Papillomas on the body are benign growths that develop when a person is infected with HPV. Growths anywhere on the body can be single or multiple.
The rapid growth and appearance of a large number of papillomas is considered a strong argument for choosing a method to eliminate these formations and for choosing an effective antiviral treatment.
Why do papillomas appear on the body?
The reason for the formation of papillomas in the body is the human papillomavirus, which can penetrate the epithelial layer of the skin through the smallest cuts, abrasions and wounds.
You can become infected with a microorganism through close body contact with a person with HPV or with a carrier of this infection.
For a long time, the virus retains its viability in a warm and humid environment, so there is a possibility of contagion when visiting public baths, saunas, health centers.
Often, the transmission of the pathogen by papillomas occurs through the use of individual hygiene items by several people: towels, nail scissors, cloths.
When a virus is infected through sexual contact, papillomas, or rather genital warts, grow more often on the genitals and adjacent body areas, less often found in other areas.
After HPV infection, 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 in the body occurs if the human body is influenced by factors that provoke the disease.
These factors include:
- Decreased performance of defenses.
- The negative impact of depressive conditions, stress.
- Long-term smoking and alcohol abuse.
- Treatment with antibiotics and long-term oral contraceptives.
- Disorders in the work of the digestive system.
- Recurrent acute respiratory infections, flu.
There is a high probability of papillomas on the body of women. Men are usually carriers of this virus, but its external manifestations are much less concerned about them than the fair sex.
In obese people with excessive sweating, the risk of growth of papillomas increases, and they form mainly in the folds of the skin. Papillomas can appear in any age range, their development is not excluded in children.
Location and symptoms
You may notice unusual growths forming anywhere on the body, including the scalp, the soles of the feet, and natural folds.
Skin tumors can be of different sizes, colors, and shapes. The appearance of papilloma on the body depends on the strain of the virus with which the person is infected.
HPV, which leads to the growth of papillomas on the skin, refers to non-oncogenic or low-oncogenic types of microorganisms, and therefore in most cases such formations are benign.
There are several types of papillomas that can affect any part of the body, these are:
- Vulgar papillomas or protozoalook like small areas of flesh-colored or slightly dark seals. There are no subjective sensations in the process of their growth, but they begin to grow in most people from their hands and fingers.
- Threading.First, a small spot appears on the body, which eventually lengthens. At the end of this formation there is a drop-shaped growth, and it attaches itself to the skin by means of a thin leg.
- Plantar growthsare characterized by discomfort and pain when walking. Plantar papillomas are often mistaken for common calluses.
- Flat papillomasrise slightly above the skin, prone to fusing. In color, they practically do not differ from other skin on the body.
In some cases, before the appearance of papillomatous growths on the body, people may notice the appearance of itching and a slight burning sensation at the growth site of the epithelial cells altered by the virus.
The formation of more than a hundred viral tumors in the body is generally known as papillomatosis. When warts and papillomas are injured, bleeding occurs, and in the absence of proper hygiene and when using not too clean bedding, a secondary infection with inflammation and other unpleasant symptoms is possible.
Self-infection is also possible, which occurs when the 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 a cosmetic problem. Many people, noticing growths in their open areas of the body, begin to experience doubts, develop depressive states. Growing papillomas have their own characteristics, depending on the place of their formation.
Underarm growths
In the armpits papillomas are formed, which are not different from other viral growths, but have their own characteristics of the course. Under the armpits, you can often see small nodules that are flesh-colored, yellowish, or brownish. These nodules hang down and are attached to the skin with one leg.
At first, one tumor may appear, then several, may merge with each other and this outgrowth resembles a cauliflower.
Axillary papillomas are prone to inflammation. The culprit for this is the sweat secreted from this area, irritating the growth, causing itching, scratching and infection.
Papillomatous growths under the armpits can be touched by shaving or wearing clothing that is too tight. The injury causes bleeding and contributes 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 a lot of moral distress for their owners, especially girls. But this problem is not only aesthetic. Increasing education often interferes with blinking, creates an obstacle when viewing objects, and this leads to impaired visual function.
Eyelid papillomas differ in appearance. They 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 the formations in the eye area on your own - an incorrectly selected agent causes burns to the conjunctiva and cornea.
Lip
Labial papillomas are most often represented by flat or hanging formations. Initially, a slight puffiness develops, combining in color with the main shade of the lips. Gradually, such a formation can become lighter or darker. With the prolonged presence of the papilloma on the lips, it becomes keratinized and its outer surface becomes whitish.
Depending on the location of the papillomas on the lips, accompanying changes appear, these may be cracks around the tumor, dryness. Some warts interfere with speaking or eating and thus are injured and there is an inflammation of the edge of the lips - cheilitis.
Nose
When localized on the face, warts often choose the nose as their place of growth. Papillomas can form both on the outside of the wings of the nose, the septum, and on the inside. And if an external wart spoils the appearance, internal tumors in some cases disrupt the normal breathing process and can become inflamed in case of colds.
Transitional cell and viral inverted papillomas have the ability to invade deeply located tissues, including the bony structures of the nose. In this case, bone destruction occurs and there is a risk that the papillomas will transform into malignant formations.
In the groin
In the groin area, two types of papillomas are generally detected, these are genital warts and filamentous tumors: skin tags.
In women, viral formations are located inside the vagina, on the cervix, often growing on the labia and the area adjacent to the groin. In men, papillomas in the groin can be seen on the penis; when examined, they are detected in the urethra itself, in the anus.
