Wart between the fingers of a child

1. Why do they arise?
2. Symptoms of warts between the fingers of a child
3. Treatment options
   1. Medicines
   2. Removing growths
   3. Folk remedies
4. Features of prevention

Warts between a child’s fingers are pathogenic growths that cause not only physical discomfort, but also psychological discomfort. Developing in a visible place, such warts in children cause a refusal to play together, conflicts with peers, not to mention an increased risk of damage and the development of serious complications. Every parent should know how the pathology is transmitted, how to detect the development of a wart in a child and how to treat it, because the disease is incredibly common.

Why do neoplasms occur?

In the international classification, HPV, the main causative agent of warts in children, is classified as a sexually transmitted virus. Other methods of infection are common, but not as dramatic. At the same time, if we are talking about warts between the fingers of a child, then it is the contact and household method of transmitting the virus that comes first.

In order to penetrate inside, HPV only needs a microcrack in the skin. Well, in childhood, not just microcracks are often encountered, but abrasions and scratches, which are open gates for infections and viruses. Sources of infection include both other HPV carriers and household items.

There is no need to be afraid that your baby will become infected from toys in kindergarten. The virus can remain in the external environment for no more than 3 hours under conditions of high humidity and temperature. That is, children who attend indoor sports grounds, locker rooms, and swimming pools are at risk. The latent period of the virus lasts up to a year, during which time the growths may not grow.

But HPV is not the only cause of warts between children's fingers. The immune system of a healthy person suppresses the development of pathogenic cells, but as soon as the protective functions fail, the appearance of growths is inevitable. Failure of the immune system can be caused by various reasons - from an unbalanced diet and active growth of the child to infectious diseases and inflammatory processes in the body. The local state of protective functions is also important. A healthy child who often gets bruises and scratches on his hands, as well as with excessive sweating of his palms, is much more likely to develop warts.

1. Read also: why warts appear on a child’s finger

Symptoms of warts between the fingers of a child

Photo of warts between the fingers of a child

There are more than 100 strains of human papillomavirus. Palmoplantar warts are caused by genotypes 1-4. Due to the specific localization, such growths, before they begin to develop, can be covered with a dense keratinized layer of cells and are mistaken by many for calluses.

A wart between a child’s fingers begins to develop as a small skin lump, and as it grows it acquires a color different from the color of the skin. Such a growth can develop deeper, causing pain to the child. At first, discomfort occurs only when moving the fingers, but over time, if no action is taken, it becomes chronic.

Incorrect treatment, accidental damage to the formation or advanced stages of warts in children are the reasons why black dots appear inside the growth. These are blood clots in the capillaries that feed the neoplasm. Such aggravation of symptoms will require mandatory treatment.

If you notice the first signs of warts in your child, you should immediately consult a doctor. Considering the specific location of the growths, the likelihood of self-infection of the patient in other areas increases. From the hands, warts can spread to the skin of the body and legs, and even the face. To prevent this from happening, you should engage in treatment with professionals.

Methods for treating skin growths

Even if a child has warts between his fingers, the doctor will recommend immunostimulating therapy and treatment of the growth with medications. It is assumed that strengthening of protective functions will lead to its self-reduction. Treatment of warts in children with active measures such as hardware destruction is prescribed if the tumor causes pain, can be injured, or the child experiences psychological pressure from peers due to unhealthy growths on his hands.

Medicines

In the photo are preparations for warts between the fingers of children

Treatment of warts in children between the fingers with the help of pharmaceutical preparations involves taking drugs internally to activate one’s own protective functions and externally treating the growth to prevent the spread of the virus and its destruction by drugs.

Drugs are prescribed based on the results of general studies of the body. As a rule, a child with warts between the fingers will have to take:

1. Immunostimulating. For children aged 1 year and older, you can use Imunorix, which costs 835 hryvnia, 890 rubles in Russia. The selection of analogues will depend on the patient’s age and general state of health. Before starting treatment, you can also consult with an immunologist.
2. Antiviral. Amizon, a systemic antiviral drug, can be taken by children over 6, and Normomed - from 1 year. Antiviral drugs are inexpensive - from 30 hryvnia (Amizon) to several hundred rubles (Normomed will cost 590 rubles, 116 hryvnia).
3. Vitamins. They are prescribed individually. Among the most popular are Supradin and Vitrum. A course of vitamin therapy lasts 30 days and will cost 170-250 hryvnia, 440-700 rubles. In some cases, the course may be extended or include taking other vitamins.

