Causes and treatments for warts on the head under the hair

Warts themselves bring certain inconveniences to the lives of their owners. This is not only a cosmetic defect, but also a constant risk of unnecessary skin injury due to scratching or touching growths. When a wart appears on the head under the hair, an additional number of inconveniences arise, especially for men: it is impossible to get a normal haircut due to the protrusion of the papilloma above the surface of the skin, inadequate or uncomfortable use of hats, glasses, and many other accessories.

Causes of warts on the skin

The appearance of growths on the scalp can be caused by two reasons:

• exposure to human papillomaviruses (HPV);
• age-related changes.

There are several types of viruses that form papillomas. They are very active, especially those that cause the appearance of simple warts. You can become infected with them through any contact:

• using the personal belongings of a sick person: his dishes, clothes, towels, etc.;
• visiting a bathhouse, sauna;
• in public transport and shops, holding handrails, handles of carts and baskets.

In addition, HPV can be infected from any, even minor, damage to the scalp.

Once in the human body, the virus may not manifest itself for a long time. But as soon as a person’s immunity weakens, the virus begins to act.

The activity of the human papillomavirus is caused by:

• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• Frequent infectious diseases;
• Certain medications;
• Stress, lack of sleep;
• Bad habits;
• Profuse sweating.

Thus, the appearance of viral warts on the scalp primarily indicates a weakened immune system and a general deterioration in a person’s condition.

be careful

The presence of papillomas, warts, condylomas, moles and spines on the body is the first sign of malignant melanoma!

We hasten to warn you that most medications “treat” warts, papillomas, moles, etc. - this is a complete deception of marketers who make hundreds of percentage points on drugs whose effectiveness is zero. They do not cure the disease, but only mask the symptoms.

The pharmacy mafia makes huge money by deceiving sick people.

But what to do? How to treat if there is deception everywhere? Doctor of Medical Sciences Anatoly Makhson conducted his own investigation and found a way out of this situation. In this article, the Doctor also told how to 100% protect yourself from melanoma, for only 149 rubles! Read the article in the official source via the link.

Red wart on the head

The formation of red warts on the head is usually not associated with the development of the human papillomavirus. The reason for the appearance of such neoplasms is a disturbance in the functioning and development of small blood vessels, which leads to their interweaving. It is also generally accepted that such warts can appear against the background of skin damage, stretching of the skin, problems with blood clotting, and also as one of the manifestations of cancer pathology.

Therefore, in any case, if a red wart appears, you should immediately consult a doctor, who will prescribe examinations to identify the main causes of its occurrence.

Older people often develop senile warts, which may have a reddish or burgundy tint. Such neoplasms are also not a consequence of the development of the human papillomavirus, but are associated with functional disorders of the skin due to age.

Types of warts

There are several types of viral warts on the scalp:

• Simple - formations with a diameter of up to 7 millimeters, the color of which changes over time from light to dark brown. Often new growths appear near a single wart on the scalp.
• Flat - pink, flesh-colored and brown dense growths with a diameter of up to 5 millimeters of a round shape. Several growths can merge into one.
• Condylomas are soft growths on the scalp on a small stalk that are light, pink or reddish in color. They cause a lot of inconvenience as they grow over time and become very noticeable and painful.

Viral warts on the scalp, when frequently injured by a comb or in hairdressing salons, can degenerate into malignant formations, so they need to be gotten rid of as early as possible.

Age-related warts on the scalp are also called keratotic or seborrheic warts. These are light or brownish growths raised above the skin by several millimeters. Their surface is covered with plaques and a greasy coating.

Keratomas often itch and itch. They usually appear in older people and cause them a lot of trouble. But they do not degenerate into malignant formations.

