Papillomas (or warts) are not very common in men.
Usually they do not cause pain, but they need treatment, because they pose a threat to the owner and the people around him.
What's that
A papilloma is a growth formed as a result of excessive division of epithelial cells of the skin or mucous membrane.
Its appearance is caused by the papillomavirus - it changes the DNA of human cells, causing them to reproduce intensively.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common microorganism.
It has been determined that about half of the adult population is a carrier of one or another strain or has clinical manifestations of this disease.
A person can face viruses every day and not get sick because of 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 does papilloma look like on the skin: treatment and prevention of papillomavirus infection
External manifestations of human papillomavirus are papillomas on the skin. Neoplasms, commonly known as warts, are benign. But seemingly harmless growths can undergo malignancy and turn into cancerous tumors.
Why do papillomas appear on the skin?
You can get the virus through contact with carriers of the strain or through household contact when using contaminated items.
In newborns, the cause of papillomatosis is passage through the birth canal of an infected mother.
HPV infection also occurs under the influence of adverse factors such as:
- immune system weakness;
- sexual life with an unverified partner;
- bad habits;
- long-term treatment with certain drugs;
- tendency to depression;
- contagious disease;
- non-compliance with hygiene rules in public places with high humidity conditions.
When HPV, the main cause of papilloma on the skin, enters the body, it affects the basal layer of the epithelium at the site of its transition from multilayer to cylinder. As a result, the infected cells become benign, but then they are able to regenerate and trigger the mechanism for the development of cancer.
Stalked neoplasms deserve special attention - being prone to injury, they can infect the surrounding healthy integument and cause various papillomatosis.
Warts do not always turn into tumors. If it is caused by a virus that has a low oncogenicity type, you don't have to worry. These are strains 42, 44, 11 and 6. A dermatologist or venereologist can determine the level of oncogenic risk.
Diagnosis of papillomatosis
What does a papilloma look like on the skin? The standard choice 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:
- easy - this is a rough hard growth, the size starts from 1 mm. They tend to accumulate in arrays under one stratum corneum. Such papillomas form below the knees, behind the fingers and palms.
- Plantar warts, similar to calluses, form small shiny bumps. Over time, they grow and are distinguished by a prominent rim feature. Branches deviate from the main growth in the form of smaller children's warts.
- Filament growth resembles an elongated cone-like rod, reaching 6 mm in length.
- Flat neoplasms are characterized by the natural shade of the body and resemblance to a flattened cone. If they are present, people complain of itching, sometimes - redness of the focus.
- Genital warts are neoplasms that appear on the genitals of men and women. They affect the skin and mucous membranes. The color of genital warts is flesh, pink, red. Size varies from 1 mm to several centimeters.
After a visual examination of the patient, the specialist gave him a referral for viral DNA PCR diagnostics. According to the answer, the doctor will be able to determine the type of strain, the degree of oncogenicity and its quantity. PCR also allows you to understand whether papillomatosis is chronic or it appears suddenly against the background of a sudden decrease in immunity.
Micro preparation of skin papilloma is represented by stroma and epithelium of connective tissue. The latter properties determine the type of neoplasm, namely squamous and transitional cells. Stromal connective tissue is defined as dense or loose. Often it becomes 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 indicates hyperkeratosis. Papillomas may differ from each other in their histological structure.
For example, areas of parakeratosis and vacuolar epithelial cells are present in normal skin papillomas. In senile keratosis, the formation with epithelial cell polymorphism is determined. In ICD 10, skin papilloma is recorded under code B97. 7 "Papillomaviruses as causes of diseases classified elsewhere".
Treatment and prevention of human papillomavirus infection
The HPV treatment regimen is always selected by the doctor individually. If the virus is detected before its clinical manifestation, the patient is offered the use of cytostatics.
Based on symptoms and specific localization, papilloma treatment on the skin is carried out according to one of the following methods:
- cryo destruction;
- radio wave therapy;
- electrocoagulation;
- laser evaporation;
- chemical destruction.
Warts with signs of degeneration are subject to surgical excision with capture of healthy tissue. After external signs of papillomavirus carriage are eliminated, the patient is prescribed a course of antiviral therapy and is offered regular examinations.
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 provides antiviral and immunomodulatory effects. The spray is included in the complex therapy of genital warts.
Prevention of HPV infection has several directions. An important one of them is the sexual education of young people with an explanation of the characteristics of the transmission of the virus and methods of protection. Special attention is paid to a healthy lifestyle, development of stress resistance and timely treatment of any infectious diseases.