Surgical removal of warts: advantages and disadvantages of this method

Warts are benign growths on the skin. Today they are well studied and it is reliably known what causes them to appear.

These are different types of human papillomavirus . Whether the virus manifests itself depends on the person’s immune system. Usually, against the background of its decrease, such papillomas appear.

Some warts can not be removed, although doctors recommend getting rid of them nevertheless. Other growths require urgent intervention, sometimes even surgery. Here we will talk about them.

What are the features of the method?

Surgical intervention is appropriate if the neoplasm is large, as well as in relation to deep and flat papillomas.

Only with the help of surgical destruction can you get rid of malignant growths. Regarding the disadvantages of surgical removal of warts, these are the remaining scars and scars.

But now there are ways to get rid of such aesthetic flaws. For example, they use silicone patches that are glued to the scar and after 15-20 days it dissolves and leaves no trace.

Indications for this method

Not all warts are subject to removal, if they do not bother a person and are in an inconspicuous place, and also do not pose a threat to the body, they are usually not removed. Some small growths can dry out and fall off on their own.

But there is a certain category of warts that should be surgically removed immediately, without waiting for them to bring negative consequences:

• If the results of histology showed the presence of cancer cells in the skin growth.
• A large formation, both in terms of the area it occupies, and in terms of the depth of growth.
• With an urgent need to remove the build-up, while methods other than surgical are not suitable.

So the following changes in warts are subject to mandatory removal:

1. Changes in the shape and color of the wart began.
2. The color of the skin formation is not uniform.
3. The growth of warts in quantitative terms began.
4. The appearance of bloody discharge from papilloma.
5. There is pain at the site of the growth.
6. Accumulation of warts in the genital area.

After the diagnostic measures taken, the doctor will decide which way is best to remove such skin formations.

Procedure contraindications

The advantage of surgical removal of warts is that there are practically no absolute contraindications, there are only relative ones, in which, after the problem is eliminated, the operation can be performed.

Contraindications include:

• The presence of acute inflammation or infection, after treatment and removal of these manifestations, one can proceed to surgical excision of the formation.
• Herpevirus disease in the acute stage.
• The period of pregnancy and lactation in women.
• With an exacerbation of a chronic disease.

Self-removal of warts is strictly contraindicated.

Applied methods of anesthesia

When removing warts surgically, two types of anesthesia can be used. These are local anesthesia and general anesthesia.

1. Most often, local anesthesia is used, since there is no need for general anesthesia.
2. General anesthesia may be used for neoplasms that are too large, especially if they are located on the face or head . General anesthesia is also used for small children.

Operation steps

Surgical removal of warts is carried out according to the following scheme:

• The use of an antiseptic to treat the tissue around the wart.
• A local anesthetic is injected for anesthesia.
• The growth is excised, if necessary, with the capture of healthy tissue. The resulting material is sent for histological examination in order to exclude a malignant process in the wart.
• A tight bandage is then applied to stop the bleeding.
• Then a suture is applied, or a silicone patch with an absorbable effect. If a cosmetic suture was applied, then it is left for 7–10 days, while the patch lasts up to 14–21 days.

Recovery after surgery

During the recovery period, it is imperative to follow all the recommendations of the doctor. This period can last several weeks. Everything will depend on the person himself, the functionality of his body, the size of the removed growth.

However, the rules for rehabilitation will be the same for everyone:

1. After the operation, a protective crust forms at the site of manipulation, which in no case should be torn off. Otherwise, an infection will get into the wound, which will not only increase the recovery period, but also bring dangerous consequences. The formed crusts at the site of the papilloma wound serve as a protective barrier against the penetration of various infections. Therefore, it is forbidden to remove such a dried film.
2. For the entire period of rehabilitation, a ban is placed on visiting beaches, solariums, pools and baths. Direct sunlight on the wound can adversely affect its healing. Therefore, if there is an urgent need to walk along a sunny street, apply sunscreen to the skin, including the area of ​​the healing growth.
3. In the first week after the operation, moisture should not be allowed to enter the sore spot.
4. After removing a plantar wart, do not put pressure on the area. Otherwise, bleeding will begin.
5. Compliance with the strictest hygiene.
6. The doctor will recommend regular treatment of the operated site with antiseptic solutions. This is usually done by the medical staff, but if the doctor has shown how to change the bandage correctly, then the patient himself can perform these actions.

Possible consequences

Like other methods of wart removal, the surgical method can have its negative consequences. This happens for various reasons, but if the operation was performed by a professional surgeon, then complications are extremely rare.

The most negative consequences of the operation to remove the papilloma include:

1. The presence of scars and keloid scars. But this consequence is easily eliminated. If you go to a plastic surgeon.
2. The appearance of itching, discomfort and swelling at the site of surgery, if the phenomena are short-term, then this is quite normal. But if they have been going on for more than one day, then you must definitely inform the doctor about this, since perhaps an inflammatory process has begun at the site of the wound.

Otherwise, the recovery period passes without any complications, the main thing is to follow the rules of personal hygiene and act in accordance with the recommendations of the attending physician.

The operation is indicated for patients in order to radically get rid of dangerous moles and neoplasms on the skin. Most often, such growths are removed along with nearby healthy tissues so that the pathological process cannot spread further.

Small scars left after surgery are removed by modern methods by a plastic surgeon.