What is a wart?
Warts are firm growths that are often flesh-colored and rough to the touch. However, they can be dark, smooth and soft. The appearance of warts varies according to the area they are located.
What Causes Warts?
Warts are soft tissue lesions that occur as a result of virus contamination in the upper layer of the skin, which we call the epidermis. The viruses that cause warts are called human papilloma virus (HPV). The HPV virus has several subtypes. According to these subtypes, warts differ in terms of spread and recurrence.
What are the types of warts?
Warts can appear anywhere on the skin and mucous membranes. Therefore, it is usually named according to the area in which it is located. For example;
- Genital warts
- Hand and sole warts
Sometimes it is named according to the age and shape it is seen in.
- Verruplan juvenile (a flat-surface type of wart more common in children)
Genital Warts
It is certain that we should allocate a special place to genital warts in our article. Because as the sexual habits in the society change, it becomes a health problem that we encounter more frequently.
How Are Genital Warts Transmitted?
As with all other wart types, direct contact is the most common way of transmission. Transmission is common in the genital area, usually after sexual contact.
How Long After Genital Warts Infected?
There is no specific time for this. It may show symptoms shortly after contact or years later. Especially in periods when stress level is high and immune system is low, the virus can multiply more easily, so it is observed more frequently during these periods.
Can I Infect My Partner With Genital Warts?
In case of untreated genital warts, it can be transmitted by sexual intercourse. Therefore, it is important to treat the lesions.
Does Genital Wart Cause Cancer?
HPV, the causative agent of genital warts, is the most important cause of cervical cancer in women. It can also lead to vaginal area cancers. It has been reported that it can cause penile cancer in men.
While the risk of cancer is very high in some subtypes of HPV, this risk is quite low in others.
How to Treat Genital Warts?
Genital warts, which have become a common health problem in the society, are unfortunately ignored by many patients, confusing them with moles and similar skin disorders. The spread of the lesions over time makes the treatment process both longer and more costly.
Methods used in treatment;
- Spreading drugs (5 FU, Salicylic acid etc.)
- Cryotherapy
- Electrocautery
- Laser therapy
What is Genital Wart Treatment with Laser?
Laser systems with the vaporizing feature of the diseased tissue are used. It is the method that causes the least damage to the healthy tissue. Laser technology provides sensitive and selective treatment.
Is There Any Pain During Genital Wart Treatment With Laser?
Since the area to be treated is anesthetized with local anesthesia, no pain is felt.
What should be done after the treatment?
There will be healing areas compatible with the size of the warts in the treated areas. Daily dressing of these areas with antibiotic ointment is sufficient. Contact with water should be avoided for the first 24 hours after the procedure.
What Are Plantar Warts?
Unlike common warts, they are not protruding. They penetrated into the skin with the effect of walking pressure. Plantar warts can be confused with calluses. They are painful and hard formations like calluses. When they appear in clusters, they are called mosaic warts.
What Are Flat Warts?
They are smaller and have a flatter surface. Their number can be very large, they can reach 20-100 numbers. They can be seen everywhere. Flat warts occur mostly on the face. It can be seen in the beard area in men and on the legs in women. Shaving can increase the number of irritations.
How are warts transmitted?
Warts are transmitted from person to person by direct contact or from common areas or objects. After the first contact, it may take months until the wart appears. However, hand, foot and flat warts are less likely to infect a person.
Why Do Some People Have Warts and Some Don’t?
The frequency of contact of such people with the virus and the appearance of warts are parallel. Wart viruses can be easily transmitted if the skin is damaged in some way. However, some people can catch viruses and remove warts much more easily. It is also related to the low resistance of the immune system of these people to the wart virus.
Should Warts Be Treated?
Warts in children can heal spontaneously within months or years without treatment. However, if warts are painful and multiply rapidly, they should be treated. Adults do not disappear as quickly and easily as in children.
What are Wart Treatments?
Isotretinoin, an oral vitamin A substance, can be used on flat warts. In addition, nutritional supplements such as omega-3, beta glucan, and zinc that increase immunity can be drunk to strengthen treatments.
