A wart is a benign neoplasm of the skin, from which no person is immune.Anyone who cares about their health should know what warts look like, photos of which show various types of growths.Knowing the specific signs of different types of tumors will help you notice growth over time and see a doctor with questions about treatment or removal.
How warts appear: photos and characteristics
The human papillomavirus causes various growths to form on the skin.
Warts, photos of which are presented in large quantities on the Internet, can take various forms.The reason is the variety of strains of the HPV virus, which causes the process of division of epithelial cells and the appearance of growths.
The following types of neoplasms are distinguished:
- vulgar warts;
- papillomas;
- flat warts;
- keratomas;
- filamentous warts;
- warts;
- plantar warts.
In fact, any type of growth caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) can be called a papilloma, as this is a general designation for a type of benign neoplasm.
Keratomas are the only type of growths in the list above that are not caused by a virus.Such neoplasms appear in older people, due to age-related changes in the epidermis.
Characteristics of vulgar warts
Most often such warts form on the fingers;if they interfere, they must be removed.
Verruca vulgaris is the most common type of growth.It is very easy to recognize it from a photo due to its characteristic features.It has the shape of a ball that rises above the rest of the epidermis.The ball is homogeneous, quite dense, palpation is painless.Vulgar warts can be lightly or heavily pigmented.Most often, they do not differ in color from the rest of the epidermis, but can be brown, resembling the color of moles.
The size of vulgar warts varies from a few millimeters to a centimeter in diameter, large sizes being a rare exception.
Hair may grow from the body of the wart if the growth is located on a hairy area of the body.This is completely normal and is not a pathology.
A wart can be damaged in everyday life.Accidental growth disruption is accompanied by profuse bleeding.This is due to damage to the capillaries that feed the wart.Most often, such warts are found on the hands, fingers and feet.
Rubbing the growth with clothing can cause swelling and inflammation.In this case, discomfort and pain appear.As a rule, if a wart is present, it is recommended to remove it.
What do papillomas look like?
When papillomas appear, it is necessary to determine the strain of the virus: some types of HPV are oncogenic.
Having understood what a wart looks like in the photo, you should consider another common type of growth - papillomas.They are a small, soft ball on a stalk, rising noticeably above the rest of the epidermis.
Characteristics of papillomas:
- small size;
- light pigmentation;
- soft and homogeneous structure;
- no discomfort on palpation.
The thin stalk provides nutrition to the body of the papilloma.The blood supply to the growth is provided by capillaries, so if the leg is damaged, bleeding begins.Under normal conditions, papillomas do not hurt or cause discomfort, but if compressed by fabrics, shoe straps, or other clothing, papillomas can become inflamed.It causes pain.Damage to papillomas is potentially dangerous, so it is desirable to remove them promptly.Depending on the strain of the virus that caused the formation of growths, papillomas can degenerate into malignant neoplasms.To be fair, it should be said that this happens very rarely, in no more than 4% of cases.
Location of papillomas: back, armpits, inguinal folds, neck, but they can also appear on other parts of the body.
Flat warts in the photo
Flat warts are formations on the skin that are slightly raised above its surface.
Flat warts occur in children and adolescents.They are easily recognizable from the photo: they are flat, small growths of a predominantly yellowish color.They look like small plaques or bumps on the skin and are almost invisible.The surface of flat warts is smooth and shiny.
This type of growth is safe.Flat warts do not hurt or cause discomfort, they are difficult to damage in everyday life and almost never degenerate into malignant neoplasms.
Flat warts are removed mainly for cosmetic reasons, as they often appear on the face and neck.
Keratomas
Keratoma has a different nature of formation and occurs in older people.
This type of growth is not viral, but age-related.Seen primarily in older people, keratoma formation is often accompanied by pigmentation disorders elsewhere in the body.
Keratomas are small, dark, bumpy spots with a keratinized top layer.Their surface is irregular, hard to the touch and brittle.Despite this, keratomas are not dangerous.They do not hurt or cause discomfort.These are essentially small areas of the skin where pigmentation is compromised and keratinization processes are accelerated.
Symptoms of filamentous warts
Filiform warts usually affect delicate areas of the skin.
Filiform warts are small, oblong-shaped growths on the skin.They occur in places with thin, sensitive skin, mainly on the neck, around the mammary glands, and in the armpits.Filiform warts look like a papilloma stalk without a round body on top.They are rarely pigmented and most often do not differ in color from the rest of the epidermis.The size of the growths does not exceed several millimeters in length and diameter.
Such growths appear in middle-aged and elderly people.Filamentous warts are not observed in children, adolescents and young people under 35 years of age.
How to recognize warts?
Warts are found on the mucous membranes - in the mouth, on the genitals.
Condyloma is a small growth of overgrown epithelial cells.The main feature is the papillary structure.Warts occur on mucous membranes, including the genitals.They can cover the labia minora in women, the walls of the vagina, the cervix, the urethra, the head and the shaft of the penis.
The virus that causes warts is sexually transmitted.
Warts can appear singly or in groups.In the second case, they gradually grow together, forming large growths, in the shape of cockscomb, broccoli or cauliflower.Their structure is heterogeneous, the color is pink or light brown.
Warts on the genitals are particularly dangerous.They grow quickly and can affect the urethra and cervix.Warts on the cervix are potentially dangerous, as their cells quickly degenerate into a malignant neoplasm.
Plantar warts
Plantar warts cause considerable discomfort when walking.
A plantar wart, or plantar wart, is a special type of growth that exclusively affects the feet.Externally they look like small calluses surrounded by keratinized skin.The color is often yellowish-white.The peculiarity of the spine is that it rapidly increases in size and hurts when walking.This is due to the fact that its root is located deep under the skin and irritates the surrounding tissues when walking, crushing them.
Spines are equally common in adults and children.They grow quickly, so they require timely identification and removal.A plantar wart practically does not rise above the healthy epidermis, representing a small plaque of keratinized skin.
Wart root
The papilloma itself, wart or condyloma, is only the visible part of the growth that rises above the skin.The wart itself grows from the inside, from the root.It is the root that plays the main role in the formation of growth, so all methods of removing warts are aimed at destroying it.
The exact appearance of the roots of a wart depends on the type of growth.In vulgar warts, warts and papillomas, the roots are invisible externally, as they are located under the skin.The root is a proliferation of epidermal cells that extends deep under the skin and includes small capillary vessels through which the blood supply to the growth and its growth is ensured.
The root of the wart and papilloma practically replicates the visible part of the neoplasm, but is located deep under the skin, so it is impossible to see it.
The appearance of the roots of a wart depends on the size of the root system of the growth.Moreover, the larger the papilloma itself, the larger its root.The only root you can notice on your own is the base of the spine.It is a slight compaction around the growth.If the spine is large, its root becomes darker, which is noticeable.
How to avoid making a wrong diagnosis?
Only a doctor can correctly diagnose the type of formation.
Having understood how warts appear on the body and how papilloma and warts appear, it is important to understand that the diagnosis should be made only by a specialist.In addition to determining the type of growth from a photo, it is important to undergo tests to identify the strain of the virus and its activity.This will allow you to correctly draw up a treatment regimen so that warts do not reappear immediately after treatment.For this purpose it is recommended to consult a dermatologist immediately after detecting the first growth.If the virus is active, there is a risk of multiple benign skin growths appearing on different parts of the body.