Features of formations on the head

A wart on the head in the hair is often simple or flat and grows up to 5 – 10 mm. Hair can grow from it, which will mask it, and its detection will occur either when it reaches a large size, or when you decide to cut your hair short. Almost all hair papillomas will have a stalk on which the formation itself is located, which will lead to frequent tears and injuries. Frequent and stable violation of the integrity of the growth significantly increases the risk of its malignancy - degeneration into skin cancer.

When the first wart appears, the appearance of daughter formations can be expected very soon. They can spread both among the hair and spread to the neck, ears, eyelids, nose, lips.

Treatment of warts

If you have such a growth on your scalp, do not self-medicate under any circumstances.

This can cause many complications:

• There is a high risk of infection and severe inflammation;
• A large, unsightly scar may form in place of an improperly removed growth;
• It is impossible to completely remove the growth on the scalp at home. If its root remains, you risk getting a scattering of new papillomas;
• There is a high risk of an injured wart degenerating into a malignant tumor;
• In addition, what you consider to be a wart may turn out to be a dangerous neoplasm, and if you injure it, you can get a serious oncological disease.

Important

Seborrheic warts are benign skin lesions. This means that they cannot turn into cancer cells and be dangerous to health. Seborrheic warts are only an aesthetic problem. Especially when they are on the skin of the face.

The exception is when such a neoplasm is located in a place of constant friction or other traumatic factor. In this case, skin infection may occur. This can result in serious inflammation and even blood poisoning.

Drug treatment of growths on the scalp

First of all, you need to consult a doctor and donate blood for an immunological test. This will help you choose the right medications. Typically, interferon-based products are used to treat growths on the scalp. In addition, they are supplemented with ointments, such as Feresol, creams and ointments based on fluorocyl, salicylic and retinoic acid. You can also analyze the condition of your skin and hair using a trichogram.

How to remove a wart on the head at home - removal methods?

• Chemical methods - various acids and alkalis will help you get rid of skin growths in your hair at home. You can read more about these substances below.
• Thermal methods of cauterization at home - cryotherapy (treatment is carried out by freezing with liquid nitrogen, dimethyl ether). Cryopreparations and chemical pharmaceuticals in various forms (solutions, ointments, creams, gels) are used for treatment.

1. Cryotherapy is carried out using products such as “Cryopharma”, Wartner Cryo. Procedures that freeze the tumor are carried out for 10-14 days, after which the warts disappear without a trace, and the site of freezing will not hurt. During treatment, it is necessary to cover the hair on the head to protect it. Cryopreparations are available in the form of a spray. In some cases, if the result is unnoticeable, for the treatment of old nodules on the head, an additional course may be required after 2 weeks.

2. Pharmaceutical solutions for treatment at home (prohibited for use in children):

• Feresol (phenol and metacresol), a caustic substance, to get rid of a neoplasm at home, a single cauterization is usually sufficient (for formations up to 2 mm in size). This product should not remove warts from children or pregnant women.
• Verrucacid, a milder treatment. Will help get rid of the nodule in 2-3 times
• Collomak (salicylic acid solution), used for treatment at home 2 times a day for up to 7 days, no more. With its help you can get rid of the nodule in a week.
• Iodine solution. Cauterize pointwise 1-2 times per day, no more than a week.

Attention! All chemicals at home should be applied pointwise, while protecting the surrounding areas of the skin and hair on the head with a film and lubricating them with Vaseline or greasy cream.

3. Ointments and gels

• Viferon (immunomodulator), stimulates the production of one’s own antibodies to viruses at the site of application, can be used at home in pregnant women and children. Lubricate the nodules 2 times a day, you can get rid of them after a course of 30 days.
• Imiquimod has a dual effect: it eliminates formations and activates local immunity against the human papillomavirus. Apply spotwise, at night every other day. Course up to 30 days. Panavir gel. Also an immunostimulant, a course of treatment at home for up to 21 days may require several courses to completely get rid of the growth.

4. Other forms : for example, lapis - silver nitrate, a means for cauterizing warts, is available in a convenient pencil form. Helps get rid of the problem in 3-5 days, the resulting crust should fall off on its own, without mechanical impact. Treatment may cause a dark spot to appear on the skin.

