What to do if the wart becomes inflamed, red or swollen?

Warts are an extremely unpleasant aesthetic problem. If such a growth begins to become inflamed and swollen, causing physical discomfort, this causes even more concern and cannot be ignored. The reasons for this phenomenon may be different, but in any case, if the wart has changed, you should consult a dermatologist. Only a specialist will be able to determine how dangerous the change in growth is in each specific case, and will help eliminate the problem without consequences.

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Causes and symptoms of inflammation

The reasons why a wart becomes inflamed and hurts can be divided into the following categories:

1. Damage to a benign growth.
2. Decreased immunity.

Inflammatory processes can progress with severe concomitant diseases of the body, severe immunodeficiency.

After removal

After removing the formations surgically or using hardware techniques, secondary changes and relapse may occur at the site of scars and scars. This is the result of a weakened immune system due to internal processes in the body or exposure to environmental factors:

• acute infectious processes, protracted viral-bacterial diseases with a long course of antibiotic therapy, hormonal drugs;
• pathological disorder of the endocrine glands (thyroid, pancreas, adrenal cortex, hypothalamus, prostate);
• hormonal imbalance in the body (pregnancy, lactation, menopause, puberty);
• poisoning with disruption of the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal system, filtration function of the biliary system, liver and renal excretory apparatus;
• violation of the diet with depletion of the body (vitaminosis, lack of minerals, trace elements, beneficial nutrients), lack of rest, disruption of recovery processes;
• allergic reactions (Quincke's edema, extensive urticaria, anaphylactic shock, asthmatic phenomena);
• alcohol abuse, smoking, drug addiction.

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Secondary warts, genital warts and hanging growths on the thin skin of the face and neck can change in different ways. There is an increase in size to giant papillomatous “inflorescences”, bleeding, suppuration, spontaneously drying out and falling off, turning red, blackening or fading.

Surgery of growths can disrupt local immunity, especially if the removed wart has festered and the HPV strain is reactivated after removal of external manifestations.

After injury

Injuries to skin growths with violation of the integrity of the skin, tearing off warts, and the formation of wounds in their place are a frequent provocateur of the oncogenic process. The causes of inflammation from injuries depend on the following factors:

• constant trauma due to friction against clothing, especially when growths are located in the area of ​​the groin folds, waistband, or under the breasts in women;
• mechanical trauma or the risk of tearing off a wart during hygiene procedures (rubbing with a washcloth, shaving) when localized in the armpits, on the face in men, when combing hair with a sharp-toothed comb or accidental damage to nails;
• with constant treatment with cosmetic creams and deodorants, peeling, cracking of the surface of the growth, and suppuration may begin;
• in case of burns from household products, aggressive alkalis, acids;
• the use of treatment with various cauterizing mixtures, traditional medicine compresses for independent disposal, damages the formation, provoking redness around the wart;
• sunburn of the skin with areas of papillomatous growth, exposure to ultraviolet rays can provoke discoloration (the formation may turn black), itching, pain, redness.

If primary signs of external changes in pigmentation growths appear, you should consult a doctor to eliminate inflammatory symptoms and prescribe treatment in a timely manner to avoid complications. Particularly dangerous are warts that suddenly become inflamed.

Treatment methods

If the inflamed papilloma darkens, forms a dense covering on the surface, bleeds and hurts, it must be urgently removed.

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Today, the most well-known ways to get rid of warts are the following:

1. Laser surgery.
2. Radio wave surgery.
3. Electrocoagulation.

Along with this, medicinal antiviral drugs and immunomodulatory treatment are used. These measures allow you to avoid the recurrence of growths and negative consequences.

Self-medication of an inflamed wart is strictly prohibited, as there is a high probability of papillomatosis. Externally, this phenomenon consists of many neoplasms spreading to healthy areas of the skin.

In medical practice, among the many types of human papillomavirus, formations with high oncogenic activity are found. When they are introduced into the human body, the development of cancer cells can begin. In addition, trauma to the papilloma can lead to its malignancy. The following symptoms indicate this:

1. enlargement .
2. Violation of the integrity of the top layer.
3. The appearance of small spots on the wart.
4. Serous or bloody discharge.

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It is important to note that malignancy of the inflamed growth is rare. The appearance of cancer cells is usually provoked by excessive activity of viruses, chronic inflammatory diseases, and decreased immunity.

