If such a growth appears on a person's skin, he asks the question, what kind of changes have taken place in the body and are they not dangerous? Read on for useful information on the properties of different types of papillomas. This information helps you to recognize the presence of such formations in order to process them immediately if necessary.
Variants of papillomas
Why do these processes often appear on the skin with age? These changes in the skin are caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV for short. After infection with such a pathogen, the patient develops a papillomatosis disease, during which warts of various forms appear on the skin or mucous membranes. These growths are benign, but some types of papillomas are at high risk of being reborn as a malignant tumor. For this reason, you should definitely visit a doctor if you notice such changes on your skin!
Medicine knows more than 40 varieties of papillomavirus, which cause various forms of the disease in humans. The type of virus that has entered the body depends on what the papilloma looks like because the infection manifests itself outward from various forms of formations on the body's integument. According to the general classification, a distinction is made between the following types of growths.
- Simple, also called vulgar - keratinized growths of a dark color.
- Plantar - affects the soles of the feet.
- Acro chords are wire formations whose body rests on one leg.
- Flat formations or common warts - often occur in young people in the area around hands, fingers, face.
- Pointed - located on the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, genitals or anus.
- Squamous cells - consists of squamous epithelium, which has grown due to the effects of the virus and the stroma (the basis of connective tissue and blood vessels).
- Basal cell - grows from cells in the basal layer of the epidermis or from hair follicles.
- Internal - they do not occur in the area with externally visible parts of the body, but where they are difficult to notice, for example in the larynx or bladder.
Pointed
Such growths are often called warts. Their characteristic features are small size and special shape: a wide bottom and a sharp tip. These warts are flesh-colored or slightly pink in color and appear either individually or in groups. They are characterized by rapid growth: in just a few days, when there was only one growth, a whole group of them is formed. In shape, this family resembles a cauliflower blossom. Genital warts are often located on the mucous membranes: in the mouth, on the tongue as well as in the genital area or near the anus.
Squamous
This type of skin growth caused by HPV virus is one of the most common because it can have a very wide localization throughout the body. What does a papilloma of this type look like? These are flat formations with a round or oval shape that protrudes slightly beyond the surface of the skin - no more than 1 mm, can be both soft and with signs of keratinization. Often they appear in groups, in color they practically do not differ from the surrounding cover.
Such growths occur mainly in the upper body: in the face (for example, on the nose or lip), the neck. They often appear on the mucous membranes: inside the mouth on the cheeks or tongue. Squamous cell tumors can be diagnosed in the esophagus, larynx as well as in the organs of the genitals and even in the rectum. People who have such formations are advised to remove them due to the high risk of degeneration into a malignant form.
Basal cell
These growths are often called basaliomas or senile warts because they often affect the skin of older people. These formations grow slowly from the basal layer of the epidermis (hence the name) or from the hair follicles that appear on the surface of the skin in the form of papillae from pink to dark brown in color. Areas of the body where basal cell carcinomas are common are the armpits, back and lips and nose. Their characteristic is that they never degenerate into cancerous tumors, therefore they are considered safe.
This is what papillomas look like in intimate places
When it comes to formations in the genital area, it is meant by pointed formations. Papillomas of this type are overgrown cells in the upper layer of the epithelium that resemble groups of small papillae. Such growths can just as often affect both sexes. They are located in the groin and directly on the surface of the genitals: in men - on the head of the penis or in the lumen of the urethra, in women - on the vaginal mucosa, the surface of the cervix and in the uterus itself.
Manifestations of changes in genital integrity that occur as a result of human infection with the HPV virus require special attention from the patient. He needs to consult a doctor and remove the growth of the genitals, because with the transition from such a disorder to a chronic form, the risk of infertility and oncology greatly increases.
Photo: how papillomas look on the body
To accurately and clearly imagine for yourself what these formations are, it will be useful for you to look at the pictures of what such growths look like. Check out this selection of photos that show examples of different types of papillomas. Check with these pictures what growths you or your loved ones have and you can determine in advance whether these warts are subject to mandatory removal and prevent serious health risks.