5. Pharmacy analogues of folk remedies, alkaline aqueous solutions of sodium hydroxide. potassium (Super celandine) - celandine extracts have taken first place in the treatment of warts. They, like acid-containing preparations, should be used with caution, protecting nearby areas of skin and hair on the head, no more than 3 times, applying one drop of solution. Otherwise, scars may remain after treatment.

Removal

There are several methods for removing warts:

• Laser. A modern effective method for removing skin tumors, performed under local anesthesia. Read more about the method here
• Cryodestruction. This is the removal of growths using liquid nitrogen. The skin around them is not damaged and no scars remain.
• Electrocoagulation. The growth is burned out by high-frequency current, which causes the death of viruses. This is a bloodless method of removing tumors.
• Extensive, fused growths on the scalp are removed surgically.

Medical methods for getting rid of warts

The licensed methods used have a high percentage of positive outcomes and a low number of complications or relapses:

• cryodestruction. An extremely effective method, especially convenient for use on the scalp. The wart is frozen using liquid nitrogen, after which the scab falls off. There are no scars or defects left on the skin, and due to the precise and dosed application of low temperatures, hair follicles are preserved;
• laser removal. The method is effective for multiple small papillomas. As with cryodestruction, after removal of formations there are no scars left and all follicles are preserved, which will ensure hair growth in the future. The method is quite expensive, and for large growths it is ineffective;
• thermocoagulation. The method is based on burning out warts using electricity. Large lesions may leave scars and areas without hair growth. However, the treatment is widely used due to its simplicity, availability, low cost and effectiveness;
• surgical excision. A minor operation is performed with cutting out both the neoplasm itself and the underlying layers of skin, followed by suturing. The technique is used for extremely large papillomas. There is always a scar and an area of ​​skin devoid of hair growth.

Regardless of the chosen treatment path and its results, there is a risk of recurrence of papillomas. This is due to the fact that once HPV enters the body, it can no longer be destroyed.

Treatment of warts in children and adolescents.

The appearance of warts on the scalp during adolescence is often caused by hormonal changes occurring in the body and goes away over time. Therefore, there is no need to rush to remove them.

The same applies to growths that appear in young children. The reason for their appearance is weakening of the immune system. The formation of papillomas is caused by dirt getting into scratches, cuts and irritated skin.

Baby warts have the shape of nodules that resemble seaweed. In addition to the head, they appear on the face and hands. Heavy sweating also provokes the appearance of growths on the scalp in children.

However, children's warts should not be removed either, since they disappear without a trace with age. Strengthening the child’s immunity with the help of immunomodulators and vitamin-mineral complexes will help get rid of them. According to the doctor's recommendations, medicinal ointments can be used.

Types and features of diagnostics

Not all warts on the head are the same in appearance. They have differences in size, color and shape. Taking these parameters into account, doctors subdivide neoplasms into:

• flat papillomas - low growths that grow in breadth and not upward;
• vulgar warts, which look like round balls with a hard crust;
• hanging condylomas - pedunculated nodules, soft to the touch;
• keratomas are dark brown warts, their edges are uneven: growth can often be accompanied by burning and itching.

The appearance of papillomas of these types on the head mainly has a positive prognosis. The probability of transformation of a benign formation into a malignant one is low, however, it increases if the warts are injured.

Folk remedies for the treatment of warts

Traditional medicine offers quite effective means for removing warts on the scalp:

• Lubricate the growth two to three times a day with iodine until it falls off
• Drizzle lemon juice on it. The wart will be destroyed by fruit acids
• Apply celandine juice to the growth 3 times a day
• Every day, drip acetic acid on it.
• Apply tincture of wormwood.

But we warn you once again that self-medication of a wart, especially a large one, threatens its injury and degeneration. So before using folk remedies, consult your doctor. Remember that your health is in your hands.