After a visual examination by the doctor and all the necessary tests, a dermatologist determines the method of removing the wart. The main thing is the speed of decision making. Waiting tactics lead to irreparable consequences.

Basic removal methods

Traditionally, removal of the inflamed growth is carried out by surgery using local anesthesia. The disadvantage of this intervention is that a visible scar remains on the skin. Currently, improved methods of getting rid of papillomas have appeared, so classic surgery is rarely performed.

Electrocoagulation is a hardware electrosurgical method for solving the problem. Under the influence of current, the cellular fluid evaporates and the protein is destroyed, which in the future leads to the disappearance of the wart.

Electrosurgery is used to remove growths of any size. The power of the device and the exposure time increase in proportion to the depth of the papilloma.

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Cryodestruction with liquid nitrogen. A procedure that allows you to eliminate warts of various locations using low temperature.

Keratolytic agents are another safe and effective way to get rid of growth using salicylic and lactic acids. Removal by this method takes a long time and therefore requires a lot of patience from the patient.

Among the newest methods for removing warts is radio wave surgery. The procedure is widely used to treat tumors of various locations. Under the influence of the device, thermal energy is generated that excises the tissue. The advantages of radio wave surgery include the following:

1. No possibility of injury.
2. Painless.
3. No scars on the skin.

Laser destruction is one of the most successful ways to remove warts. The positive qualities of the event include the accuracy of the operation, the absence of mechanical impact and serious complications.

Drug treatment

In addition to surgical methods of solving the problem, there are medicinal methods.

For this purpose most often used:

1. Products with a freezing effect, such as Cryopharma or Wartner.
2. Necrotizing drugs, the targeted effect of which is tissue death. These include Verrukacid and Ferezol.
3. Keratolytics - help soften keratinized tissue. The drugs usually contain salicylic acid.
4. Antiviral ointments.

Common causes of inflammation of skin tags

Among the provoking factors for inflammation of volumetric elements, in addition to surgery, injuries, concomitant chronic diseases and autoimmune pathologies can be identified. Treatment with immune suppression (corticosteroids, hormonal intravenous solutions) is used to reduce damage to the body's own tissues against the background of arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, dermatomyositis, arthrosis.

The parasympathetic nervous system plays an important role, so with frequent stressful situations, prolonged depression and emotional defeats, the body’s local defenses can decrease.

Diagnosis of inflammation

It is not difficult to recognize inflammation, but determining the nature and cause of the disease is possible only after examination and a complete examination. For this purpose, experts prescribe a dermatoscope, which helps to examine the wart in great detail and identify all the features of its appearance.

At the same time, cytological analysis is popular in the field of diagnostics, allowing one to study the cellular structure of papilloma and determine the presence of benign and malignant formations.

After receiving all the results of the study, doctors can make an accurate diagnosis and select the most effective treatment, depending on the individual characteristics of the human body.

Features of accompanying symptoms: suppuration, redness

The symptom of suppuration is a consequence of the behavior of the integrity of the surface skin, the addition of secondary pathogenic microflora. Infection occurs through the wound surface and, when spreading, can penetrate into the deep layers to the roots of the wart, causing severe pain. Purulent fistulas form.

Redness and inflammation may occur due to microtrauma of the skin near the wart.

If clinical manifestations appear in the area of ​​skin growths, you must immediately consult a medical specialist (dermatologist, dermato-oncologist, gynecologist, urologist, proctologist), depending on the location of the formation. When tearing off a formation, it is necessary to take the separated part for histological examination for cancer cells.

Why is inflammation of a wart dangerous?

The first and most important thing that patients should remember is that a wart can degenerate into a malignant tumor with all the ensuing negative consequences.

That is why you need to be careful and attentive to your health and regularly check your skin. It is important to identify the disease in time and begin the correct treatment, which only a specialist can advise.

If treatment is delayed for a long time, there is a possibility of new formations appearing in healthy areas of the body.

First aid for a festering wart

Pus is a sign of bacterial contamination of a skin formation; it is necessary to first treat the site of suppuration and the surrounding area with an antiseptic solution (chlorhexidine, miramistin, alcohol solution of chlorophyllipt, betadine) and treat it with a local agent with an antibacterial component (Levomekol-cream, Baneocin, Tetracycline ointment, Levomycetin). At night, apply a sterile bandage over the treated area to avoid friction with clothing and bedding.

After the wound has healed, you can cauterize the wart with iodine or brilliant green to speed up the healing process.

