Papillomas on the body are benign formations that develop when a person is infected with HPV. The growths on any part of the body can be either single or multiple.
The rapid growth and emergence of a large number of papillomas is considered a weighty argument for choosing a method to remove these formations and for choosing an effective antiviral course of treatment.
Why do papillomas appear on the body?
The cause of the formation of papillomas on the body is the human papillomavirus, which can penetrate the epithelial layers of the skin through the smallest cuts, abrasions, wounds.
You may be infected with a micro-organism by close body contact with an HPV person or with a carrier of this infection.
For a long time, the virus maintains its viability in a humid and hot environment, and therefore there is a possibility of infection when visiting public baths, saunas, health centers.
Often, the transmission of the pathogen in papillomas occurs through the use of individual hygiene items by several people - towels, nail clippers, washcloths.
When a virus is infected through sexual contact, papillomas or rather genital warts grow more often on the genitals and areas of the body next to them, less frequently they are found in other areas.
After infection with HPV, it may not manifest for a long time and in some patients it is destroyed by the immune system within two years. Activation of the virus and consequently the appearance of papillomas on the body occurs if the human body is affected by factors that cause the disease.
These factors include:
- Impaired protective function.
- The negative impact of depressive states, stress.
- Prolonged smoking and alcohol abuse.
- Long-term antibiotic treatment and birth control pills.
- Disorders of the digestive system.
- Frequent recurrent acute respiratory infections, influenza.
There is a high probability of papillomas on the body in women. Men are more often carriers of this virus, but their external manifestations are much less concerned about them than the fair sex.
In obese people and with excessive sweating, the risk of papillomas increases and they form mainly in the skin folds. Papillomas can occur at any age range and their development in children is not excluded.
Location and Symptoms
You may notice the formation of unusual growths on any part of the body, including the scalp, the soles, the natural folds.
Skin tumors can have different sizes, colors, shapes. How the papilloma looks on the body depends on which virus strain the person is infected with.
HPV, which leads to the growth of papillomas on the skin, refers to non-oncogenic or low-oncogenic types of microorganisms, and therefore such formations are in most cases benign.
There are several types of papillomas that can affect any part of the body, these are:
- Vulgar or protozoan papillomasresemble small areas of flesh-colored or slightly dark seals. There are no subjective sensations during their growth, but they begin to grow in most people from their hands and fingers.
- Found.First, a small spot appears on the body, which eventually extends in length. At the end of this formation there is a growth in the form of a drop and it is itself attached to the skin by means of a thin bone.
- Plantargrowth is characterized by discomfort and tenderness when walking. Plantar papillomas are often confused with common calluses.
- Flatpapillomas rise slightly above the skin and tend to fuse. In color, they practically do not differ from other skin on the body.
In some cases, before papillomatous growth occurs on the body, people may notice the appearance of itching and a slight burning sensation at the site of growth of epithelial cells altered by the virus.
The formation of more than a hundred virus tumors on the body is usually called papillomatosis. When warts and papillomas are injured, bleeding occurs, and in the absence of proper hygiene and when not using clean linen, secondary infection with inflammation and other unpleasant symptoms is possible.
Self-infection is also possible, which occurs when papillomas are scratched and during further spread of the virus from the original focus to other areas of the skin.
Papillomas on the body are more of an aesthetic problem. Many people who notice growth in their open areas of the body begin to experience self-esteem and they develop depressive states. Growing papillomas have their own characteristics, depending on where they are formed.
Growth in the armpit
Papillomas form in the armpits, which do not differ from other viral growths, but which have their own characteristics during the course. Under the armpits you can often see small nodules of a flesh-colored, yellowish or brown hue. These nodules are hanging and attached to the skin with one leg.
First a tumor can occur, then several, they can fuse with each other and this outgrowth looks like a cauliflower.
Papillomas in the armpit are prone to inflammation. The culprit for this is sweat secreted by this zone, it irritates the growth, leading to itching, scratches and infection.
Papillomatous growth under the armpits can be affected when you shave or when you use too tight clothing. Injuries cause bleeding, contribute to the spread of the virus to nearby areas of the body.
