Have you ever been a victim of those small, annoying outgrowths on your skin, maybe on your hands or legs, that leave you feeling self conscious? Have you ever thought of getting warts checked by expert dermatologists in Southlake, TX? If the answer to the second question is a ‘no’, you could be in trouble!
A virus called Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is what causes your skin to produce these small growths that can’t be easily removed from the skin. Warts are too painful when attempted to pull off and can cause injuries and infections. As much as the problem is common, it is indeed a nuisance. Fortunately, most warts are not dangerous but they are all highly contagious and can grow anywhere on the skin.
According to the expert Southlake dermatologists, there are six different types of warts which include:
- The common bumpy-surfaced warts that mostly emerge on the skin of your hands and fingers. These are more common among children.
- Small, smooth warts called plane or flat warts. They usually appear in clusters on the face, legs, and backside of the hands.
- Plantar warts that emerge on the soles of feet.
- Long, thin projections around your face, eyes, and neck. These are called filiform warts.
- More common in people who bite their nails, periungual warts are found under and around the fingernails.
- Warts appearing on the genitals. These are known as genital (venereal) warts.
It is important to know and remember that some warts can turn out to be cancerous if not treated in time. In fact, there are a few forms of skin cancers that occur in the form of warts and this is what makes it extremely important to get warts checked by doctors or dermatologists in Southlake, TX. Not to forget, the sooner you get wart treated, the easier it will be for Southlake Dermatology experts to wipe them out from your skin.
What Causes Warts?
It is 70 different strains of the HPV that can cause warts on your skin. Yes, you read that right; 70 different strains!
HPV exists naturally on human skin and is likely to affect those with weak immune systems; people who easily fall ill or are on long-term medications. According to the dermatologist in Southlake, TX experts, plane/common, or plantar warts can at times occur by a simple cut on the skin. You can even get them by walking barefoot in public areas. But unlike the previous two examples, genital warts are graver and much more contagious. They spread through sexual contact and can take anywhere between 1 to 24 months to appear.
Indication and Seriousness
More often, you will be able to directly identify warts on your skin. They appear as abnormally grown tiny bumps on the skin that could be either flat or protruding. Apart from this, there can sometimes be other indications like prominent changes in the skin texture or color.
The symptoms of plantar and genital warts, as identified by professional dermatologists in Southlake, TX, are much more distinct and cause serious consequences.
You will often be able to identify plantar warts as calluses. They are flat, deeply rooted in the skin, and can cause pain as you walk. These warts can be yellow or brown in color but can sometimes grow with grey colored dots on them.
Genital warts, on the contrary, are generally small and flat. These can be pink, grey, or white in color. These warts can join together and form structures resembling a cauliflower. Genital warts can grow on both internal and external genitalia like including the anus, vagina, urethra, and cervix. These can even occur in the throat in cases of oral sexual contact with the affected person.
The Diagnosis
In case there is a lump, growth, or any other changes in the skin, it is important for you to consult a dermatologist in Southlake, TX, without wasting another minute. The dermatologist in Southlake experts will conduct a thorough evaluation, diagnose the actual problem, and suggest treatment options after discussing with you. They will also consider the severity of the wart problem that you might have in their solution.
A physical exam will allow the specialists to differentiate between a wart and other skin conditions such as a virus that might have affected you. What you might be mistaking as a wart could turn out to be a mole, callus, corn, skin tag, or even skin cancer.
Your dermatologist in Southlake, TX, may have to conduct a biopsy to properly diagnose genital warts if you have any. The process involves removing a bit of the tissue and sending the sample to the lab to get it checked. This will help make an accurate diagnosis of the problem and reveal if the wart is really something that can cause cancer or is it a temporary concern.
Treatment and Prevention
There is a wide range of treatment options available to treat warts. The dermatologist in Southlake, TX, that you choose will be able to suggest the right approach for you depending on the type of the wart, its severity, and the area of the body you have it on. There are some amazing tropical medications that can do the job for you if the wart is not too dangerous. If it is on a sensitive spot on your body or/and is cancerous, it may require laser treatment.
All warts except genital and plantar warts have a good chance of disappearing on their own but that does not mean you can leave them untreated for long. You must get every single wart on your body checked by the doctor or dermatologist in Southlake, TX.
If the wart could be eradicated using medication or would go away on its own in a certain amount of time, the Southlake dermatology experts will tell you about it clearly.
What you can do to prevent warts on your body is keep away from those who are infected, avoid walking barefooted, and never touch someone else’s warts regardless of how close a family member or a friend they may be.
If you notice a wart on your skin or suspect that you might have caught one, connect with the experts at Compassion Dermatology to get it checked and treated. Act before you regret!
