Warts are benign small skin growths. Prickly warts are a form of vulgar wart, the most common type of wart. Vulgar warts also include
- Plantar warts, which grow on the soles of the feet and cause pain,
- Flat warts, also known as juvenile warts. They often affect children.
Prickly warts are transmitted by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Prickly warts appear as very hard, curved nodules. They usually reach the size of a pea. At the beginning, prickly warts are skin-colored or reddish. Later, the wart begins to keratinize and usually turns greyish in colour. The growth is reminiscent of a cauliflower.
Further, so-called daughter warts can form around the spiked wart.
Butcher's warts also belong to this type of wart. It often occurs on the hands of butchers. Due to frequent contact with raw meat, those affected become infected through smear infection. This is how these warts develop.
In most cases, plantar warts are found on the hands, for example on the fingers. They also occur more frequently on the feet. In the case of an immunodeficiency, prickly warts can also appear in unusual places and quite suddenly.
The massive appearance of prickly warts can be a sign of an immune deficiency. This should be clarified by a dermatologist as soon as possible.
The infection typically begins with a single prickly wart. It can take up to two years between the infection and the formation of the prickly wart. The wart grows very slowly over weeks or months and causes no pain.
However, a plantar wart can spread over the whole hand over time or spread through self-infection. This is why you should never scratch a wart - this can spread the pathogens.
Prickly warts can reach an extreme size. This happens when several prickly warts grow together to form a bed.
Horny surface of a plantar wart © fpic | AdobeStock
Prickly warts are transmitted via smear infection. There is therefore a very high risk of infection. Prickly warts are the most common type of wart, accounting for 70 percent of all warts.
Around 20 percent of twelve-year-olds have a goitered wart. In adulthood, the figure is only 2 to 3 percent. In principle, however, these warts can occur in any age group.
People with a weakened immune system are particularly affected by prickly warts. The transmission often takes place in facilities where many people walk barefoot, for example
- in swimming pools
- in the sauna or
- in hotel rooms.
Infected people can shed flakes of skin here that are contaminated with the pathogen. Without shoes or other protection, the HP viruses get onto the skin of other people.
HP viruses can also be transmitted through direct contact, for example by shaking hands.
The experienced dermatologist usually makes a visual diagnosis. He or she recognizes the prickly wart by its characteristic appearance and the place where it appears.
If the wart is dabbed with acetic acid, it turns whitish in contrast to the surrounding skin. The doctor can also use this method. In this way, it is also possible to identify other sites of infection of prickly warts.
In some cases, the doctor will take a tissue sample or swab. The material is sent to the laboratory for further examination.
Treatment is not always necessary. Prickly warts often disappear on their own after a while. Nevertheless, it is advisable to consult a dermatologist or pediatrician. For people over the age of 45, the doctor should clarify whether the growth is really benign.
On the other hand, some prickly wart infestations are extremely stubborn. Treatment can then take longer.
In this case, you should never try to cut or scratch the wart. This can release viruses, which in turn can cause further prickly wart infections.
The following treatments are usually considered for prickly warts:
Cauterization or icing is often also possible as a self-treatment. Appropriate remedies are available over the counter in pharmacies.
Cauterization
Wart plasters or wart tinctures contain active ingredients such as salicylic acid or lactic acid. These can be used to remove superficially growing warts layer by layer.
The plaster or tincture is applied directly to the wart. The product works there for some time. A white layer forms on the wart surface. Remove this after a few hours and the treatment begins again.
However, these agents do not help against the causative viruses, but only against the skin growths caused by them. The treatment must therefore be repeated until the plantar wart has completely disappeared.
During treatment, you should take care not to reach healthy skin with the active ingredient. To protect the surrounding skin, you can apply a greasy ointment around the wart. This ensures that the aggressive agent cannot reach the skin.
Cryotherapy
Freezing with liquid nitrogen involves temperatures of almost -200 °C. This causes tiny ice crystals to form in the skin cells, which destroy the cells. After a few days, the dead wart falls off by itself. The HP viruses also do not survive these temperatures and are killed.
However, the treatment can be very painful.
In cryotherapy, either cold sprays or a cold probe are used. You can buy cold sprays from the pharmacy. Care must be taken to protect the surrounding skin and only spray the wart with the spray.
The doctor uses a precisely targeted cold probe.
Wart scraper
In some cases, the doctor scrapes out the wart with a sharp, so-called wart spoon. A scar may then remain.
An HPV infection that leads to prickly warts cannot be completely avoided. However, you can follow a few rules of conduct to reduce the risk of infection.
- Do not walk barefoot in public places. Wear bathing shoes
- Do not share your towel or clothes with other people
- Make sure your skin is healthy and not too dry. Dry skin has fine cracks through which pathogens can enter the body. Use moisturizers on dry skin.
- Support your immune system with a healthy diet and sufficient exercise. With an intact immune system, the body can successfully fight off invading pathogens itself.
If you already have one or more prickly warts, you should avoid spreading them.
- Use another towel to dry the affected area. This will prevent the pathogens from reaching other parts of your body. Wash your towels regularly at a temperature of at least 60 °C.
- Never scratch the wart open! This could allow viruses to escape and multiply in the surrounding area.
