Papillomas on the body are benign formations that develop when a person becomes infected with HPV. Growths on any part of the body can be single or multiple.
The rapid growth and appearance of a large number of papillomas is considered an important argument for choosing a method for removing these formations and for choosing an effective antiviral treatment.
Why do papillomas appear on the body?
Human papillomavirus is considered to be the cause of the formation of papillomas on the body, which can penetrate the epithelial layer of the skin through the smallest cuts, abrasions, wounds.
You can become infected with a microorganism through close physical contact with a person with HPV or with a carrier of this infection.
For a long time, the virus retains its vitality in a humid and warm environment, and therefore there is a possibility of infection 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, washcloths.
When a virus is infected through sexual contact, papillomas, or rather genital warts, most often grow on the genitals and adjacent areas of the body, less often they are found in other areas.
After HPV infection, it may not occur for a long time and is destroyed by the immune system within two years in some patients. Activation of the virus and, consequently, the appearance of papillomas on the body occurs if the human body is affected by factors that provoke the disease.
These factors include:
- Decreased functioning of protective forces.
- The negative impact of depressive conditions, stress.
- Long-term smoking and alcohol abuse.
- Long-term antibiotic treatment and oral contraceptives.
- Disorders in the work of the digestive system.
- 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.
Obese people and people with excessive sweating have an increased risk of papilloma growth and form mainly in the skin folds. Papillomas can appear in any age group, 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, soles of the feet, natural folds.
Skin cancers can be of different sizes, colors and shapes. The appearance of the papilloma on the body depends on the strain of the virus from which the person was 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 different types of papillomas that can affect any part of the body, these are:
- Papillomas vulgaris or protozoalook like small areas of flesh-colored or slightly darker 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.
- Threaded.First, a small speck appears on the body, which eventually stretches in length. At the end of this formation there is a growth in the form of a droplet, and it is itself attached to the skin by means of a thin leg.
- plantar growthsare characterized by discomfort and pain when walking. Plantar papillomas are often confused with common calluses.
- flatpapillomas rise slightly above the skin, prone to fusion. 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 site of growth of epithelial cells altered by the virus.
The formation of more than a hundred viral tumors on the body is usually referred to as papillomatosis. When warts and papillomas are injured, bleeding occurs, and in the absence of proper hygiene and when wearing not too clean linen, a secondary infection with inflammation and other unpleasant symptoms is possible.
It is also possible self-infection, which occurs when the papillomas are scratched and during the further spread of the virus from the original focal point 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 feel insecure and develop depressive states. Growing papillomas have their own characteristics, depending on the place of their formation.
Underarm growth
In the armpits, papillomas are formed, which are no different from other viral growths, but have their own characteristics of the course. In the armpits, you can often see small lumps of a flesh-colored, yellowish or brown hue. These nodules are hung and attached to the skin with one leg.
At first one tumor may appear, then several, they may merge with each other and this growth resembles a cauliflower.
Armpit papillomas are prone to inflammation. The culprit of this is the sweat secreted by this area, it irritates the growth, which leads to itching, scratching and infection.
Papillomatous growths in the armpits can be touched when shaving or when wearing clothing that is too tight. The lesion causes bleeding, 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 suffering to their owners, especially girls. But this problem is not just aesthetic. Growing education often interferes with blinking, creates an obstacle when looking at objects, and this leads to a deterioration in visual function.
Eyelid papillomas differ in appearance. It can be both flat and convex growths, which in most cases have a rough surface. Filamentous papillomas growing 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 of the conjunctiva and cornea.
Lip
Lip papillomas are often represented by flat or hanging formations. A slight swelling initially develops which matches in color with the main tone 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 can be cracks around the tumor, dryness. Some warts interfere with speaking or eating, and therefore they are injured and there is inflammation of the edge of the lips - cheilitis.
Nose
When localized on the face, warts often choose the nose as the place of growth. Papillomas can form both outside on the wings of the nose, on the nasal septum and inside. And if an external wart rather spoils the appearance, internal tumors in some cases disrupt the normal breathing process and can become inflamed in case of a cold.
Transition cells and inverted viral 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 of the transformation of papillomas into malignant formations.
In the groin
In the groin area, two types of papillomas are usually detected, these are genital warts and filamentous tumors - acrochords.
In women, viral formations are localized inside the vagina, on the cervix, often growing on the labia and in the area adjacent to the groin. In men, groin papillomas can be seen on the penis; on examination, they are detected in the urethra itself, in the anus.
