A wart is a benign neoplasm on the skin, from which no person is immune.Everyone who cares about their health should know what warts look like, photos of which show different types of growths.Knowing the specific signs of different types of tumors will help you notice the growth in time and consult a doctor with questions about its treatment or removal.
What warts look like: photos and features
Human papillomavirus causes the formation of various growths on the skin.
Warts, the photos of which are presented in large quantities on the Internet, can take different 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;
- papilloma;
- flat warts;
- keratoma;
- filamentous warts;
- condylomas;
- plantar warts.
In fact, any type of growth caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) can be called a papilloma, as this is a general name for a type of benign neoplasia.
Keratomas are the only types of growths listed above that are not caused by a virus.Such neoplasms appear in the elderly, which is due to age-related changes in the epidermis.
Characteristics of vulgar warts
Most often, such warts are formed on the fingers;if they interfere, they should be removed.
Warts vulgaris are the most common type of growth.It is very easy to recognize it from a photo because of its characteristic features.It has the shape of a small ball, which 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 they can be brown, similar to moles in color.
The size of vulgar warts varies from a few millimeters to a centimeter in diameter, large sizes are a rare exception.
Hair can grow from the body of the wart if the growth is located in a hairy area of the body.This is completely normal and is not a pathology.
A wart can be damaged in everyday life.An accidental tear of the growth is accompanied by profuse bleeding.This is due to damage to the capillaries that feed the wart.Most often, such warts are located on the hands, fingers and feet.
Rubbing the growth with clothing can lead to swelling and inflammation.In this case, discomfort and pain appear.As a rule, if a wart is in the way, it is recommended to remove it.
What do papillomas look like?
When papillomas appear, it is necessary to determine the type of virus - some types of HPV are oncogenic.
Once you understand 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, which clearly rises above the rest of the epidermis.
Characteristics of papillomas:
- small sizes;
- light pigmentation;
- soft homogeneous structure;
- no discomfort during palpation.
The thin stalk provides food for the body of the papilloma.The blood supply of growth is provided by capillaries, so if the leg is injured, bleeding begins.Under normal conditions, papillomas do not hurt or cause discomfort, but when compressed by cloth, shoelaces or other clothing items, papillomas can become inflamed.It causes pain.Damage to papillomas is potentially dangerous, so it is preferable to remove them at the right time.Depending on the type of 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.
Localization of papillomas: back, armpits, inguinal folds, neck, but they can also appear in other parts of the body.
Flat warts in the photo
Flat warts are formations on the skin that are raised slightly above its surface.
Flat warts appear in children and teenagers.They are easily recognizable from the photo: they are flat, small growths of mostly yellow color.They resemble 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, are hardly damaged in everyday life and almost never degenerate into malignant neoplasms.
Flat warts are mostly removed for aesthetic reasons, as they often appear on the face and neck.
Keratomas
Keratoma has a different nature of formation and appears in older people.
This type of growth is not viral, but age-related.Mainly seen in the elderly, the formation of keratomas is often accompanied by pigmentation disorders in other parts of the body.
Keratomas are small, dark, irregular spots with a keratinized top layer.Their surface is uneven, hard to touch and smooth.Despite this, keratomas are not dangerous.They do not hurt and do not cause discomfort.Basically, these are small areas of the skin in which pigmentation is damaged and keratinization processes are improved.
Symptoms of filamentous warts
Filiform warts usually affect delicate areas of the skin.
Filiform warts are small elongated growths on the skin.They occur in places with thin and 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 more often do not differ in color from the rest of the epidermis.The size of growths does not exceed several millimeters in length and diameter.
Such growths appear in middle-aged and elderly people.In children, adolescents and young people under 35 years of age, filamentous warts are not observed.
How to recognize condylomas?
Condylomas are located on the mucous membrane - in the mouth, on the genitals.
Condyloma is a small growth of overgrown epithelial cells.The main characteristic is the papillary structure.Condylomas appear on the mucous membrane, including the genitals.They can cover the labia minora in women, the walls of the vagina, the cervix, the urethra, the head and shaft of the penis.
The virus that causes warts is sexually transmitted.
Condylomas can appear individually or in groups.In the second case, they gradually grow together, forming large growths, shaped like a rooster's comb, broccoli or cauliflower.Their structure is heterogeneous, the color is pink or light brown.
Genital warts are particularly dangerous.They grow quickly and can affect the urethra and cervix.Condylomas on the cervix are potentially dangerous, as their cells quickly degenerate into a malignant neoplasm.
Plantar warts
Plantar warts cause significant discomfort while walking.
A plantar wart, or plantar wart, is a special type of growth that exclusively affects the feet.From the outside, they look like small calluses with keratinized skin around them.The color is often yellowish-white.The peculiarity of the spine is that it quickly increases in size and hurts when you walk.This is due to the fact that its root is located deep under the skin and irritates the surrounding tissues while walking, squeezing 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 plate of keratinized skin.
The root of warts
The papilloma, wart or condyloma itself 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, therefore all methods of removing warts aim at its destruction.
What exactly the roots of a wart look like depends on the type of growth.In vulgar warts, condylomas and papillomas, the roots are invisible from the outside, 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 of the growth and its growth is ensured.
The root of the wart and papilloma practically repeats the visible part of the neoplasm, but it is located deep under the skin, so it is impossible to see.
What the roots of a wart look like depends on the size of the growing root system.Moreover, the larger the papilloma itself, the larger its root.The only root you can see for yourself is the base of the spine.It's a light compression around growth.If the spine is large, its root becomes darker, which is visible.
How to avoid a mistake with a diagnosis?
Only a doctor can correctly diagnose the type of formation.
Once you understand what the warts that appear on the body look like and how papillomas and condylomas 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 type of virus and its activity.This will allow you to correctly design a treatment regimen so that warts do not appear again immediately after treatment.For this reason, it is recommended to consult a dermatologist immediately after discovering the first growth.If the virus is active, there is a risk of multiple benign skin growths appearing on different parts of the body.