Human papillomavirus is not a scratch that you can get rid of with a leaf of medicinal herb, but also not a serious disease that threatens a person's life. It's just an infection. The infection, which has more than 100 species, is incredibly contagious, does not look back at the age / social status of a potential carrier, and is present in the body of more than 80% of the population.
Each patient who treats the human papillomavirus should first of all understand: what he is dealing with, what threatens him with self-treatment, which doctor he should turn to for help, and how much time / effort / money it will cost a full attempt to get rid of this disease.
HPV: what is it? Disease symptoms. Is it worth it to treat
Papilloma virus is an infectious disease that affects healthy cells of the epidermis / mucous membrane of almost the entire body (including the anogenital zone). In other words, HPV is an intracellular parasite that inserts its DNA into human chromosomes. As a result, atypical cells begin to form, which, under the influence of "favorable" conditions, rapidly multiply. In the absence of any intervention, most of the epidermis is a pathological layer, a layer of tumors and pathogenic growths.
But, as practice shows, the result of the invasion of papillomavirus, in fact, can be twofold:
- Infected people become carriers of the virus, but they themselves, thanks to the body's defenses, do not notice any symptoms of the disease.
- Almost immediately, the body of an infected person begins to cover papillomas. Depending on the main location of their localization and the type of virus itself, they can be of different shapes / colors, cause itching / pain, or cause absolutely no discomfort.
Accordingly, with the existing variant of the manifestation of symptoms, the issue of treating or ignoring the papillomavirus is resolved by itself. However, there is a special study using the polymerase chain reaction. Its results will help determine the type of pathogen, choose the right drug (for a particular strain), find out if it is treated at all.
As for the medical point of view, it was also divided into two halves. Some experts are of the opinion that it is basically impossible to get rid of the papillomavirus. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the symptoms, examining "problem" tumors in time. The only treatment option for this side is surgery/other definitive therapies. The main indications for this approach are:
- regular relapses of the disease;
- pronounced symptoms of the disease, especially on the genitals (genital warts) and mucous membranes (larynx, bronchi, nose, eyes, oral cavity);
- preparation for pregnancy;
- high viral load according to the results of the polymerase chain reaction.
The rest believe in the independent removal of the virus from the body. To do this, it is enough to support his immune system, which will block the pathogenic microorganism. This can be done with the help of vitamin complexes, immunostimulants, a healthy lifestyle (meaning good nutrition / giving up bad habits).
Important!This theory is valid for patients under 30 years of age. After reaching the mentioned age, the immune system weakens somewhat and cannot remove the virus from the body on its own, having coped with several strains of HPV at once.
Reasons for the development / progression of HPV
Before puzzling over how to treat HPV, where to find a good specialist, how much time / money it will take and whether it will be possible to cure papillomavirus in principle, maybe focus on prevention and try not to get infected?
It is good if the attending physician explains to the patient in advance that this is almost impossible. For the simple reason that every second person around him can be a carrier of the virus, without having a single papilloma. Thanks for this, he can say to his immunity, which has the strength to block the symptoms of the disease. Whether your body's defenses are so powerful can only be known after infection with HPV itself. This often happens in three main ways:
- From mother to child.During pregnancy, infection is practically excluded, since the placenta is a reliable barrier that protects the baby from any external influence. But during birth, when the baby passes through the birth canal, the risk of transmitting the virus is incredibly high. Moreover, it penetrates, first of all, into the mucous membrane of the eyes / nose / oropharynx of the child. As a result, the first papillomas in a small patient may appear in the first few days. Especially dangerous are those that are localized on the glottis, endangering the life of the baby due to possible strangulation. They are also called papillomatosis of the larynx.
- Contact-household way.It is especially relevant in case of non-compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, using other people's towels / cups / clothes, shaking hands, kissing, hugging, etc. The risk of infection increases in enclosed spaces with high humidity (pool, sauna, bath), as well as in preschool /school institutions.
