Flat warts on face, hands and body

The skin is the outer protective shell of the human body, the appearance of which largely reflects its internal state. Skin characteristics change not only under the influence of age and hormonal changes, but also under the influence of various external (skin) and internal diseases, which in most cases are provoked by all sorts of pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, etc. So the appearance of small growths on the body, called warts, is associated with the penetration of the human papilloma virus into the body. And flat warts, which some people encounter in adolescence and youth, should be considered one of the manifestations of this virus, and not as God's punishment for the sins of the parents.

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Epidemiology

According to statistics, the prevalence of the HPV virus today is more than 70 percent, and among all, the virus types with a low risk of oncogenicity and its complete absence prevail. However, flat warts, which are often called juvenile, are found in only 1-4% of the total number of patients. Moreover, the risk group usually includes children and young people up to 35-40 years old. This is explained by the fact that infection with non-oncogenic viruses usually occurs in childhood or adolescence, but when the virus manifests itself depends on the patient's immunity. But in most people, the virus is activated precisely during puberty, i.e. in adolescence.

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Causes flat warts

When various bumps or spots appear on the skin of the face, body or limbs, we first of all think about how unsightly this looks and spoils our appearance. The aesthetic side of the problem is especially important at a young age, when a person still thinks little about the reasons for the appearance of various defects on the skin, but actively seeks answers to the question of how to quickly and permanently remove them. But various methods of removing warts, papillomas, keratomas, etc. neoplasms without understanding the reasons for their occurrence have only a temporary effect, and sometimes even disastrous consequences.

Before trying to cleanse the skin of any growth, you need to understand what it is and what are the external or internal causes that provoked the appearance of such a defect. For example, the main cause of warts on the human body, including flat warts, is the HPV virus. Once it has entered the body, it remains to live in it forever, and under suitable conditions it develops vigorous activity. Therefore, it is not enough to simply remove the wart as a cosmetic defect, you also need to stop the reproduction of the virus so that the disease does not relapse or is not accompanied by the appearance of new warts near the removed one.

But we will talk about the correct treatment of warts and treatment with folk remedies a little later, and now we will dwell in more detail on the reasons for their appearance, i.e. why flat warts appear.

Flat warts are one of many different growths that can be caused by the human papillomavirus. HPV is actually a general term that includes several types of the virus (there are more than a hundred of them).

Different types of HPV have different prevalence and external manifestations. The main ones responsible for the appearance of flat warts are HPV types 3, 5, 10, 28 and 49. Less often, other types of papillomavirus can manifest themselves in the same way. But an important fact is that all viruses that cause flat warts are non-oncogenic, i.e. they never lead to the development of cancer. Therefore, warts themselves, which appear in childhood or adolescence, are considered safe benign neoplasms.

Since the human papilloma virus is quite widespread, warts on different parts of the body are not considered so rare. Gone are the days when we were afraid of frogs as possible culprits of warts. Scientists have proven the involvement of the HPV virus in their appearance, but even infection with the virus does not guarantee the appearance of unsightly pimples on the body.

In order for the virus to manifest itself externally, it needs to be activated, i.e. to be able to reproduce, capturing more and more cells. If a person has good immunity, the virus will remain in the body for a long time in an inactive state, and may never manifest itself at all. But if the immune system weakens, the virus will immediately remind of its existence with warts on the body.

HPV and warts

The prevalence of the human papilloma virus is largely due to the ease of its transmission. If highly oncogenic viruses that provoke the formation of condylomas and papillomas on the patient's body are usually transmitted during sexual contact, then for non-oncogenic HPV types that provoke the appearance of flat warts, a simple handshake, hug, or kiss is enough.

Moreover, you can catch the virus when your hands come into contact with railings in public places and residential buildings, handrails in transport, door handles, elevator buttons, etc. Even a library book that passes through thousands of hands can be a source of the virus. That is, we are talking about virtually any item of common use that gets into your hands, touches your body, gets into your mouth without sufficient disinfection, etc.

At the same time, the virus is able to penetrate the human body through the smallest microdamages on the skin, which may simply be invisible to the naked eye, not to mention wounds, cuts or scratches. Once in the body, virions, which are not capable of independent existence, penetrate healthy cells, where they parasitize. But whether they can reproduce depends on the general and local immunity.

The human immune system is capable of keeping the virus in an inactive state, when it does not manifest itself in any way and does not harm the host. But as soon as the body's defenses weaken, the virions force the cells they have penetrated to actively divide. In this case, both the mother and daughter cells acquire identical properties and contain HPV virions.