How to treat a weeping wart on the temple

The formation on the temple is easy to notice: it is not hidden under the hair and interferes with wearing hats and glasses. When washing, combing, cutting, it is easy to touch and tear off. As a result, bleeding from the vessels feeding it or oozing is observed. With it, exudate of a different nature may ooze from the wart - purulent, bloody. This is dangerous due to self-infection; hpv particles enter and penetrate healthy skin. A weeping wart must be removed chemically or mechanically.

Algorithm of actions in case of disruption of a viral growth on the head under the hair:

1. Cauterize the site of the breakdown with a swab containing salicylic alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and chlorhexidine to disinfect the skin and stop bleeding.
2. Apply a bandage.
3. Try to save tissue of the growth for research.
4. Seek medical help as soon as possible.

You should not waste time on self-medication using folk methods, cauterization with celandine juice, garlic, onions, vinegar lotions, herbal decoctions.

Features of localization and is the growth dangerous?

Warts form on any part of the head: behind the ear, on the temple, near the eye, on the nose.

Hair growths appear in the following areas;

The formation on the scalp is benign in nature. The risk lies in the very localization of such growths; they are subject to mechanical damage from combs, combs, hairpins, hairpins, and razors. Bleeding from the vessels and capillaries feeding them is possible. Increases the likelihood of infection and tissue inflammation.

This is interesting: Condylomas in women on the anus photo

Seborrheic wart and IPL laser

Another method for removing seborrheic warts is the use of an IPL laser, which completely burns away the skin lesions, leaving a small concave socket.

IPL laser treatment

Within a few days after the procedure, a scab will form, which will fall off after 2-3 weeks. After treatment, a scar may also remain, but, unlike the previous option, it is almost invisible. Therefore, warts on the face are removed with a laser. A similar effect is also achieved by the radio knife, another modern tool designed to remove moles and warts of almost any type.

Surgical removal

Instead of traumatic surgical removal, more gentle methods are usually used

Many people are interested in how to remove a wart on the head. Currently, there are many methods that involve the most gentle procedure possible. Modern techniques have virtually no contraindications, and undesirable consequences occur extremely rarely. The following methods are used:

1. Laser wart removal. It is the most popular and effective way. The laser beam instantly excises the growth, cauterizes all capillaries and vessels at the site of its impact. One procedure is enough to completely get rid of the wart. For such manipulations, local anesthesia is used. During the procedure, the patient does not feel pain or discomfort. After this, no scar remains.
2. Cryodestruction. Liquid nitrogen is used for this manipulation. The action is based on complete freezing of the growth, which completely kills its cells. After some time, the wart disappears on its own. The disadvantage of this technique is that in most cases one procedure is not enough; a whole course is required. There is also a possibility of injury to surrounding tissues.
3. Electrocoagulation. The technique is based on the effect of electric current on the wart. After cauterization, a small stain remains, which subsequently disappears completely. The procedure is completely painless as local anesthesia is used. This technique, when performed correctly, significantly reduces the likelihood of wart re-formation.
4. Removal using a scalpel. It is an outdated method and is used extremely rarely. It is only advisable if the growths are localized over a large area. Excision occurs with a small area of ​​healthy skin. The rehabilitation period after such manipulation takes a long period and requires the patient to follow special wound care rules.

Who is at risk

According to statistics, ¾ of all people have encountered warts on their skin at least once in their lives.

However, most of them (approximately 50%) resolve successfully within one year from the start of active treatment.

Risk groups have been identified that are most likely to develop warts, including on the head:

1. young children whose immunity is severely weakened;
2. teenagers before puberty;
3. patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy;
4. patients with atopic dermatitis;
5. people who have a severely weakened immune system: patients with AIDS, lymphoma, etc.

Of course, warts can appear in anyone at any age, but according to statistics, the largest percentage of HPV patients with typical tumors on the body are in older children.