Some time ago, Zhimei shared the short popular science "Can flat warts be good on their own?" 》。
There are many friends in the background who reflect that they have flat warts, and want us to discuss what is going on with flat warts and whether to treat them or not.
Well, today we will seriously talk about the flat warts that are small but troublesome.
Flat warts are essentially viral infections of the superficial layers of the skin.
Flat warts are part of the family of viral warts, which also include common common warts and plantar warts, and even genital warts transmitted through sexual contact are close relatives of them.
In their bodies, there is the "blood" of HPV flowing.
HPV is the English abbreviation for human papillomavirus. Normal people may also be infected with HPV, but the immune system will play a role in killing HPV in the cradle.
So, a lot of times HPV infection doesn't necessarily cause disease, and we don't feel it at all.
Unfortunately, some HPVs still attack the skin and mucous membranes after a period of incubation, causing lesions and different viral warts.
You can rest assured that hpvic acid that causes viral warts is not the same model as HPV for cervical cancer.
For ease of understanding, the types of HPV corresponding to common warts, plantar warts, flat warts, and genital warts are sorted out below.
After understanding the type, I think you want to know how HPV infects the skin and causes flat warts?
It is mainly divided into 3 steps:
Step 1, HPV invades the superficial layers of the mucous membranes of the skin;
Step 2, HPV camps at the bottom layer of the epidermis, the base layer;
Step 3, HPV continues to invade other shallow areas;
Step 4, HPV continues to have children and expand its territory.
After constant infection, flat warts grow on our skin and never abandon them.
Typically, they are small, flattened, pale or light brown in color, numerous, densely distributed across the face, forearms, or the back of the hand.
If you scratch or rub repeatedly, HPV will be inoculated to other parts, just like dandelions sowing seeds, and new flat warts will grow.
To tell the truth, flat warts do have hope for their own good.
There are data from abroad, and their analysis found that 23% of flat warts will disappear within 2 months, and up to 78% of flat warts will disappear within 2 years [2].
However, this data is for reference only, after all, different countries and different age groups may vary.
However, there is reason to believe that flat warts do have the hope of incurable healing.
Scientists have also confirmed this through research. They found that the body's immune system spontaneously attacks foreign invaders such as HPV, and the most credited of them is immune cells called T lymphocytes [3].
In addition, medically part of the treatment of flat warts also uses the function of the immune system.
For example, topical imiquimod creams and tretinoin creams are "magical" attacks on flat warts by generating an immune response.
If left untreated, flat warts may be calm or might be in the wind.
If there are not many flat warts and are not easy to rub against, there will not be much change in the short term.
If there is some kind of injury, friction, or irritation, the flat wart may wait for the opportunity to move, and the infection will occur, either to oneself or to others.
Although it is not very contagious, it is recommended that if it grows, it is best to go to the hospital for treatment.
Although it may not affect life very much, after all, only after cutting the grass and removing the roots can the consequences be reduced.
At the same time, it is also recommended that if you have flat warts, you still need to pay attention to protection to reduce the risk of infection.
The following protection tips to share with friends in need [4]:
Finally, if you can't get carried away, feel free to see a dermatologist in the hospital. The doctor's side has a way to deal with this grinding little goblin.
If you are willing to smear the drug, tretinoin, salicylic acid, imiquimod, can be considered. If it is troublesome, there are other options, freezing, laser, are routine operations.
However, these treatments are not 100% effective, and may have side effects, we should not blindly self-diagnose, autonomy, it is best to listen to the advice of doctors.
Reviewer
Wei Guo | Chief Physician of the Department of Dermatology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University
bibliography
[1] Bolognia JL, Schaffer JV, Cerroni L. Dermatology, 4th ed. New York: Elsevier; 2018.
[2] MedicalNewsToday. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321355
[3] Aiba S, Rokugo M, Tagami H. Immunohistologic analysis of the phenomenon of spontaneous regression of numerous flat warts. Cancer. 1986; 58(6): 1246-1251.
[4] AAD. https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/warts-heal
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