Several filamentous formations can quickly develop into a complete network of growths, which will resemble a fringe in appearance. When papillomas are located inside the vagina, there is a risk of infection, injury and inflammation, which can be understood by the appearance of a burning sensation, discharge and an unpleasant smell.
There is a spontaneous disappearance of papillomas in one in five people, but there is also a high risk that genital warts will degenerate into malignant tumors. In this sense, when growths appear in the groin, it is always necessary to undergo a complete diagnosis, which allows to identify the oncogenicity of the virus.
Hands and feet
Papillomas growing on the skin of the upper and lower extremities have a different structure, color, growth rate, and spread. More warts appear on the fingers, near the nails. Ordinary, flat papillomas often develop on the hands. Warts are dense to the touch, the surface is slightly rough, if the initial formation is damaged, there is a risk of new papillomas appearing nearby.
Papillomas in children appear more often, which is associated with the peculiarities of the skin and with the high susceptibility of the child's body to infections. In babies, flat warts are often located on the knees, as babies crawl a lot. Plantar papillomas grow on the feet, characterized by a burning sensation and some pain when walking.
It is possible to distinguish papillomas from calluses by the absence of a skin pattern in the viral growths. Young, healthy people with well-functioning immune systems heal themselves within three to four months.
Head
Papillomatous elements located on the scalp look like loose plaques.
The color of such formations ranges from flesh to dark brown.
At the beginning of its growth, this plaque is invisible, but as its size increases, there is a risk of injury when combing.
Papillomas on the head are more typical in older people, but these formations rarely degenerate into cancerous ones.
Virus Danger
Viral growths in the body are caused by strains of HPV that have low oncogenic activity. This means that the risk of degeneration into cancers is minimal. But still, there is a possibility of developing atypical cells, and this predisposes to lesion of papillomas, their infection, rapid growth and an inflammatory reaction.
If you notice inflammation, discharge of various secretions, ichor, painful sensations, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Genital warts in the groin and genitals are highly rated in terms of degree of danger. These growths are mainly caused by the activation of the oncogenic virus and, therefore, require more attention.
During diagnosis, the strain of the causative agent of the disease is identified, and on the basis of the entire examination, the elimination method and the antiviral therapy scheme are selected.
Diagnosis
When a patient turns to 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 strain of the virus, which is achieved by PCR diagnostics.
Women also undergo a colposcopy, cytology tests are taken and, if necessary, a biopsy of the material taken from the site of the altered tissues is prescribed.
If an oncogenic virus type is detected, an additional examination should be performed twice a year.
How to treat papillomas 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.
But doctors recommend that you definitely start treating papillomatous elements if:
- They are found in parts of the body that are frequently injured: under the arms, neck, eyelids, nose, lips, head, legs, arms, and groin. In men, there is a high probability of scratching the papillomas on the face when shaving.
- They have a high growth rate and a tendency to the appearance of daughter growths.
- Found on the genitals.
- They change color, outer surface, become painful.
The doctor often offers a comprehensive treatment for viral formations. It includes removing all growths and taking antiviral and immunomodulatory medications.
It is necessary to understand that it will not be possible to completely remove the virus from the skin, you can only transfer it to an inactive state, which will be maintained throughout life by high immunity. In addition to the main treatment, alternative therapy methods are also used.
Modern removal methods
Modern medicine offers dozens of methods for removing papillomatous growths in the human body.
This is exposure to radio waves and lasers, destruction with liquid nitrogen, and thermocoagulation. Chemical methods are also used, that is, applying various solutions and ointments that destroy the wart.
When papillomas are located on the upper and lower eyelids, they are removed with liquid nitrogen (cryodestruction) or laser. Thin skin on the face and eyelids has a high tendency to scar formation, therefore papillomas located in these places should be removed only by professional doctors.
It is recommended to destroy flat lip formations with laser and filiform formations by electrocoagulation.
How to get rid of HPV with medicines
You can get rid of papillomas on the body with the help of drugs that are used externally. Its application 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 agents and drugs, the mechanism of action of which is aimed at increasing the functioning of the immune system.
The dose of the drugs and the total time of their administration is selected individually.
Folk remedies
Various methods of traditional medicine have also been used with success to remove small, fresh papillomas on the surface of the body. Homemade recipes will only help you if you use them for a long time, regularly and at the same time increase your defenses.
Home remedies for papillomas on the body:
- It is recommended to lubricate warts up to several times a day with celandine juice, fresh potatoes, sour apple, raw egg white.
- Chop two cloves of garlic and mix with a tablespoon 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 sheet of celandine should be applied to the papilloma for several hours.
- It is necessary to put the heads of the blooming dandelions in a glass jar and fill them with triple cologne. The preparation of the infusion takes two weeks in a cool place, then it is filtered and used to lubricate the necessary areas of the body up to 5 times a day. The infusion is kept in the refrigerator.
When treating papillomas at home, it is imperative to strengthen your immunity, lead a healthy lifestyle, and kick bad habits in the long run. Helps reduce fasting viral activity.
Prevention
The human papillomavirus, unfortunately, can become infected even if you lead a decent life. Reduce the risk of infection by strong immunity, eating natural and healthy food.
You should always keep your body clean, heal even the minor scratches on the skin in time. It is imperative to use only your own towel, scissors, tweezers. When visiting nail salons and beauty salons, choose only the tried and trusted ones.
It is advisable to have sex with only one partner. After sex, it is imperative to carry out genital hygiene. Adolescents should be fully aware of what leads to early sex and not use barrier contraception.