Warts - Medtick

Warts

  • Verrucas and warts are conditions which are very similar.
  • People generally term ‘verrucas’ as warts found on the sole of feet, while warts are termed on other parts of the body.
  • They are caused by an infection of the skin called the Papilloma Virus (HPV) and are highly contagious.
  • This virus can also cause sore throats and mouth ulcers.
  • The virus can also be caught by having sexual relations, please check further in the Medtick programme under ‘Exposure to infection ‘ then the question  ‘Has one had unprotected sexual intercourse or had anal sex and started to experience symptoms’ for further symptoms.

Skin tags (acrochandons)

  • They are not warts and one should not use the same treatment for warts.
  • They are flesh or brown coloured, they occur for where the skin rubs on itself (armpits, eyelids), skin folds (under stomach, under breast, buttocks) or clothing (neck, groin area), they are smooth, painless and harmless.
  • They can be mistaken for: Neurofibromas, seborrheic warts, viral warts and molluscum contagiosum.
  • There appears to be an association between the incidence of skin tags and obesity (overweight) as well as insulin resistance (i.e. diabetes, polycystic ovaries) and atherosclerosis (thickened blood vessels affecting blood circulation, family history, agromegaly (the growth hormone disorder, changes in sex hormone levels i.e pregnancy, human papilloma virus, Birt-Hogg-Dubè syndrome (rare genetic disorder that leads to the development of kidney and colon cancers).
  • See your Pharmacist or Medical Doctor if unsure or if have many skin tags.
  • Self-treatment by ligating (wrapping around and strangling the skin tag base with dental floss or fine thread and waiting for the tag to drop off, if that does not help then please see your Medical doctor. Do not try this if one is uncomfortable to do so or if one is prone to infection and/or have other skin conditions and/or have a weak immune system or have a condition causing weak immunity.

Warts and verrucas (not skin tags)

  • If one has a weak immune system or your skin is exposed you are more prone to the virus.
  • The virus are common in areas of swimming pools, gyms or changing rooms or where areas are moist and warm.
  • This virus can live outside the body, so when virus-infected skin cells shed onto the floor and surfaces  they can be passed on to others walking or coming in contact over the same areas.

Symptoms

Does one have:

Verrucas:
  • Size of verrucas can range from 1mm to over 1cm in diameter?
  • Black dot in the centre (blood vessel)?
  • On the sole of the foot and may or maynot be raised from the surface of your skin, surface is irregular and typically like a cauliflower?
  • Itchy and can cause bleeding when picked or scratched?
  • Painful when putting weight on it?
Wart (flat warts)

Similar symptoms apply as verrucas except they are not on the foot.

They are common on  face arms, back sides of the hands, knees and shaved areas (mainly because the skin has small cracks in the skin and the virus can enter those cracks).

Flat warts are typically small in size but can be numerous in a particular area.

Sometimes they appear on forehead as several warts in a line from the person scratching his or her scalp line or from combing persons hair.

Please note (if on face and/or thin skin areas and/or infected skin, it should not be self treated).

  • Does one have similar symptoms to a verruca and is on other parts of the body other than the foot?
  • Slightly raised  off the skin and are usually less than 3 mm in diameter?
  • Pink or brown in colour?
Common warts

Often on the face, elbows,hands and knees.

Please note (if on face and/or thin skin areas and/or infected skin, it should not be self treated).

  • Rough, thick, and either skin-colored, pink, or white bumps?
  • Size are from 1 mm to over 10 mm in size?
Filiform warts:

Often on the face, eyelids, or nose area.

Please note: (if on face and/or thin skin areas and/or infected skin, it should not be self treated).

  • Long and narrow appearance?
  • Usually small at the base and size range is 1 mm–3 mm?
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