Papillomas (or warts) are not so common in men.
Usually they do not cause pain, but they need treatment, as they pose a threat to both their 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 papillomavirus - it changes the DNA of human cells, causing them to multiply intensively.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is an extremely common microorganism.
It has been established that about half of the adult population are carriers of one or another strain or have 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 are papillomas on the skin. Neoplasms, popularly referred to as warts, are benign in nature. But a seemingly harmless growth can undergo malignancy and transform into a cancerous tumor.
Why do papillomas appear on the skin?
You can get 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 the passage through the infected birth canal of the mother.
HPV infection also occurs under the influence of such adverse factors as:
- weakening of the immune system;
- sexual life with unverified partners;
- bad habits;
- long-term treatment with certain medications;
- tendency to depression;
- infectious diseases;
- non-observance of hygiene rules in public places with conditions of high humidity.
When HPV, the main cause of papillomas on the skin, 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 subsequently it is able to regenerate and trigger the mechanism for the development of cancer.
A neoplasm on a stalk 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 viruses that are of a low type of oncogenicity, you should not worry. These are strains 42, 44, 11 and 6. A dermatologist or venereologist can determine the degree of oncogenic risk.
Diagnosis of papillomatosis
What does papilloma look like on the skin? The standard 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 arrays under a single stratum corneum. Such 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 rim. Branches diverge from the main growth in the form of smaller child warts.
- Filamentous growths resemble elongated cone-like sticks, the length of which reaches 6 mm.
- Flat neoplasms are characterized by a natural shade of the body and similarity to flattened cones. If they are present, people complain of itching, occasionally - 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. Sizes vary from 1 mm to several centimeters.
After a visual examination of the patient, the specialist gives him a referral for PCR diagnostics of the DNA of the virus. According to his answers, the doctor will be able to determine the type of strain, the degree of its oncogenicity and quantity. PCR also allows you to understand whether papillomatosis is chronic or it appeared suddenly against the background of a sharp decrease in immunity.
A micropreparation of skin papilloma is represented by connective tissue stroma and epithelium. The nature of the latter determines the type of neoplasm, which is squamous and transitional cell. The connective tissue of the stroma is defined as dense or loose. Often it turns out to be edematous, inflamed and filled with blood vessels. In the case of sclerosis of the growth, 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 skin papillomas. In senile keratosis, formations with polymorphism of epithelial cells are determined. In ICD 10, skin papilloma is recorded under the code B97. 7 "Papillomaviruses as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere".
Treatment and prevention of human papillomavirus infection
HPV treatment regimens are always selected by doctors individually. If a virus is detected before its clinical manifestation, the patient is offered the use of cytostatics.
Based on the specific symptoms and localization, treatment of papillomas on the skin 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 subject to surgical excision with the capture of healthy tissues. After the 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 drug. Its use gives an antiviral and immunomodulatory effect. The spray is included in the complex therapy of genital warts.
Prevention of HPV infection has several directions. An important of them is the sexual education of young people with an explanation of the features of the transmission of the virus and 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.