What are aphthae?
Aphthae are oval-whitish or yellowish-white pustules, which are most commonly found on the mucous membrane under the tongue or on inner side of lips. They are painful, can bleed or be infected with bacteria. The causes include viral infections (herpesvirus, Coxackie virus), stress, food allergy, impaired immunity or oral microflora. In addition, this disorder can also be caused by irritation of the oral mucosa, for example by dental prostheses, tooth movements, by toothbrush irritation, and sometimes due to vitamin B deficiency.
What are herpes?
Simple herpes or herpes in general are a group of infectious diseases of the skin and mucous membranes caused by the human herpes simplex virus (HSV). By most people, after the first infection, sufficient immunity is created. However, there is still a large number of people who have recurrent infection, mostly on lips. Herpes simplex type 1 is most often appearing as small pustules, later blisters on a facial skin (herpes facialis), especially on lips (herpes labialis) but also in the genital area (HSV type 2).
The herpes virus spreads along the nerve fibers into the skin and mucosa where it remains entangled until it becomes active – usually during a period of stress and disease when the immune system does not function at full capacity. When the virus becomes active, it triggers these painful pustules, which usually last for about 10 days if not treated. Often, people feel that an outbreak begins when the virus is at an early stage and it feels tingling.
Treatment
Clinical research has found that some lasers are highly effective in the treatment of aphthae and HSV viruses. Laser-treated patients see immediate relief from pain, accelerated healing, and reduced incidence of their focuses in the future. Laser treatment usually requires 2 to 4 laser energy applications to bring the desired results.
If treatment of HSV1-caused diseases is performed by the laser during the initial stage before the outbreak, then almost all patients recover during the first 48 hours. When laser treatment is performed after blisters have already occurred, more than 90% of patients observed cure within 48 hours since the treatment. In the remaining 10% of cases, the pustules were healed within 4 days.
What causes warts?
Verrucae (warts) are often unattractive, fatty growth on the skin – caused by HPV – human papilloma virus, and its´ about 150 subtypes. Nearly every person has at least one wart in life. Warts are more common for children and adolescents.
The virus is able to enter damaged skin where it can quickly attack skin cells and multiply to cause fattening and growth. In most cases, the warts are harmless, but are contagious, so they are easily spread to other parts of the body or to other people.
When warts develop in areas such as the face and hands, it may be unattractive and embarrassing, and people look for ways to remove the warts.
Verrucae seborrhoicae (aging warts) are not caused by a virus, they are slightly elevated sharp-edged flat formations, oval or circular in shape, which usually occur among elderly population. The size ranges from a few millimeters to a few centimeters in average. The surface of these warts is dull and cracked. Larger shapes are mostly colored from brown to black, rising above the surface of the surrounding skin. The smaller ones are yellowish in color.
Fibromata molli (skin lesions) are benign forms of connective tissue, usually tiny, soft and often pedicle and skin colored. They most often occur in areas of more frequent friction such as at the neck, armpit, area under the breasts or groin, but may occur even on the eyelids. Fibroids appear at higher age and they can be of a different size from small to size of lenses and peas, and may occur separately (mostly larger) or more – numerous.
Treatment
Laser treatment of warts and growths is an effective alternative to common removal methods such as corrosive chemicals, combustion or liquid nitrogen cooling. Laser removal is best for permanent, large or widespread warts that did not react to other treatments.
In most cases, laser removal is successful after a single treatment and leaves no scarring. It is also a convenient procedure, which rarely requires an anesthetic – which is a great opportunity for treating children.