Several filamentous formations can quickly turn into a whole network of growths, which in appearance resemble a fringe. When papillomas are found 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 odor.
There is a spontaneous disappearance of papillomas in every fifth person, but there is also a high risk that genital warts degenerate into malignant tumors. In this regard, when growths appear in the groin, it is always necessary to undergo a comprehensive diagnosis, which allows you to identify the oncogenicity of the virus.
Hands and feet
Papillomas that grow on the skin of the upper and lower limbs have a different structure, color, growth rate and spread. Other 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 the high susceptibility of the child's body to infections. In children, flat warts are often localized on the knees, as children 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 on 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 very beginning of its growth, such a plaque is invisible, but as its size increases, there is a risk of injury when combing hair.
Papillomas on the head are more typical of older people, but such formations rarely degenerate into cancerous forms.
Danger of viruses
Viral growths on the body are caused by those HPV strains that have low oncogenic activity. This means that the risk of their degeneration into cancer is minimal. However, there is a likelihood of developing atypical cells and this predisposes to injury to papillomas, their infection, rapid growth and an inflammatory reaction.
If you notice inflammation, release of various secretions, ichor, painful sensations, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible for advice.
Genital warts in the groin and genitals are rated highly in terms of danger. These growths are mainly caused by the activation of the oncogenic virus and therefore require more attention.
During the diagnosis, the strain of the causative agent of the disease is identified, and on the basis of the entire examination the method of removal and the scheme of antiviral therapy are selected.
Diagnostics
When a patient goes 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 viral strain, which is obtained by PCR diagnostics.
Women are also subjected to colposcopy, cytological tests are performed and, if necessary, a biopsy of the material taken from the site of the altered tissues is prescribed.
If an oncogenic type of virus 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 localized on the body. For some, they do not interfere at all, for others they are located in closed areas of the body.
But doctors advise to definitely start treating papillomatous elements if:
- They are found on frequently injured parts of the body: in the armpits, 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.
- Changes their color, the outer surface, becomes painful.
The doctor often offers comprehensive treatment for viral formations. It includes the removal of all growths and the intake of antiviral and immunomodulatory drugs.
It is necessary to understand that it will not be possible to completely remove the virus from the skin, it is only possible to transfer it to an inactive state, which will be maintained throughout life by high immunity. In addition to the main treatment, methods of alternative therapy are also used.
Modern removal methods
Modern medicine offers dozens of methods for removing papillomatous growths 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 located on the upper and lower eyelids, they are removed with liquid nitrogen (cryodestruction) or using a laser. Thin skin on the face and eyelids has a high tendency to scar formation, therefore, papillomas located in these places should only be removed by professional doctors.
It is recommended to destroy the flat formations on the lips with a laser and the filiform ones by electrocoagulation.
How to get rid of HPV with drugs
You can also get rid of papillomas on the body with the help of drugs used externally. Their 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 in taking systemic antiviral agents and drugs, the mechanism of action of which is aimed at increasing the functioning of the immune system.
The dosage of drugs and the total time of their administration are selected on an individual basis.
Folk remedies
Several methods of traditional medicine have also been used successfully to remove small and fresh papillomas on the surface of the body. Homemade recipes will only help if you use them for a long time, regularly and at the same time increase your defenses.
Folk remedies for papillomas on the body:
- It is recommended to lubricate the warts up to several times a day with the juice of celandine, fresh potatoes, sour apple, raw egg white.
- Chop two cloves of garlic and mix them with a spoonful of 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 flowering dandelion heads tightly in a glass jar and fill them with a triple colony. It takes two weeks to prepare the infusion 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 should be kept in the refrigerator.
When treating papillomas at home, it is imperative to strengthen one's immunity, lead a healthy lifestyle and give up many years of bad habits. Helps reduce fasting viral activity.
Prevention
The human papilloma virus, unfortunately, can be infected even if you lead a dignified life. Reduces the risk of infection from strong immunity by eating natural and healthy foods.
You must always keep your body clean, heal even small scratches on the skin in time. It is imperative to use only your own towel, scissors, tweezers. When visiting beauty salons and beauty salons, choose only proven and reliable ones.
It is recommended to have sex with only one partner. After sex, it is imperative to perform genital hygiene. Teenagers should be fully aware of what early sexual intercourse leads to and not use barrier contraceptives.