Papillomas on the labia
The content of the article:
- Causes of papillomas
- How does infection occur
- Variants of the course of infection
- Predisposing factors
- Symptoms
- Treatment of papillomas on the labia
- Video
Papillomas on the labia, also called genital warts or genital warts, are benign neoplasms on the skin and mucous membranes of the external genital organs and are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV, papillomavirus). The infection is transmitted primarily through sexual contact. You can get rid of papillomas in various ways, but treatment should not be limited only to the destruction of the formations. Systemic therapy is mandatory. Vaccination is a method of specific prevention.
The photo gives an idea of what papillomas look like.
The cause of the appearance of papillomas on the labia is infection with the papillomavirus
Causes of papillomas
The cause of papillomas in the genital area is HPV. There are many types of papillomavirus that can cause the growth of common warts, flat warts, genital warts, and provoke the development of cancer of the vagina, cervix, anus in women, and cancer of the anus and penis in men.
Papillomas in the intimate area appear when a virus is infected, mainly of types 6 and 11. Once in the human body, papillomavirus does not always lead to the appearance of benign growths on the skin and mucous membranes. There are two possible forms of its existence in epithelial cells.
| Option of existence | Description |
| Episomal |
This kind of existence is considered benign. The virus does not integrate into the chromosomes of the infected cell while dormant. There are no clinical manifestations. Such a development of events is possible with a high level of general resistance of the woman's body. |
| Introsomal | The active form of finding the virus inside the cell, characterized by penetration into the cellular genome. It is considered a malignant variant of HPV parasitism. It is accompanied by the process of reproduction of HPV-encoded protein molecules, leading to the appearance of typical papillomatous growths on the external and internal genital organs. |
What scenario the process will take in a particular patient depends on the state of her immune system.
How does infection occur
The virus is easily transmitted from one person to another. There are several ways of infection.
| Method of infection | Characteristic |
| Sexual |
Papillomas in the genital area most often occur after sexual intercourse. This is the main route of infection, accounting for more than half of all cases. The penetration of the virus is possible with various forms of sexual contact, including during oral-genital and anal intercourse. |
| Domestic | The ability of the papillomavirus, albeit for a short time, to remain viable in exfoliating skin cells makes it possible for infection through abrasions and scratches on the skin and mucous membranes. This can happen in public toilets and saunas, while exercising in the pool or gym. |
| Autoinoculation (self-infection) | Viral particles can be spread by the patient herself to adjacent areas of the skin and mucous membranes during the hair removal procedure (shaving, epilation). |
| During childbirth | A newborn baby can become infected during childbirth. This method of infection explains the appearance of genital warts not only on the labia, but also on the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and even the pharynx. |
Variants of the course of infection
If an infection has occurred, then several options for the course of the process are possible.
| Process development option | Characteristic |
| Self-healing | In most cases, the body can cope with the virus on its own for 6 months to 1 year. This occurs in 80–90% of those infected, provided that the general body resistance is good. Younger women are more likely to experience this. |
| Asymptomatic carriage | The papillomavirus is in the body in a dormant state, there are no clinical manifestations of the disease. Such a latent, or hidden, course can be observed for more than one year. When, under the influence of various provoking circumstances, the awakening of viral particles occurs - the disease enters an active phase, complaints appear. |
| Onset of clinical signs | If the immune system is unable to cope with the papillomavirus or limit its presence in the patient's body to a benign episomal form, then characteristic papillomatous growths develop. In more than half of the sick women, growths on the labia are found within 3 months after sexual contact with a partner infected with the papillomavirus. |
The nature of the course of a viral infection depends on many factors.
Predisposing factors
HPV infection is highly contagious. It has been proven that after a single sexual intercourse with a partner infected with HPV, infection occurs in 5-6 cases out of 10. The possibility of the growth of genital warts increases significantly under certain conditions.
| Factor | Characteristic |
| Age | Young age increases the likelihood of pathology: the peak incidence occurs in the age range from 20 to 25 years. The predominant age of patients complaining of genital warts is 16–35 years. |
| Sexy debut | Sexual contacts at an early age, when hormonal changes in the girl's body are still ongoing, have a significant negative impact on the development of HPV infection. |
| Number of sexual partners | A large number of sexual partners, their frequent change contribute to the likelihood of infection with the human papillomavirus. |
| Barrier contraception | At the moment, the only relatively inexpensive and available to almost every method of protecting against HPV infection is a condom. It does not provide an absolute guarantee, since it cannot isolate completely contacting areas of damaged skin and mucous membranes. But this is better than the absence of any protection. |
A low level of immunity is the most important and necessary factor in the development of the disease. The weakening of the body's defenses is facilitated by:
- hypothermia, especially prolonged;
- heavy physical and mental stress;
- abuse of strong alcoholic beverages;
- smoking;
- diseases of a viral, bacterial, fungal nature;
- trauma;
- pregnancy and lactation;
- malignant neoplasms;
- hormonal pathology;
- taking antibacterial, hormonal, cytostatic drugs.
The combination of predisposing factors aggravates the situation.
Symptoms
Papillomas on the labia majora are usually represented by flesh-colored outgrowths (color options from pale pink to dirty brown are possible), have a softish consistency and an uneven outer surface. Their typical feature is the presence of a wide base, or legs. Papillomas on the labia minora have the same characteristics.
As they grow, genital warts can develop into growths resembling a rooster's comb or individual cauliflower inflorescences, reaching several centimeters in diameter. More often, multiple growths are found, although the presence of single formations is also possible.
Genital papillomas are often multiple in nature, merging and forming rather large growths
The presence of papillomas, especially small ones, is sometimes not accompanied by complaints. With their significant size, injury occurs discomfort, pain in the perineal region, an itching sensation, an unpleasant odor, oozing and bleeding is possible. The addition of a secondary bacterial infection aggravates these manifestations.
Treatment of papillomas on the labia
Therapy is carried out in several directions:
- increasing the level of immunity;
- destruction of papillomatous formations;
- preventing recurrence of infection.
The variability and species diversity of the papillomavirus do not allow today to achieve its complete elimination from the body. Therefore, the treatment combines the removal of warts and the appointment of antiviral and immunomodulatory drugs that contribute to the translation of the virus into an inactive form.
The doctor can remove papillomas in various ways:
- surgical;
- radio wave;
- electrocoagulation;
- cryodestruction;
- laser vaporization;
- chemical moxibustion.
The specialist decides how to remove the formation after examination and examination of the patient.
To prevent relapse, you need:
- lead a healthy lifestyle;
- form the correct stereotype of sexual behavior.
Specific prophylaxis is carried out by vaccination. The introduction of the Gardasil vaccine, which is effective against several types of the virus (6, 11, 16, 18), is optimal before sexual activity.
Video
We offer for viewing a video on the topic of the article.
Anna Kozlova Medical journalist About the author
Education: Rostov State Medical University, specialty "General Medicine".
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