Growths that affect the genitals and mucous membranes, the appearance of which is provoked by the activation of HPV when the immune defense is weakened, are called condylomas. Most often, the virus enters the body through unprotected sexual intercourse, but contact and household transmission of the infection is also possible.
The virus spreads through blood, but it is impossible to clearly determine when infection occurred. Its activity occurs during the period when problems with the immune system arise, in which it is not able to suppress the reproduction of harmful agents, and the duration of the incubation period can range from several weeks to entire years. The basis of treatment for emerging formations is surgical intervention (destruction).
However, some people prefer to get rid of growths using traditional medicine or other alternative methods, which include cauterization of condylomas with iodine. Despite the availability and effectiveness of this method of getting rid of growths, positive results when used are not achieved in all cases.
Description of medicinal properties
Iodine provides antimicrobial and local cauterizing (if high concentration) effects, irritates damaged tissue structures, and precipitates proteins in tissues. A third of the skin that comes into contact with iodine becomes binary compounds iodides, the remaining two thirds are transformed into active iodine, partially absorbed by the tissues.
The substance is used in the treatment of skin pathologies of an infectious-inflammatory nature, damage to integumentary tissues (traumas, wounds, burns, trophic and varicose ulcers). The instructions do not contain information about the possibility of using iodine for condylomas, but this technique is practiced by a large number of patients.
Antiseptic drugs containing iodine include:
- aqueous solutions of Iodinol 1% and Iodonate (with surfactants);
- 5% solution based on ethyl alcohol;
- an aqueous solution of potassium iodide with iodine;
- iodine in combination with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).
Acceptability of use
Self-medication is acceptable if the identified strains of the virus are not oncogenic. The formations may disappear on their own, which is rarely observed. They usually remain on the body, causing the patient a feeling of discomfort in the affected area. Mechanical damage to growths is often observed, associated, for example, with friction on clothing, increasing the likelihood of malignant degeneration of condylomas.
Cauterization with iodine is not recommended for formations that affect mucous membranes. The procedure as a whole should be carried out carefully so as not to damage the surrounding healthy dermis.
Periodic use to disinfect a specific area will not cause damage, so to remove condylomas, application must be regular.
Constant exposure to iodine on the same area of the skin can cause chemical burns due to the strong redox properties of the element.
Before treatment with this method, it is important to remember:
- Application of the product should be daily without missing sessions.
- Since the use of iodine in the form of an alcohol solution can provoke an allergic reaction, it is necessary to test the skin 24 hours before the procedure by treating a small area of skin on the elbow. If there is no redness, itching, or irritation, you can begin to treat the pathology. If a negative reaction is observed, you should use another method.
- The cauterizing effect of iodine can cause serious damage to delicate skin, so it should be applied carefully.
- Advanced condylomatosis cannot be eliminated with this remedy. Effective treatment is only possible with surgery.
Is it possible to cauterize papillomas and condylomas?
Papillomas are often localized on the neck, chest, armpits, face, and arms above the elbow. All these parts of the body are considered open, and such neoplasms worsen the aesthetic appearance. Many people try to get rid of such “decorations”.
Condylomas appear on the genitals of men and women. They often affect areas around the anus, and do not disdain the internal walls of the anus, vagina, and cervix. And, as a rule, the first thing people are interested in is the issue of treating formations in inexpensive and accessible ways at home.
Iodine is often used to cauterize warts, but is it possible to get rid of condylomas on the body this way and is it safe?
An iodine solution promotes the coagulation of protein tissue in pathological growths on the skin and mucous membrane. This drug has found wide use in the fight against such problems and has already helped a considerable number of patients with condylomatosis.
Only when using this product, you must be extremely careful when applying. The solution can cause a burn on healthy tissue around the tumor.
The skin, especially the mucous membrane, is very susceptible to the drying effect of iodine. At the site of the burn, pain, severe burning sensations, and later the convergence of the upper layer of the epidermis are noted.
Even after complete healing, such a process can leave a mark on the body in the form of a small scar or pigment spot. When using this product, you should be extremely careful and apply it exclusively to the growth. Try not to touch healthy tissue next to papillomas or condylomas.
Treatment method
The effect produced by iodine is similar to that of chemical drugs, but its safety is higher. It removes formations painlessly and in a short period of time by drying pathological tissues of entire clusters of condylomas.
When using, you must follow certain rules:
- Only the lesion should be treated, which will avoid damage to healthy skin;
- Application procedures must be carried out at least 3 times a day;
- growths that have reached large sizes cannot be removed with iodine.
This therapy ensures that the formations dry out and fall off, but in some cases the opposite effect is observed: condylomas begin to grow rapidly in diameter, and their number increases sharply. If negative changes occur, you should urgently visit a doctor.
Cauterizing condylomas with iodine is not only effective, but also beneficial for your own budget: every pharmacy sells it at prices that are many times lower than the cost of beauty salon services.