Eyelids
Papillomas that grow over the centuries are clearly visible to others and therefore cause much moral suffering to their owners, especially young girls. But this problem is not only aesthetic. Growing education often interferes with blinking, creating an obstacle when looking at objects, and this leads to a deterioration of visual function.
Papillomas in eyelids vary in appearance. It can be both flat and convex growths, which in most cases have a rough surface. Filamentous papillomas that grow on the upper eyelid obstruct the field of vision and make it difficult for women to apply makeup. It is impossible to remove formations in the eye area alone - an incorrectly chosen agent causes burns in the conjunctiva and cornea.
Læbe
Lip papillomas are most often represented by flat or drooping formations. Initially develops a slight swelling that matches in color with the main tone of the lips. Gradually, such a formation may become lighter or darker. With prolonged presence of papilloma on the lips, it becomes keratinized and its outer surface becomes whitish.
Depending on the location of papillomas on the lips, concomitant changes appear, these may be cracks around the tumor, dryness. Some warts interfere with talking or eating, and therefore they get hurt and there is an inflammation in the edge of the lips - cheilitis.
Nose
When located on the face, warts often choose the nose as their place of growth. Papillomas can form both outside on the wings of the nose, septum and inside. And if the external wart rather spoils the appearance, then in some cases the internal tumors disrupt the process of normal breathing and can become inflamed in case of colds.
Transitional cell and inverted viral papillomas have the ability to invade deeply localized tissues, including the bone structures of the nose. In this case, bone destruction occurs and there is a risk of transformation of papillomas into malignant formations.
In the groin
Two types of papillomas are usually detected in the groin, these are genital warts and filamentous tumors - acrochords.
In women, viral formations are located inside the vagina, on the cervix, and they often grow on the labia and the area next to the groin. In men, papillomas in the groin can be seen on the penis; after examination, they are detected in the urethra itself, in the anus.
Multiple filament formations can quickly turn into a whole network of growths that will look like one. When papillomas are located inside the vagina, there is a risk of infection, injury and inflammation, which can be understood by the appearance of burning sensation, discharge and an unpleasant odor.
There is a spontaneous disappearance of papillomas in every fifth person, but there is also a high risk of genital warts degenerating into malignant tumors. In this regard, when growths appear in the groin, it is always necessary to undergo a complete diagnosis that makes it possible to identify the oncogenicity of the virus.
Hands and feet
Papillomas that grow on the skin of the upper and lower extremities have a different structure, color, growth rate and spread. Several warts appear on the fingers near the nails. Ordinary and flat papillomas often develop on the hands. The warts are tight to the touch, the surface is slightly rough, if the original formation is damaged, there is a risk of new papillomas coming nearby.
Papillomas in children occur more often, which is associated with the peculiarity of the skin and with the high susceptibility of the child's body to infections. In babies, flat warts are often localized on the knees, as babies crawl a lot. Plantar papillomas grow on the feet, which are characterized by burning and a little pain when walking.
It is possible to distinguish papillomas from calluses in the absence of a skin pattern of viral growth. Young, healthy people with a well-functioning immune system heal themselves within three to four months.
Main
Papillomatous elements in the scalp resemble loose plaques.
The color of such formations is from flesh to dark brown.
At the beginning of growth, such a plaque is invisible, but with an increase in size there is a risk of damage when combing the hair.
Papillomas on the head are more typical of the elderly, but such formations rarely degenerate into cancers.
Virus Danger
Viral growth on the body is caused by the HPV strains that have low oncogenic activity. This means that the risk of their degeneration to cancer is minimal. However, there is still a likelihood of developing atypical cells and this is predisposed to damage to papillomas, their infection, rapid growth and an inflammatory response.
If you notice inflammation, release of various secretions, ichor, painful sensations, consult a doctor for advice as soon as possible.
Genital warts in the groin and genitals are highly valued in terms of danger. Such growths are mainly due to the activation of the oncogenic type of virus and therefore require increased attention.