Active reproduction of viral cells causes dysplastic processes in the skin, which are visible from the outside as tubercles called warts. Such neoplasms appear near the site of virus penetration. They can be single, but more often we are talking about a cluster of several flat warts on a certain part of the body.

Flat warts usually appear on the face in the forehead and chin area, on the neck, on the back of the hands and shins, and on the fingers. However, they do not form on the rough skin of the palms and soles (palmar and plantar warts are most often caused by other types of HPV).

As we can see, the pathogenesis of plantar warts is very simple and is not related to warty amphibians. Having penetrated the body, the virus causes dysplastic processes in the skin near the site of entry into the body, where a tubercle is formed. If the wart is injured, the virus can spread further, forming new growths nearby, but there is practically no risk of developing skin cancer.

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Risk factors

Risk factors for activation of the virus and the associated appearance of flat warts are considered to be:

• fright and severe nervous shock,
• stressful situations (and in childhood these are considered to be frequent quarrels and domestic violence, divorce of parents),
• any cold pathologies,
• hormonal changes in the body (it is not surprising that the appearance of flat warts is most often noted during puberty),

All these factors have a negative impact on the general immunity, the weakening of which is just right for viruses, which get the opportunity to actively multiply while there is discord in the body. Chronic diseases also contribute to a decrease in immunity, but in childhood and adolescence this factor is understandably not so relevant. But by the age of 30-40, when many already have one or more chronic diseases, its influence should be taken into account.

The appearance of wart-like growths on the skin can also be blamed on a decrease in local immunity, i.e. the protective forces of the skin itself. In adolescence and young age, risk factors include:

• insufficient hygiene of the face and body,
• trauma to the skin (for example, during shaving or epilation, which young people often do ineptly and with insufficient care),
• hyperhidrosis, which makes the skin more susceptible to irritation and changes its pH, which is especially noticeable in the feet area.

All these points do not seem so important until they affect the appearance of the skin and begin to cause certain psychological, and sometimes even physical discomfort (for example, if the wart is on the neck and is regularly injured as a result of friction from the collar of clothing).

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Symptoms flat warts

Warts are usually called small bumps on the skin that under normal conditions do not cause any physical discomfort (they do not become inflamed, do not hurt, do not have cavities filled with pus or fat inside). Warts are more likely to be associated with psychological discomfort, because such growths on the hands, face and body very often affect the self-esteem of adolescents and the attitude of their peers and others towards them.

Flat warts are growths that do not protrude much above the surface of the body. Usually, these are small neoplasms, the size of which is no more than 0.5 cm, which are located on the body one by one or in groups without merging growths.

The surface of such a wart is flat, quite soft and smooth, because the neoplasm does not have a horny layer, without irregularities and bulges. Most often, warts are rounded, although this is not a mandatory condition. More importantly, such growths have clearly defined outlines.

A distinctive feature of a flat wart is the absence of a skin pattern on its surface.

It should be said that flat warts are growths that can take on different shades of color: from the usual flesh-colored or gray, making them almost invisible on the skin, to light brown or pink.

It is not for nothing that such warts are called juvenile. Hormonal changes at this age provoke the appearance of various defects on the skin, ranging from red pustules (juvenile acne) to small flat warts, which often cause teenage depression. Hormonal surges plus the unstable neuropsychic state of teenagers are optimal conditions for the activation of the virus that entered the body during:

• kisses (and for young people, especially girls, kisses and hugs are universal methods of showing their affection for a person, so they are even used as a greeting),
• shaving, which has become relevant for some time now, but there is still little experience (in student circles, there is often no such thing as an individual razor, because in the dormitory everything is shared, including the HPV virus, which is transmitted by contact),
• handshake, which is used by guys not only as an attribute of business communication, but also for greeting in a friendly company, etc.

Flat warts in childhood and adolescence usually appear on the face: on the forehead, on the nose, on the chin in the cheekbone area, i.e. on sensitive areas of the skin, while filiform warts in adults are most often localized in the nose, around the lips, on the skin around the eyes. That is, they form where the skin is not only more delicate, but also more often exposed to moisture.

Flat warts in young people can often be found on their hands. But again, if they appear on the hands, then only on the back side, where the skin is soft and sensitive.

A flat wart in the form of a single growth or a group of elements can also appear on the leg: on the foot from its back side, but not in the area of the sole with rough skin covered with a horny layer. This once again confirms that flat warts prefer areas of the body with delicate, sensitive skin prone to injury and irritation.