In case of severe bleeding, treat with an antiseptic, cover it with a paper-based adhesive plaster, and you must visit a doctor.

If you cannot see a doctor, you can use first aid using traditional methods of therapy:

• You can stop bleeding by applying plantain, yarrow, horsetail, raspberry leaves, aloe;
• You can cauterize a wound that is ripped off or suppurating using celandine, onion juice, 1 drop of essential oil (tea tree, pine oils).

What to do if the wart is inflamed

Many people are interested in what to do if a wart becomes inflamed. If an inflammatory process is detected, it is strictly forbidden to self-medicate and try to remove the growth. First of all, you should pay attention to the accompanying symptoms. Symptoms of wart inflammation may be as follows:

• The appearance of itching and burning.
• Changes in the contour of the wart, the appearance of irregularities.
• The appearance of bleeding.
• Increasing the size of the growth.
• Changing the shade of the wart.

If the inflammation is minor and occurs due to rubbing with clothing, then it is necessary to eliminate the provoking factor and periodically wipe the wart with an antiseptic. This will help reduce the chance of infection.

If the growth has greatly increased in size, pain and discomfort appear, this may indicate that the growth has degenerated into an oncological tumor.

Cancer screening

If symptoms of inflammation of the wart appear, it is necessary to conduct a full examination to exclude the presence of an oncological process.

The following diagnostic measures are used to screen for cancer:

1. Histological examination. It is the most informative and allows you to get an accurate result. The tissues of the growth are carefully studied under a microscope, which makes it possible to see the oncological process even at an early stage, when other diagnostic methods cannot give an accurate conclusion.
2. Epiluminescence microscopy. It is an additional technique in diagnosing the oncological process. Allows you to enlarge the image of the growth up to 40 times. The study allows you to carefully study the structure of education, its boundaries and size.
3. Computer diagnostics. The image of the growth is assessed in all respects using a computer. This allows you to accurately say whether a wart is dangerous or not.

In addition, laboratory tests are needed to diagnose oncological processes, namely general and biochemical blood tests.

What to do at home

At home, you can use various compresses and lotions for inflammation. It is important to first coordinate your actions with your doctor.

Effective recipes:

1. Cream based on crushed garlic, mixed with sour cream or baby cream. Apply to the wart under a bandage for no more than 2-3 hours.
2. Compresses from decoctions of chamomile, calendula, burdock root, barberry, and wormwood. The herbs are brought to a boil, allowed to settle, and a cotton swab is moistened and used to wipe the papillomatous growth.
3. The use of herbal teas to strengthen the immune system, decoctions, teas are prepared from herbs (rose hips, fir cones, echinacea) and drink 1 tbsp. spoon three times a day, course 1 month.

Removing warts with nitrogen

This is an alternative to laser wart removal. The method is also quite popular, but usually requires several procedures, they are quite painful, and after cryodestruction with liquid nitrogen a painful bubble forms. Therefore, removal of condylomas with liquid nitrogen is recommended only for older children and adults.

Removing warts with nitrogen

Cryodestruction is repeated every 2-3 weeks until the final disappearance of condylomas. Usually 6 sessions of liquid nitrogen treatment are sufficient, but if the wart still persists, other treatment options are considered. In addition, destruction with liquid nitrogen is not suitable in cases where the wart affects the area of ​​the fingers and thighs.

Possible complications

Among the possible negative consequences of skin growths are:

• discomfort during sexual intercourse (genital warts);
• psychological disorders and depressive states (especially in women with voluminous growths on the face and open parts of the body);
• the appearance of concomitant symptoms with limitation of normal life activities (pain, itching, hyperthermia, defecation disorders).

When the first signs of inflammation of warts appear, it is necessary to seek help from a dermatologist and undergo a timely course of therapy to avoid the development of complications of the disease. It is important to determine the type and type of virus in the body.

The article has been reviewed by the site editors

Prevention

If you follow a few simple rules, the likelihood of complications with HPV is minimized:

• Warts located in areas of constant friction must be removed as early as possible;
• Under no circumstances should you remove growths yourself without first consulting a doctor;
• Avoid damaging warts and exposing them to chemicals;
• Try to avoid stress;
• Maintain immunity, lead a healthy lifestyle;
• Maintain personal hygiene;
• Avoid frequent contact with the contaminated surface of any warts – both your own and others’;
• Use a separate towel and do not wear someone else’s shoes or clothes.