During the diagnosis, the strain of the disease-causing agent is identified, and on the basis of the whole study, the method of removal and the scheme of antiviral therapy are selected.
Diagnostics
When a patient sees a dermatologist, a preliminary diagnosis is already made during an external examination. In the presence of growths on the genitals, it is necessary to determine the virus strain, which is obtained by PCR diagnostics.
Women also undergo colposcopy, cytology samples are taken and, if necessary, a biopsy of the material taken from the site of the altered tissue is prescribed.
If an oncogenic virus is detected, a further examination should be performed twice a year.
How are papillomas treated on the body and face?
People do not always decide to remove papillomas located on the body. For some they do not interfere at all, for others they are located in closed areas of the body.
However, doctors recommend that you definitely start treating papillomatous elements if they:
- They are located on often injured parts of the body - under the arms, on the neck, eyelids, nose, lip, head, legs, arm and groin. In men, there is a high probability of scratching papillomas on the face when shaving.
- Has a high growth rate and a tendency for the appearance of daughter growth.
- Found on the genitals.
- Change color, outer surface, becomes painful.
The doctor often offers a comprehensive treatment for viral formations. It includes removal of all growths and ingestion of antiviral and immunomodulatory drugs.
It is necessary to understand that it is not possible to completely remove the virus from the skin, you can only transmit it to an inactive state, which is maintained throughout life by high immunity. In addition to the main treatment, alternative treatment methods are used.
Modern Removal Methods
Modern medicine offers dozens of methods to remove papillomatous growth on the human body.
This is laser and radio wave exposure, liquid nitrogen destruction and thermocoagulation. Chemical methods are also used, that is, the application of various solutions and ointments that destroy it on the wart.
When papillomas are placed on the upper and lower eyelids, they are removed with liquid nitrogen (cryodestruction) or with a laser. Thin skin on the face and eyelids has a high tendency to form scars, therefore papillomas located in these places should only be removed by professional doctors.
It is recommended to destroy flat formations on the lips with a laser and wire-like by electrocoagulation.
Getting rid of HPV with medication
You can get rid of papillomas on the body with the help of drugs used externally. Their use destroys the virus and promotes the gradual destruction of the accumulation; after several procedures, the papilloma disappears.
In the presence of a large number of papillomas on the body and genitals, it is imperative to undergo a course of drug therapy. It consists of taking systemic antiviral drugs and medicinal products whose mechanism of action aims to increase the function of the immune system.
The dosage of medicines and the total time for their administration are chosen individually.
Folk medicine
Several traditional medical methods have also been used successfully to remove small and fresh papillomas on the surface of the body. Homemade recipes only help if you use them for a long time, regularly and at the same time increase your defenses.
Folk medicine for papillomas on the body:
- It is recommended to lubricate warts up to several times a day with juice of celandine, fresh potatoes, sour apple, raw egg white.
- Chop two garlic cloves and mix with a spoonful of baby cream. The resulting ointment is applied in the form of a compress to the build-up, covered with a film and fixed for several hours.
- A crushed celandine sheet should be applied to the papilloma for several hours.
- It is necessary to place the flowering dandelion heads tightly in a glass jar and fill them with triple cologne. Preparation of the infusion takes two weeks in a cool place, after which it is filtered and used to lubricate the necessary areas of the body up to 5 times a day. The infusion is stored in the refrigerator.
When treating papillomas at home, it is imperative to strengthen your immunity, lead a healthy lifestyle and give up many years of bad habits. Helps reduce viral activity by fasting.
Prevention
Unfortunately, the human papillomavirus can be infected even if you live a very decent life. Reduces the risk of infection by strong immunity by eating natural and healthy products.
Always keep your body clean, heal even minor scratches on the skin in a timely manner. It is imperative to use only your own towel, scissors, tweezers. When visiting nail salons and beauty salons, choose only documented and reliable ones.
It is only advisable to have sex with a partner. After sex, it is imperative to perform sexual hygiene. Adolescents should be fully aware of what early intercourse leads to and not use barrier contraception.