Flat warts can often be found in children: on the face, neck, chest, back, on the inside of the elbows and knees, etc. Considering the contact route of transmission of non-oncogenic viruses, it is not surprising that most of us become infected with it in childhood. A child's skin is tender and thin, and the immune system is not yet strong enough to resist the invasion of the "enemy".

If the virus enters the body of a healthy child over 3 years old, the body is already able to contain it, and warts may not appear for a long time. Most often, at this age, their appearance is provoked by skin injuries and colds. But as soon as the immune system returns to normal, the growths may disappear on their own.

Our immunity is especially sensitive to hormonal changes and stress factors, which usually cause the virus to become active in adolescence. At the same time, HPV is not selective in terms of gender, so warts are equally likely to appear in both boys and girls. However, males suffer from the appearance of growths on the body mainly in childhood and adolescence.

As for girls and young women, they may experience hormonal imbalance (and, accordingly, fluctuations in immunity) at a later age. For example, before and during monthly menstruation, which begins in adolescence and continues until age 40 or more.

Flat warts in women of reproductive age can also appear during pregnancy, which disrupts the usual hormonal background. It does not matter when the virus entered the body of the expectant mother. Factors that provoke a decrease in immunity and activation of the infection always come to the fore, and this is hormonal imbalance, unbalanced nutrition (after all, the child takes some of the nutrients for himself), stressful situations (quarrels with the child's father, worries caused by the threat of miscarriage), lack of sleep due to a growing belly, etc.

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Complications and consequences

In principle, flat warts caused by non-oncogenic types of human papillomavirus pose virtually no danger to the patient's health, if we do not take into account the psychological discomfort they cause. But we must understand that since such neoplasms most often appear during puberty, when appearance and external attractiveness come to the fore, experiences about them can be strong enough to cause not only irritation and dissatisfaction with oneself, but also serious depression.

But this is only one side of the problem that has arisen. Any growth cannot be considered absolutely safe, because everything that stands out above the surface of the body is subject to trauma more than other areas of the skin. A wart can be damaged by rough seams on clothes, shoes, or accidentally scratched. The fact is that a flat wart sometimes itches a little. This happens during the period of its growth and does not indicate degeneration into a malignant form, which happens when infected with oncogenic viruses. However, there is a risk of carelessly scratching a wart with its soft tissues and damaging their integrity, which usually leads to inflammation.

If a flat wart itches, has increased in size or turned red, causes pain when touched, these are already symptoms of inflammation of the growth, which cannot be ignored. In its normal state, the neoplasm does not cause discomfort and is small in size. Only in this case can it be considered safe. If the growth is inflamed, it is better to remove it.

There is another point in favor of the fact that flat warts need to be treated. And not just remove the external manifestations of the virus, but eradicate the cause of the appearance of unaesthetic bumps on the body. The fact is that juvenile flat warts are rarely left alone. The pathology is viral in nature, which means it cannot be limited to one growth.

Yes, at the beginning of the virus activation it may be 1-2 bumps, but if you do nothing and do not increase your immunity (after all, there are no drugs that can kill HPV inside the body), over time more and more warts will appear on the body, which will be simply impossible to hide or disguise.

It is clear that a young man or woman with multiple defects on the face and hands will not be popular with the opposite sex. Many will avoid any physical contact with them, including former friends. And what can we say about sidelong glances and ridicule behind the back, and sometimes even to the face. This is a serious psychological trauma for a teenager who is not at all to blame for his problem, but can even part with life because of it, given the youthful maximalism.

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Diagnostics flat warts

A dermatologist is a doctor who diagnoses and treats various skin diseases, including all kinds of growths on the body. It is to him that you should contact with such a problem as flat warts. And you should contact him at least because such growths are similar to other types of warts, moles and other neoplasms that can degenerate into malignant tumors.

An experienced dermatologist, taking into account the patient's age, the nature and location of the warts, can make a preliminary diagnosis even based on a physical examination. However, in most cases, doctors prescribe additional tests: a general blood test, which provides information about the patient's condition, and a blood test for HPV (PCR analysis). The fact is that warts are only one manifestation of the virus, while several of its types can simultaneously take root in the body, more than 40 of which are considered oncogenic, i.e. can cause cancer.

Any virus weakens the body, and after harmless non-oncogenic viruses, more dangerous pathogens can easily penetrate and become active. Therefore, the sooner they are detected, the more likely it is that dangerous consequences for the patient's life and health can be prevented. And to do this, it is enough to maintain your immunity at a high level and be careful in sexual relations.

