Warts on the neck are a common condition that can cause discomfort and insecurity for people who have them, despite this, you can rest easy because, apart from an unsightly issue, most of these formations do not pose a danger to your health and should not be a reason for worry. Here we will tell you what it is, why they appear, what other diseases they are often confused with, and how you can eliminate them from your skin.
What are they?
Warts are defined as common and benign growths of the epidermis, that is, non-cancerous, so, apart from an unsightly appearance, they are harmless and do not cause concern to people. They are characterized by the fact that they are a small growth or bump that forms on a certain area of the skin, have a diameter of several millimeters to a centimeter and can be single or multiple.
Although warts usually appear on the neck, in fact, warts form anywhere on the body, especially in places most exposed to human contact, such as the neck, head, face, hands, and soles of the feet.
Most people may be confused by these bumps, however, as we mentioned, they are much more common than you might think, they are almost universal. According to the National Institutes of Health, most people develop a wart at some point in their lives; These bumps can appear on any skin type and at any age.
It is important to understand that most warts are not accompanied by any pain and can sometimes be painful and uncomfortable. There are different types, which depend on their appearance and location on the body. In general, these bumps on the neck are characterized by a round or oval shape, raised and rough, skin-colored or light brown in color.
Why do they appear?
The warts described here are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), despite the stigma and recognition of this pathogen as sexually transmitted infections, there are actually more than 100 subtypes of HPV. Thus, each wart (including those that form in the genital area) is associated with a different type of HPV.
Since they are the result of a viral infection, it must be taken into account that warts are contagious and are transmitted by direct skin contact; The National Institutes of Health told us that these viruses can enter the skin through small cuts and cause extra cell growth.
When a person has a protrusion, it can increase in size or number due to autoinoculation when manipulating it and causing injury, so it’s best to leave it alone.
What other states are they often confused with?
Colloquially, especially on the neck, any abnormal growth that appears is usually referred to as a wart, so it is important to distinguish between skin lesions not caused by HPV virus infection, and which in most cases can be distinguished by morphology.
The growths, which are usually described as warts, are skin protrusions. These are small lumps (sometimes elongated), soft and usually brown or the color of your skin, located on the neck, in the armpits and in the groin. They are also considered benign and, unlike warts, are not contagious.
If you have a skin lesion that concerns you, it is best to see a specialist doctor who can make a differential diagnosis and evaluate your case.
How to remove them from the skin?
Warts are self-limiting, meaning they often go away on their own after the immune system is able to fight the virus; The time it takes for this to happen depends on the type of virus, wart, and the person’s health, and can be weeks, months, and sometimes years.
Warts do not usually need to be treated this way, however, due to the aesthetic issues and the possible insecurity they cause in people, the most common treatments a doctor may recommend to get rid of these bumps quickly, according to the National Institutes of Health, are:
- Local treatment with salicylic acid solution. It is applied to the hardened skin of the wart several times a day for several weeks to gradually dissolve the wart.
- Destructive method with cryotherapy. This involves freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen to remove it. This is done by a specialist and usually needs to be repeated several times.
The most important thing about this is that do not try to eliminate them yourself with home remedies.because it can cause autoinoculation and the warts can multiply in other parts of the body.
If you have warts on your neck (or other parts of your body), it’s important to see a specialist who can recommend the best alternative for you.
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