However, this method of removing formations has several disadvantages:
- active penetration of the element into tissue structures provokes hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, which intensively absorbs it;
- a severe allergic reaction and burns may occur if used carelessly;
- there is a risk of scar formation at the site of the fallen growth;
- Since the oral cavity is lined with mucous membrane, the use of iodine to get rid of formations in this area is strictly prohibited.
Carrying out the procedure
Treatment of condylomas with iodine should take place in several stages:
- Cleaning the area where the growth is located, removing excess moisture.
- Applying thick cream or Vaseline around the circumference of the formation.
- Lubricate the body of the condyloma with a cotton swab dipped in the solution at least 3 times during the day.
Each subsequent application must be carried out with all the specified actions performed. The use of the substance continues until the pathological elements disappear on their own: the minimum course duration is a week.
With a high pain threshold, you can gradually increase the number of daily procedures for treating formations. It is advisable to take photographs of the area where treatment is being carried out in order to assess the changes that have occurred since the first application of iodine to the lesion: has the number of growths decreased, has their location, diameter, and outline changed?
Despite the apparent harmlessness of this treatment method, it is recommended to consult with a specialist about the admissibility of its use in a particular case in order to avoid unpleasant consequences.
Some people are not able to withstand even a small amount of the substance, because they are more sensitive to pain than others. It is better for this category of patients to seek professional help, even taking into account the fact that the cost of laser and surgical destruction using anesthetics is much higher than the price of a jar of iodine.
Tips for use
Basic recommendations for iodine therapy:
- Do not mix water or other liquids with tinctures and other antiseptics containing iodine.
- To increase the effectiveness of the effect, the skin should be steamed before the procedure.
- It is recommended not only to treat the growth, but to apply it to it and hold it for up to 30 seconds with a cotton swab that has been soaked in a solution or Povidone-iodine.
- It is better to refrain from gluing cotton wool soaked in iodine to the affected area with a plaster - this will lead to a severe burn.
The use of the product is contraindicated for:
- problems with the thyroid gland (hyperfunction);
- hypersensitivity to the active component;
- Dühring's dermatitis;
- skin pathologies caused by diabetes mellitus.
Alcohol and other iodine solutions used to cauterize growths are characterized by less aggressive effects compared to alkalis, phenols, and acids.
Povidone-iodine, which has bactericidal, fungicidal, virucidal properties, is characterized by the greatest gentle effect.
When using this product, burns of the skin and mucous membranes do not occur.
Useful properties of iodine
Iodine has many beneficial properties; they are recommended to cauterize condylomas, treat wounds to avoid infection, treat fungal-affected areas of the skin, and gargle during inflammatory processes.
There is such an expression as “iodine network”. External use of the drug causes reflex responses from internal organs. This is explained by the dilation of blood vessels in the skin under the influence of iodine and the outflow of blood, which entails a contraction of tissues in which inflammation progresses.
Draw a mesh on the chest and back of a patient with bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia. This method is used for pain in muscles, lower back, and joints.
Iodine solution is taken orally in very small doses. This is done in case of severe coughing attacks, atherosclerosis, inflammation of the respiratory tract, and mercury poisoning.
A few drops of the drug are dripped into a mug of warm water and drunk. This is done for problems with the thyroid gland and during the tertiary period of syphilis.
Many medications containing iodine are aimed at treating sore throats, laryngitis, pharyngitis, and other inflammatory diseases of the larynx.
It would be wrong if we forget about the properties of iodine when removing benign skin tumors such as condylomas, papillomas, and warts.
Preventive actions
Although the answer to the question of whether it is possible to cauterize condylomas with iodine is affirmative, we should not forget about prophylaxis that can support immune defense, which suppresses the papillomavirus and prevents it from manifesting itself in the form of skin growths.
An important aspect of the complex of measures to prevent infection is sexual hygiene, including the use of barrier contraceptives, avoidance of promiscuous sexual intercourse, and the presence of a permanent trusted partner.
To prevent infection through contact and household contact, it is necessary to keep your hands clean and protect exposed areas of the skin from contact with objects in any public place.
When growths do form, it is important to remember that radical methods help get rid of the visible manifestations of HPV, but the virus itself remains in the body. If for some reason a person suffering from condylomatosis decides to refuse surgical intervention, it is recommended, with the doctor’s permission, to try to remove the formations in other ways, one of which is cauterization with iodine: its effect is based on drying and disinfecting the lesion.
It is worth considering that this technique is not suitable for everyone: sometimes the treatment has the opposite effect, and the intensity of growth growth increases sharply. Despite such exceptions, positive results from the use of iodine are observed much more often.
Iodine as a way to get rid of papillomas
More than half of the world's population is infected with papillomavirus.
Often the disease occurs in a latent form, that is, it does not manifest itself in any way. With a decrease in the body's protective functions, the human papillomavirus (HPV) begins to actively increase and spread, revealing itself in the following external manifestations: warts, papillomas, condylomas. Despite the fact that treatment of the virus should be carried out comprehensively, owners of papillomas begin to get rid of them at home, using all kinds of available means. Rice. 1. When immunity decreases, the human papillomavirus causes the formation of papillomas.