- Autoinfection.It is observed in small children who pull everything into their mouths without first washing their hands. The same applies to the habit of biting nails, as well as burrs on the fingers. In place of the latter, characteristic outgrowths appear in the form of flat plaques with a pinkish tint. Do not forget about small scratches / abrasions / other mechanical damage to the skin, through which the virus quickly penetrates into healthy epithelium.
In the absence of any actions, as well as concomitant causes of a decrease in immunity (inflammatory processes, chronic diseases, viral / colds, lack of vitamins / useful micro- and macroelements, living in unfavorable conditions, low environmental level, poor-quality / unbalanced nutrition), papillomatosis rapidlyspreads throughout the body, affecting more and more healthy cells. In this case, treatment is inevitable. It remains only to choose the fastest and most effective method.
Treatment of the papillomavirus: the most effective methods
Attention!Treatment of the human papillomavirus should begin with a consultation with a trusted specialist! Only he, after considering your complaints, conducting an examination and making an accurate diagnosis, will be able to draw up an effective treatment plan. He will answer all your questions, including "is it possible to cure papillomatosis in principle? "and "should it be treated at all? ".
If you don’t know who to contact specifically, pay attention to where the papillomas are located that cause you the most inconvenience:
- Are the growths "scattered" on the arms, legs, under the arms and on the face / neck? Then a dermatologist can help you.
- Worried about genital warts? Such papillomas are dealt with by a gynecologist / urologist.
- Are tumors found in the rectum, near the anus? Contact a proctologist.
It is worth remembering that at the very start of treatment it would be wrong to set the goal of "removing HPV from the body". No, you have symptoms that cause some inconvenience, and also threaten with increased oncogenicity. We must start with them, minimizing the risk to life and health. Often, a complex method of treating papillomas is used for this:
- Destruction of "problem" papillomas.
- Body support with immunomodulators.
- Healthy lifestyle.
Such an HPV treatment regimen will not only help get rid of the manifestations of the disease, but will also be able to eliminate the virus from the body as such. But you should not count on its rapid removal: if a complete cure is possible, then it will take at least years.
That is why, experts recommend physical methods of removing papillomas as an effective way to stop their growth/spread.
Hardware cosmetology/surgery
This method of removing papillomas is considered a priority not only in medical circles, but also in cosmetology. After all, this is the only way to quickly / without a trace / effectively remove those papillomas that cause physical discomfort, develop complexes due to an unsightly aesthetic appearance.
The most popular are:
- laser therapy.The essence of the procedure is the "dissolution" of pathological cells, sealing the walls of blood vessels, as well as the rehabilitation of the damaged epithelial layer. The process is absolutely painless, fast and quite effective (from 60 to 92% of papillomas disappear without a trace, without recurrence). However, with regard to wound healing after removal of growths larger than 5 mm, it stretches up to 4 weeks and leaves small depigmented spots.
- Radio wave therapy / radioknife.This method involves the use of high frequency radio waves to remove skin lesions. Allows you to cure papillomatosis by coagulating blood vessels, and without bleeding and pain. Eliminates recurrence of the disease, acts extremely pointwise, without damaging healthy tissues. More suitable for removing single tumors.
- Cryodestruction.It implies exposure to papilloma with liquid nitrogen, as a result of which the growths dry out, turn black and fall off. If their dimensions are more than 5-6 mm, several sessions will be required to achieve the desired result.
Important!The likelihood of relapse is quite high.
- Chemolysis.Removes neoplasms with trichloroacetic acid. It is used only for the treatment of genital warts. And then with an efficiency of 30-40%.
- Electrocoagulation.Papillomas are exposed to high-frequency electric current, as a result of which protein tissues coagulate, destroying the pathological layer. The procedure is quite painful, but allows the use of local anesthesia. As for relapses, they are quite likely, so you should immediately pay attention to this.
Attention!The specialist performing the procedure must be extremely careful: the smoke during electrocoagulation may contain particles of the human papillomavirus and, if it enters the upper respiratory tract, infect him.