If it is not possible to remove warts clinically, it is necessary to constantly monitor them and monitor changes in their color and shape. Simultaneous infection with several strains of the papilloma virus occurs. Therefore, if a blood test reveals a non-dangerous type, this does not mean that the growth cannot develop into cancer - perhaps it is caused by another type.

Spica: wart on the leg

If a person has a wart on his leg, it is worth thinking about such a phenomenon as a thorn.

Moreover, as noted by patients suffering from such a pathology, the pain is usually quite acute.

First, the patient loses the ability to step on his bare foot, and over time, problems with wearing shoes appear.

The spine is characterized by a very specific growth pattern.

We must not forget that it is located on the foot, and the foot, in turn, takes on the weight of the entire body during movement.

As a result, the wart is not able to grow outward, as it usually does on the fingers, armpits or other places.

It begins to slowly grow deeper, affecting the deep layers of the skin.

In this case, a small depression is formed on the surface, resembling a crater.

Interestingly, spines can grow not only on the soles, but also on other parts of the body.

It’s just that most often, due to high pressure and the impossibility of external growth, they affect the feet.

Spine, like other types of warts, can be treated, although it can be quite difficult.

In most cases, it is not possible to manage only conservative methods in the fight against this disease.

Pain after fighting warts

If a person has pain after removing a wart, this is not a reason to be surprised or worried.

The fact is that mild pain is a normal reaction of the body to contact with caustic substances that are used to get rid of growth.

On average, as doctors note, the pain goes away after a few days.

Warts hurt after nitrogen, laser, or using celandine.

Often, unpleasant sensations are a consequence of inaccurate application of the medicinal substance.

Because of this, the skin unaffected by the virus was damaged.

However, even if the substance is applied perfectly, or the laser beam is aimed perfectly, pain may be present.

We must not forget that after the growth falls off, a small skin defect will form in its place.

It is he, and not the pathogenic neoplasm itself, that will cause pain to the patient.

However, as doctors note, such defects heal quite quickly without any traces.

Especially if the growth was initially small in size.

As soon as the skin heals, the pain will disappear.

The main thing is to ensure proper skin care during this period.

Inflammation, suppuration and blackening as consequences of wart pain

As already mentioned, a wart can become inflamed in cases of mechanical impact, as well as infection with bacteria. At the same time, a person notices that in addition to pain, the following appears:

• itching;
• burning;
• redness of adjacent tissues;
• swelling;
• increase in wart size.

Elevated body temperature is considered a common occurrence. To understand that hyperthermia is caused by this process, it is enough to eliminate the formation that has begun to become inflamed. As soon as this happens, all accompanying symptoms will also disappear.

Purulent discharge appears mainly as a consequence of inflammation. To all the symptoms mentioned above is added purulent fluid, which appears when pressure is applied to the formation. This period requires careful attention. A festering wound must be treated with antiseptics and dressings must be changed regularly.

Blackening of the growth occurs in two cases: due to healing or degeneration.

A wart may turn black due to a disruption in its blood supply. In this case, very soon the damaged papilloma dries out. This can happen after effective treatment, or with a happy coincidence after an injury.

If the alignment is unlucky, there is a possibility of a structural change in the growth. The result may be the formation of hemangioma or the process of transformation of normal cells into malignant ones.

All of the above situations require mandatory examination by a doctor. An experienced specialist can assess the condition of the papilloma and prescribe all the necessary tests.

When to see a doctor

• if the wart quickly changes shape, color, or all together;
• if the wart has an uneven color;
• if the boundaries of the wart are blurred (in this case, most likely, it is not a wart);
• if the wart hurts or is constantly injured (this increases the risk of it degenerating into something more serious);
• if the number of warts gradually increases;
• if the wart bleeds or itches;
• if a wart has formed in the genital area.

Where do warts come from?

The only known cause of warts is the human papillomavirus. If it cannot be detected using a blood test, it means that its cells have not had time to spread throughout the body, concentrating directly in and around the growth.

The virus can be contracted through personal contact and sexual contact, and it can also be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy or childbirth. After infection, the incubation period begins, when the disease does not manifest itself in any way. It can last from several months to several years.

Warts begin to appear under the influence of accompanying factors:

• Decreased immunity;
• Stress;
• Insufficient hygiene;
• Sweating.

Important!

The growths themselves are benign, but this does not mean that they do not need to be treated. Over time, they can grow and increase in size. And some strains of the papilloma virus are dangerous because they can provoke the degeneration of cells into cancerous ones.