What are flat warts?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with Specialist Doctor I Tran Van Sang - Dermatologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.
Flat warts form through direct contact with the HPV virus and are highly contagious. The virus that causes warts can be passed from person to person, or by spreading HPV from the site of a flat wart on the hand to other parts of the body.

1. What are flat warts?

In general, warts are abnormal skin cell growth caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are more than 60 different strains of HPV, and some of them tend to trigger skin warts. Specifically, HPV 3, 10, 28 and 49 will stimulate the rapid growth of cells in the outer layer of the skin.
In most cases, common warts will appear on fingers, near fingernails or on hands. Certain types of HPV can also cause warts to form in the genital area (genital warts).
Flat warts are a benign infectious skin disease that is more common in adolescents and children than in adults (most cases are between the ages of 12 and 16. This condition is currently occurring.) Affecting about 10% of the world's population, both men and women are equally at risk of developing flat warts on their hands or elsewhere. Warts are common, even difficult to recognize and detect with the naked eye
As their name suggests, flat warts will be smooth and flat rather than rough, headless, sometimes not even floating on the surface of the skin. Flat warts are pink or dark brown, round or oval in shape, and are also smaller than other warts, with a diameter of only about 1-3mm. Large clusters, ranging from 20 to more than 200 warts depending on the case.The common place to see flat warts is around scratches, damaged skin, or can also appear ph warts. vomiting in the hands, feet and face, especially in women.

2. How to cure flat warts

Aside from genital warts, most warts are harmless and go away on their own without treatment. For example, flat warts are contagious, but are benign, causing little pain or itching and discomfort for the sufferer. But sometimes warts will recur after a while and need a combination of different treatments for flat warts to get rid of them completely. For example:
Use salicylic acid: Over-the-counter wart treatments that contain the active ingredient salicylic acid are widely available in many forms, including: gels, creams, or patches. With regular use, the acid gradually dissolves the wart tissue and can remove them completely after a few weeks.
Cantharidin: Cantharidin is a substance extracted from beetles. When this chemical is applied to the skin, a blister will form around the wart. You will then need to seal the area for a while before removing the bandage and pulling the wart away from the skin.
Other medicines: Bleomycin is a medicine that is injected into the wart to kill the HPV virus. There is also the prescription cream imiquimod (Aldara and Zyclara) that helps stimulate your own immune system to fight the virus that causes warts. Although imiquimod is often indicated in the treatment of genital warts, it is still effective in treating flat warts and other types.
Cryotherapy: You can use over-the-counter cryotherapy products at home or visit your doctor's office for a liquid nitrogen spray to freeze the wart. A blister will then form around the wart and the dead tissue will fall off within 1-2 weeks. For home treatment, the temperature may not drop low enough to deep freeze the wart and be effective. This will also be painful because you need to use the spray for a longer time than you would in a medical facility.
Laser irradiation: This method uses an intense beam of light (laser) to burn and destroy the wart tissue.
Minor surgery: When flat warts cannot be cured with other therapies, surgery is often indicated to remove them. The root of the wart is destroyed with an electric needle or by cryosurgery (deep freezing).

3. How to prevent the HPV virus that causes warts?

Because warts are harder to control in a humid environment, it's a good idea to keep your hands and all wart sites as dry as possible. In addition, it is also important to consider before covering flat warts on the hand with bandages.
If you already have warts, do not cut, rub or scrape the wart areas as this can spread the virus. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly after touching any warts on your body.
Although most strains of HPV that cause flat warts are benign (numbers 3, 10, 28 and 49), there are several other types of malignant HPV that affect the genitals and increase the risk. cancer muscle. To prevent HPV infection, in addition to keeping the body clean - especially when caring for open wounds, and having safe sex, getting vaccinated is a way to protect the body against HPV. HPV infection is the simplest and most effective.
Currently, at Vinmec International General Hospital, there are two types of HPV vaccines being used: Gardasil 0.5ml (provided by MSD - USA) and Cervarix (provided by GSK - Belgium).
When choosing the vaccination service at Vinmec International General Hospital, you will enjoy the following benefits:
Customers are examined and screened by specialist doctors - Vaccines are fully examined and screened. health and fitness problems, advice on preventive vaccines and injection regimens, how to monitor and take care of customers after vaccination before ordering vaccination according to the latest recommendations of the Ministry of Health World Health Organization & World Health Organization to ensure the best effectiveness and safety for people getting vaccinated. A team of experienced and professional pediatric doctors and nurses, understand psychology and apply effective pain relief methods for customers during the vaccination process. 100% of vaccinated customers are monitored 30 minutes after injection and reassessed before leaving. Be monitored before, during and after vaccination at Vinmec Health System and always have an emergency team ready to coordinate with the vaccination department to handle cases such as anaphylaxis, respiratory failure - circulatory arrest, ensuring Ensure timely and correct handling when incidents occur. Vaccines at the hospital are imported and stored in a modern cold storage system, with a cold chain that meets GSP standards, helping to ensure the best quality of the vaccine.

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Reference source: webmd.com