- "Good old scalpel".Surgical intervention, despite the abundance of more modern methods, continues to occupy one of the first places in medicine. Only now they use it mainly to remove genital warts of large sizes. Also, this method is effective in getting rid of malignant tumors.
Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. In addition, the patient's fear of hardware therapy/surgery often plays a significant role. In this case, all these methods can be categorically rejected, despite their high efficiency. An exception is, perhaps, oncogenic formations. But even in this case, the patient may insist on other, more "humane" therapeutic methods.
Removal of papillomas using pharmaceutical products
How to remove pathological formations with medicines? Simple enough. Consult your doctor, who will prescribe a suitable topical product for you. Regardless of the name and price, the active substance of each of them is an acid or alkali, under the influence of which the tissues of epithelial formations are destroyed. In other words, necrosis of pathological cells occurs.
The use of drugs is prohibited for self-medication, as there are a number of contraindications that should not be overlooked:
- None of the pharmaceutical products is allowed for self-treatment of genital papillomas. Some are theoretically suitable, but are applied only in the treatment room by an experienced specialist.
- The drug with sodium tetraborate and sodium hydroxide is strictly forbidden to be applied to the face / neck / chest / armpit.
- An excellent analogue of cryodestruction turned out to be a spray preparation with dimethyl ether and propane. Its use is allowed at home, but only after consulting a dermatologist and carefully studying the attached instructions. The tool is really effective, but the surface of the skin affected by it heals for a long time and painfully.
- A special pencil acts on papillomas with silver nitrate, which helps to remove growths with the maximum destruction of pathological bacteria. Already at the end of the first week of use, necrosis of neoplasms is observed. But you should be prepared for "residual" scars, as well as burns. On closed areas of the body, this is not critical, but it is better not to experiment on the face / neck / chest.
- The most "gentle" remedy is a drug with a substance obtained by synthesizing N-N-dimethylamino-2-propanol p-acetamidobenzoate with inosine, as it has an antiviral effect. No one will tell you for sure how to get rid of papillomas with these pills. But the body's defenses, in particular the lymphocytic warehouse of blood, will be noticeably strengthened. And with a small spread of papillomatosis, this increases the chances of self-elimination of the virus.
- A solution with phenol, which specializes in skin warts, as well as genital warts, cauterizing their first manifestations. Dangerous for healthy skin and is used no more than 5 times.
How to get rid of papillomatosis folk methods
Traditional medicine is dearly loved by many patients, especially those who prefer self-medication. It is not surprising that they ask neighbors, grandmothers and the good old Internet the question "how to treat HPV".
This is not to say that such methods of treatment are ineffective. No, many will be able to demonstrate a self-cured ailment with the help of decoctions, tinctures and lotions. But there are also those who folk remedies did not help or only aggravated the condition.
Therefore, before you start using all the collected homemade recipes for papillomatosis, do not forget to consult a specialist and undergo the necessary examination. Most likely, you will be given a "green light" to use certain means, or even advised by those that traditional medicine itself recommends:
| Celandine | Just a few fresh stems of the plant are enough, from which the juice came out. They lubricate the surface of the growths, trying not to hook on a healthy epidermis. The procedure is somewhat painful, but the result is visible after a few days. |
| Iodine | You will need a solution (available at any pharmacy) and cotton swabs (for ease of application). HPV is often treated with iodine and is considered one of the most effective/inexpensive remedies. |
| Castor oil | Contains acid that can destroy pathological papillomavirus cells. Allowed for the treatment of growths on the face. It is enough just to lubricate the warts with castor oil twice a day and seal with a plaster. |
| Garlic | Any elderly person will tell you how to treat papillomas with garlic. And not about one option, since you can apply a cut clove of garlic to the growth or prepare a "garlic ointment". |
| Dandelions | Heads of plants are harvested, filled with cologne and infused. The resulting mixture of papillomas is processed 6-7 times a day. |
Each of the suggested options has the right to life. And he proves that often in order to get rid of the human papillomavirus, it is not necessary to schedule treatment for several years in advance.