Papillomas On The Face: Photo, Causes Of Appearance, Treatment

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-15 19:51

Papillomas on the face

The content of the article:

1. What it is
2. Papillomas on the face: causes
3. How does it manifest
4. When to see a doctor
5. Is such a neoplasm dangerous?

6. How to get rid of papillomas on the face

   1. Indications for treatment
   2. Papillomas on the face: home treatment
   3. Surgical methods
   4. Medication
7. Is it possible to prevent the formation of papillomas
8. Video

Papillomas are benign neoplasms that can be localized anywhere on the skin and mucous membranes. Caused by a viral infection. Papillomas on the face are often subject to removal for aesthetic reasons; such formations have practically no effect on human health. For treatment, in most cases, surgical methods are used - laser therapy, cryodestruction, electrocoagulation or surgical excision.

Papillomas on the face are not dangerous to health, mostly it is only an aesthetic problem

What it is

Papilloma is a benign tumor-like formation that appears on the skin in the form of papillae. The formations can grow and grow, taking the form of cauliflower or cockscomb.

What does a papilloma look like (seen in the photo):

1. In most cases, the color is closer to flesh, it can range from white to brown.
2. The average size is 0.2–10 mm, less often the formations can grow up to 2–3 cm.
3. The formation is soft and dense to the touch, palpation is not accompanied by painful sensations.
4. Papilloma can be localized anywhere on the body. On the face, formations most often appear around the eyes, less often on the chin, cheek, around the nose.

Papillomas on the face: causes

The main reason why papillomas occur is papillomavirus infection (human papillomavirus, HPV). There are many types of papillomaviruses, some members of this group may have oncogenic properties. HPV infection occurs by contact, the entrance gate is the place of violation of the integrity of the skin (microtrauma, scratches, abrasions). In addition, self-infection is possible during shaving or epilation.

Usually, HPV infection occurs against the background of a decrease in immunity. Many conditions can affect immune function:

• HIV infection;
• taking certain medications (glucocorticoids, cytostatics);
• chronic kidney disease (glomerulonephritis, renal failure);
• unhealthy diet (lack of vitamins and proteins in the diet);
• endocrine disorders: diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, menopause in women;
• chronic intoxication with chemicals;
• open and invasive operations, severe injuries.

Decreased immunity for any of these reasons increases the risk of HPV infection.

Prolonged trauma to the skin can be the cause of a growth on the face. In addition, papillomas can be congenital, in which case genetic abnormalities are the cause.

How does it manifest

The main manifestation of pathology is the presence of flesh-colored papillary formations on the face, ranging in size from 0.2 to 2 mm. In most cases, there are no additional symptoms.

If the papilloma is often touched and injured, painful sensations or bleeding may appear. These are unfavorable signs indicating the need to remove such a neoplasm.

When to see a doctor

Not in all cases, the appearance of papilloma on the face requires a visit to a doctor and active treatment. If education does not bring discomfort or injury, you can be calm.

If the papilloma is often injured or causes discomfort, you need to consult a dermatologist. The doctor will carefully examine the neoplasm, and, if necessary, will prescribe additional tests:

1. Dermatoscopy. This is a research method using a special instrument - a dermatoscope, which allows you to examine skin lesions under 10x magnification.
2. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR is used to identify the pathogen (HPV type - oncogenic or not). The material for research is scraping from the affected area of the skin.

Is such a neoplasm dangerous?

In most cases, papillomas on the face do not pose a danger to human health and life. But there are also exceptions.

First, it concerns the oncogenicity of viruses. Some types of papillomaviruses have oncogenic properties, therefore, they can cause malignant degeneration of tissues. If the formation is localized on the face, the likelihood of its malignancy is low, but still exists.

Secondly, frequent trauma to education is considered dangerous. This can lead to the development of complications - bleeding, malignancy, the addition of bacterial flora.

How to get rid of papillomas on the face

If indicated, it is recommended to carry out surgical treatment - to remove formations using a laser, liquid nitrogen, an electrocoagulator. Home treatment is less effective and is associated with a number of complications (scar on the skin after removal, bleeding, suppuration), therefore it is used much less often.

Indications for treatment

Not all formations on the face need to be removed. What are the indications for removal:

• frequent injury;
• psychological and aesthetic discomfort;
• the presence of complications, suspicion of malignancy.

Papillomas on the face: home treatment

At home, you can use folk remedies. Such treatment is affordable, but it has several disadvantages:

• after removal, a noticeable scar may remain on the face;
• the use of aggressive agents can lead to skin burns;
• mild folk remedies rarely lead to the desired effect;
• to achieve the effect, long-term use of folk remedies is often required (2 months or more), which still does not guarantee a result.

