Papillomas (or warts) are not that common in men.
They usually do not cause pain, but they do need treatment as they pose a threat to both the owner and those around him.
What is it
Papilloma is a growth formed due to excessive cell division of the epithelium of the skin or mucous membrane.
Its appearance is caused by the papillomavirus - it alters the DNA of human cells, causing them to multiply intensely.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an extremely common microorganism.
It has been established that about half of the adult population carries one or another strain or has clinical manifestations of the disease.
A person can face the virus every day and not get sick due to active immune protection. But a decrease in resistance can make the body vulnerable.
To date, more than 100 types of HPV have been identified.
What Papilloma Looks Like on the Skin: Treatment and Prevention of Papillomavirus Infection
The external manifestation of the human papillomavirus is papillomas on the skin. Neoplasms, popularly called warts, are benign in nature. But a seemingly harmless growth can become malignant and turn into a cancerous tumor.
Why do papillomas appear on the skin?
You can catch the virus through contact with a carrier of the strain or through household contact when using contaminated items.
In newborns, the cause of papillomatosis is passage through the mother's infected birth canal.
HPV infection also occurs under the influence of adverse factors such as:
- weakening of the immune system;
- sex life with unverified partners;
- bad habits;
- long-term treatment with certain drugs;
- tendency to depression;
- infectious diseases;
- non-observance of hygiene rules in public places with high humidity conditions.
When HPV, the main cause of skin papillomas, enters the body, it affects the basal layer of the epithelium at the site of its transition from multilayer to cylindrical. As a result, the infected cell becomes benign but is later able to regenerate and trigger the mechanism for cancer development.
A pedunculated neoplasm deserves special attention - due to its susceptibility to injury, it can infect surrounding healthy integuments and cause multiple papillomatosis.
Warts do not always turn into tumors. If they are caused by low oncogenic type viruses, don't worry. These are strains 42, 44, 11 and 6. A dermatologist or venereologist can determine the degree of oncogenic risk.
Diagnosis of Papillomatosis
How is the papilloma on the skin? The default option is a rough, soft-touch growth that looks like a mushroom or cabbage inflorescence. Its size can reach 2 cm.
Neoplasms are of the following types:
- simple - these are coarse hard growths, the size of which starts from 1 mm. They tend to accumulate in arrangements under a single stratum corneum. These papillomas form under the knees, on the back of the fingers and palms.
- Plantar warts, similar to calluses, form from small, shiny bumps. Over time, they grow and are distinguished by a characteristic protruding edge. The branches diverge from the main growth in the form of smaller infantile warts.
- Filamentous growths resemble elongated cone-shaped rods, the length of which reaches 6 mm.
- Flat neoplasms are characterized by a natural body tone and resemblance to flattened cones. If present, people complain of itchiness, occasionally - spot redness.
- Genital warts are neoplasms that appear on the genitals of both men and women. They affect the skin and mucous membranes. The color of genital warts is flesh, pink, red. Sizes range from 1 mm to several centimeters.
After a visual examination of the patient, the specialist gives him a referral for diagnosis by PCR of the DNA of the virus. According to your answers, the doctor will be able to determine the type of strain, the degree of its oncogenicity and the amount. PCR also makes it possible to understand whether papillomatosis is chronic or has appeared suddenly against the background of a marked decrease in immunity.
A cutaneous papilloma micropreparation is represented by connective tissue stroma and epithelium. The nature of the latter determines the type of neoplasm, which is squamous and transitional cells. Stromal connective tissue is defined as dense or loose. It often turns out to be edematous, inflamed, and filled with blood vessels. In the case of growth sclerosis, a diagnosis of fibropapilloma is made.
The epithelial layer covering the wart shows an increase in the number and size of pathological cells. This is indicative of hyperkeratosis. Papillomas may differ from each other in their histological structure.
For example, areas of parakeratosis and vacuolated epithelial cells are inherent in common cutaneous papillomas. In senile keratosis, formations with polymorphism of epithelial cells are determined. In ICD 10, skin papilloma is registered under the code B97. 7 "Papillomavirus as a cause of diseases classified elsewhere".
Treatment and prevention of human papillomavirus infection
HPV treatment regimens are always selected by individual physicians. If a virus is detected before its clinical manifestation, the patient is offered the use of cytostatics.
Based on the specific symptoms and location, treatment of skin papillomas is carried out according to one of the following methods:
- cryodestruction;
- radio wave therapy;
- electrocoagulation;
- laser evaporation;
- chemical destruction.
Warts with signs of degeneration are amenable to surgical excision with capture of healthy tissue. After the external signs of the papillomavirus carrier are eliminated, the patient is given a course of antiviral therapy and offered regular checkups.
As a conservative therapy, drugs are prescribed that inhibit the activity of the virus and increase the body's defenses.
The drug, released in the form of a spray, is a topical preparation. Its use confers an antiviral and immunomodulatory effect. The spray is included in the complex therapy of genital warts.
The prevention of HPV infection has several directions. An important one is the sexual education of young people, explaining the characteristics of the transmission of the virus and the methods of protection. Particular attention is paid to a healthy lifestyle, the development of stress resistance and the timely treatment of any diseases of an infectious nature.