on the feet
To avoid the unwanted appearance of tumors on the legs and feet, following certain rules will help:
- Strict adherence to personal hygiene requirements.
- Exceptions to walking without slippers in crowded places.
- Avoid wearing shoes that do not allow your feet to breathe and lead to increased sweating.
- Avoid contact with objects that have been used by infected people.
- Exclusions from the diet of junk food.
- Taking vitamins to strengthen the immune system.
Whatever method you choose to remove warts on your feet, you should consult with a specialist before starting self-treatment. Remember that the use of certain medications can lead to burns and injury to papillomas.
Due to the nature of the development of benign growths into malignant ones, it is not recommended to engage in self-treatment, because this can indeed be very dangerous to health. Additionally, always test on the ulnar part of the arm when you want to use traditional medicine. Apply any mixture and wait up to twenty minutes. If there is nothing, then there is no allergic reaction.
The article has been verified by the editors