For the treatment of papillomas, you can use folk remedies of a mild and more aggressive action. Products based on potatoes and aloe act gently, garlic, lemon, apple cider vinegar, salicylic acid act more aggressively. The skin on the face is delicate, so all products must be applied pointwise and very gently.

Means	Recipe how to use
Apple vinegar	The apple cider vinegar must be diluted 1: 1 with water. Use a cotton swab to apply to skin (spot application), do not rinse. You need to repeat the procedure once a day for 2 weeks. If any side effects occur (pain, redness of the skin, burning), the treatment should be discontinued.
Garlic	To prepare the product, you will need 1 clove of garlic. The garlic must be crushed, the resulting gruel must be applied to the skin. Glue the adhesive plaster on top and leave for 4 hours. The procedure must be repeated once a day for 2 weeks.
Lemon juice	For cooking, you will need to squeeze the juice from the lemon. Lemon juice should be applied pointwise to the skin. Repeat the procedure 3 times a day for 21 days.
Compress from juice or aloe leaves	Moisten a cotton pad in aloe juice, apply it to the affected area of the skin, and seal it on top with adhesive tape. You can also use a whole leaf of aloe and apply the pulp to your skin. The compress is left overnight. The procedure must be repeated once a day for 3-4 weeks.
Potato compress	Grate the potatoes on a fine grater, apply the resulting gruel to the skin, apply a gauze bandage on top and seal with adhesive plaster. This compress is left for 8 hours (you can overnight). Repeat the procedure every day for 2-3 months.

Surgical methods

The main way to get rid of papilloma is surgical removal. Often, the formation is removed under local anesthesia; anesthesia is not required. They try to remove papillomas on the face using the least invasive method so as not to leave a scar on the skin. Cryodestruction and laser therapy can be used, electrocautery and surgical excision are used much less frequently.

Treatment method	How is the operation performed	Benefits	disadvantages
Laser therapy	It is performed under local anesthesia. Laser therapy is based on the phenomenon of converting laser energy into heat. Thanks to the high precision and control of the laser penetration depth, there are no marks on the skin after the removal of the formation.	After removal, no scar remains on the skin. The procedure is fast (1 session is enough), minimally invasive.	High price.
Cryodestruction	Removal of neoplasms occurs with liquid nitrogen. The procedure is usually painless, and local anesthesia is less commonly used. For the procedure, use a special instrument (cryoprobe) or a cotton swab. The duration of exposure is 5-30 seconds. Under the influence of liquid nitrogen, tissues are frozen - the papilloma turns pale and thickens, then its destruction occurs.	Painlessness, low cost, minimally invasive, no scar remains on the skin.	Several sessions are often required to achieve the effect. There is no possibility of removing large formations. A patch of depigmentation may remain on the skin.
Electrocoagulation	It is rarely used to remove formations on the face. The procedure is based on the effect of electric current on the tissues to be removed. The base of the papilloma is cauterized, which leads to its removal.	Low cost, low risk of postoperative complications (bleeding).	A scar may remain.
Surgical excision	The most radical method is surgical excision of the formation with a scalpel. Pathologically altered tissues are excised, then sutures are applied to the skin. Currently, surgical excision is rarely used to remove facial masses, as there are other, less invasive treatments.	Radicality - you can remove any formations, regardless of size and nature (even malignant).	The most invasive method of treatment - after surgical excision, a scar will remain on the skin of the face.

It is undesirable to remove papillomas on the face on your own, for this you should consult a doctor

Medication

Given the viral nature of the pathology, antiviral drugs and immunomodulators can be used for treatment. Unfortunately, there are no drugs that act directly on HPV. In this regard, antiviral therapy for the treatment of human papillomavirus infection is rarely used, only in severe cases when local therapy is ineffective.

Is it possible to prevent the formation of papillomas

There is no specific prevention of papillomas on the face. Vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix protect against oncogenic HPV strains, which are responsible for cervical and external genital cancers in women and men.

Non-specific prophylaxis has two directions - strengthening the immune system and preventing papillomavirus from getting on the skin. Strengthening the immune system consists in maintaining proper nutrition, an active lifestyle, and timely treatment of concomitant diseases. To prevent papillomavirus from getting on the skin, it is necessary to follow the rules of personal hygiene: wash your hands often, do not scratch your eyes and do not touch your face with dirty hands.

Video

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Anna Kozlova Medical journalist About the author

Education: Rostov State Medical University, specialty "General Medicine".

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