Immunomodulators, that is, drugs that replenish the body’s protective functions, are prescribed to children only at the discretion of the doctor. Self-medication is strictly prohibited.

When using external treatments for warts between the fingers of children, you should make sure that the child has reached an age when he does not put his hands in his mouth. To be safe, after treatment with ointments or gel, the area between the fingers can be covered with a gauze bandage.

Warts in a child between the fingers can be treated with the following medications:

1. Viferon ointment. It has an antiviral effect and stimulates membrane protection at the cellular level. 12 g of the product costs 185 hryvnia, 211 rubles, but this drug can be replaced if necessary (individual intolerance) with expensive analogues - Bioferon, Alfa-Inzon.
2. Panavir-gel. For children over 12 years of age, it can be recommended both as an independent antiviral agent and as an auxiliary during postoperative recovery. A 3g tube of gel will cost 300 hryvnia, 129 rubles.

Salipod, patches with an active ingredient based on salicylic acid, has shown high effectiveness in the fight against warts between the fingers of children. The product costs only 74 rubles, 21 hryvnia, but you will probably need several patches to achieve the desired effect.

Removing growths

Removal of warts in children using hardware procedures is carried out only in cases where drug therapy is not suitable, the tumors have begun to actively grow or have become damaged, changed color or shape. Also, hardware procedures are prescribed when warts between the fingers of children hurt.

It is recommended to remove warts in children using the following methods:

1. Liquid nitrogen. Pathogenic tissues die off when exposed to low temperatures. The procedure lasts no more than 30 seconds, but the tissue is restored from 2 weeks to a month, subject to careful treatment of the wound. The cost of the procedure starts from 350 hryvnia, 900 rubles.
2. Laser. The wart is removed layer by layer in children, so the likelihood of relapse is almost zero. After evaporation, the site of destruction is cauterized, which minimizes the likelihood of secondary infection and reduces the time for complete tissue healing. Laser therapy does not leave scars. The procedure costs 1,300 hryvnia, and in Russia the price in some regions reaches 2,900 rubles.

Only growths undergoing malignancy are removed with a scalpel. And methods such as electrocoagulation and curettage are not used for the destruction of warts between the fingers of a child because of their pain.

Folk remedies

Treatment of warts between the fingers of children at home is only permissible using methods approved by a doctor. The main difficulty of alternative medicine procedures is the selection of the permissible concentration of the drug.

Among the tested recipes:

1. Garlic compresses - a clove of garlic is applied at night;
2. rubbing with aloe or Kalanchoe juice;
3. using tea tree essential oil (you can rub a child’s wart no more than once a day);
4. Apply compresses of grated potatoes at night.

Children should not apply celandine on their hands, since through negligence, small patients can touch their faces or even lick their fingers, which will lead to the plant toxin getting inside. If possible, a wart in a child between the fingers after treatment with folk remedies should be covered with a sterile bandage.

Features of prevention

The basis of a child’s health should not be medical procedures, but measures to prevent HPV infection or its activation. To prevent infection with the virus, your child should be taught hand hygiene and timely treatment of wounds and abrasions.

After complete destruction of a wart between a child’s fingers, every effort must be made to prevent its reappearance:

1. at the first signs of the development of infectious diseases, consult a doctor and take measures for treatment;
2. monitor the overall health of the baby, especially during the off-season;
3. normalize your diet and, if necessary, supplement it with vitamins;
4. take your child out into the fresh air more often;
5. Do daily physical exercise, but avoid overwork;
6. wash your hands, especially if they sweat excessively.

Warts between a child's fingers cause discomfort for the baby and parents. For the former, it is painful sensations, for the latter, it is concern about the baby’s health. Indeed, pathogenic growths indicate a malfunction of the immune system and HPV infection. Modern medical methods will not be able to completely remove the virus from the body, but will allow the growth to be removed quickly and comfortably for the child. Parents will also receive professional advice from the doctor on how to protect their children from warts in the future. Compliance with preventive measures is effective for all types of HPV.

1. Related article: Visiting an immunologist when treating warts