Instrumental diagnostics of flat warts consists of examining the growth with a special device called a dermatoscope. Dermatoscopy is an examination of warts using a powerful microscope, which allows you to enlarge the growth several times, evaluate its shape, size, borders, symmetry, the presence of all kinds of inclusions, etc. This study plays a major role in differential diagnostics and, based on it, you can either diagnose a harmless neoplasm or prescribe additional research methods (biopsy and histological analysis of the biopsy) if there is a suspicion that the growth is capable of degenerating into a cancerous tumor.

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Differential diagnosis

Differential diagnostics for various skin neoplasms is extremely important. After all, only it allows with a high degree of accuracy, based on physical examination, test results and instrumental studies, to differentiate a benign flat wart from a malignant one caused by oncogenic types of viruses, and other types of similar neoplasms.

For example, sometimes patients come with such a phenomenon as flat white warts. Despite the fact that the color of this growth is somewhat unusual, these are still the same safe juvenile warts caused by non-oncogenic HPV. Such growths should be distinguished from lipomas, which usually appear on the face of people over 35-40 years old and are small bumps with a white dot in the middle, the contents of which are very difficult to squeeze out, and even after that there is a risk that the white secretion inside will appear again.

A flat plantar wart is a growth caused by a different type of HPV. They are caused by viruses from types 1 to 4, which are also not prone to malignancy, but their habitat is the bottom of the foot. Such warts do not form on soft, delicate tissues.

Juvenile and plantar warts are flat viral warts. That is, the cause of such neoplasms is the papilloma virus. But, for example, a red flat wart (hemangioma), which is most often found in children immediately after birth or a little later, has nothing to do with viruses. This is a vascular formation, the cause of which can be both heredity and endocrine or cardiovascular diseases. Hemangioma differs from juvenile warts in a more saturated color (red, burgundy or purple) and size (usually this is a large neoplasm on the face or body), but it does not pose a danger, unless, of course, it is injured.

But if a red wart appears at an older age, it is necessary to differentiate it from a flat juvenile wart, which due to some reasons or injury became inflamed and changed its color. Usually, inflamed growths have a more intense pink or even red color due to the blood flow to them.

A pink or brown flat wart is the most common color of growths in childhood and adolescence. They have a viral etiology. But identical neoplasms that appear in old age (senile flat warts or keratomas) have a completely different origin. The reason for their appearance is not a virus, but physiological reasons that provoke the proliferation of the epidermal layer, most often under the influence of ultraviolet rays. Such growths have a darker color, often an uneven rough surface covered with horny scales. And most importantly, at a young age such a phenomenon is rare, and it usually occurs after 25 years.

Prevention

In order to prevent relapses, it is recommended to pay attention to your lifestyle and diet.

What helps to maintain immunity in the first place? Hardening, an active lifestyle, giving up bad habits and eating foods rich in vitamins (and in particular ascorbic acid, vitamins A, E, group B) and minerals (zinc, manganese, iodine, selenium, etc.).

It is important to understand that the virus, when infected by contact, most easily penetrates the body through skin lesions: pimples, wounds, ulcers, and burn surfaces. It is necessary to try to heal such defects as quickly as possible, using antiseptics and regenerating agents.

But if the virus has already penetrated the body, only your own immunity can restrain its activity, which you need to maintain at a high level, preventing the development of chronic diseases that weaken the body, as well as adhering to a healthy lifestyle and rational, balanced nutrition. In the spring-winter period, it will not be superfluous to support your immunity with the help of pharmacy adaptogens in combination with vitamins and minerals.

It is important to understand that if the virus has entered the body, it will be impossible to remove it from there in any way. The only solution to the problem of warts is to maintain your immune system at its best.

This is confirmed by evidence that flat warts can disappear on their own as soon as a person's immunity improves. Whether it is worth treating such tumors, which are not dangerous in terms of oncology, with aggressive methods is up to each individual to decide. But it is important to always remember that without good immunity, such treatment will only have a temporary effect, and often leave unsightly marks in the form of scars. While all this could have been avoided by giving preference to traditional or folk antiviral therapy and a healthy lifestyle.

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Forecast

Flat warts are considered a manifestation of a viral infection, so it is extremely difficult to fight them. The virus hides deep in the cells of the body, and we see only partial manifestations of it from the outside. In addition, once it has entered the human body, the papillomavirus no longer wants to leave it, so warts can be considered a chronic infection, which is also easily transmitted by contact.

If external manifestations are not treated, the dormant virus, together with skin particles, will be transmitted to other people with whom the patient comes into contact. But local treatment has only a temporary effect; only a strong immune system can reduce the activity of the virus for a long time and keep it in a dormant state, which is what you should take care of first and foremost.

Only the coordinated work of the immune system can make the prognosis for the treatment of warts positive.

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