Skin tags, or papillae, are small, soft, benign skin growths that occur in groups. Up to 100 such growths can be found on one person’s body. Older people who are overweight are more prone to the appearance of such skin formations. Skin tags are often found on the eyelids, neck, armpits, groin folds and under the breasts.
Rice. 1. Skin growths
Skin growths usually do not bother you in any way, but sometimes they can change color, become thicker and hurt.
What are skin tags?
the skin growth is acrochordon, which means a small benign tumor that appears on the skin in folds or in places of excessive friction (neck-collar area, groin).
Figure 3. Skin tags are benign skin tumors
In Russian literature, such skin growths are also called soft fibromas. The size of skin growths can vary widely from barely noticeable protrusions to hanging skin formations of 2-5 mm or more.
Causes of growth on the finger joint
The lump mainly forms on the middle, thumb and ring fingers. Treatment for a growth on the phalanx depends on the cause of its appearance. Bumps on the fingers can form due to joint diseases, infections, tumors and other reasons.
Joint diseases
Arthrosis
Osteoarthritis of the fingers is a degenerative inflammatory disease of the joints. A lump on the thumb can often be a symptom of arthrosis. The formation of a lump on the bend, at the base of the thumb on the hand, is also called rhizarthrosis. This occurs due to the high mobility of the finger. It begins with minor pain during normal household activities. Gradually, the joint becomes deformed, movement causes discomfort, and bumps grow on the joint of the thumb.
Polyarthrosis is characterized by the appearance of lumps on several joints. The fingers become deformed, the bumps cause discomfort and pain.
Arthritis
Arthritis of the fingers is a chronic disease associated with wear and tear of the articular cartilage. Normally, cartilage is smooth, glides easily and does not cause movement difficulties. As they wear out, pain may occur. Bumps on the joints can be caused by this disease.
Older people are at risk. The older a person gets, the more worn out tissues and organs are, including joints. There are several types of arthritis, classified according to the cause that causes it:
- rheumatoid arthritis - characterized by damage to connective and cartilaginous tissues;
- infectious – occurs when viruses and bacteria enter the body. They can enter the body through an open wound, during surgery or unsterile injections;
- gouty - characterized by a violation of the body's metabolic processes and the accumulation of uric acid in the blood. The cause of this disease may be poor kidney function, in which they are unable to process and remove uric acid.
Orthopedic surgeon Timur Vyacheslavovich Kholikov comments:
In cases where the cause of the formation is related to joint diseases, people who are aged or who expose their hands to excessive stress are at risk.
Infectious diseases
Infectious diseases can also cause the formation of bumps on the fingers. Mostly, infections underlie other diseases, such as arthritis, but can also be an independent factor. Infections affect the entire body as a whole and can cause destruction of connective or cartilage tissue. Infectious diseases occur in people of any age and gender.
Infections enter the body through open wounds due to the use of unsterile syringes and during surgery.
Other reasons
Other reasons for the formation of bumps on the fingers include:
1) Work associated with monotonous stress on the joints is a common cause of deformation of the fingers and the formation of growths on them.
2) Benign tumors.
- Hygroma. Nodes on the fingers can be the result of benign tumors, such as hygroma. Hygroma is a bubble with a gel-like liquid. The disease is not difficult to diagnose and is treatable. The bubble is easily palpable, it is elastic and not painful. Sometimes, hygroma goes away on its own and appears again. It is not recommended to puncture the blisters, since after this the hygroma will return with a 90% probability. It's better to see a doctor. Removing hygroma forever will not be difficult for a specialist.
- Warts. A tumor on the fingers is often caused by a papilloma virus, is painless, and operable.
- Fibroma. An extremely rare type of neoplasm. A characteristic symptom is acute pain caused by compression of nerve endings.
3) Malignant tumors.
- Malignant tumors include cancerous tissue lesions with damage and the formation of metastases. Known types of diseases include skin cancer or sarcoma.
4) Growths on the bones of the middle fingers, often formed in people who have to write a lot. For example, teachers or doctors. The lump appears from the pressure of a pen on the joint of a finger. In this case, no treatment is required. If a lump on a finger grows and causes discomfort, it can, of course, be removed. You can get rid of it by starting to use a pen with a soft nozzle. It is better to write while holding the pen with your fingertips. The callus will go away on its own if you no longer need to write a lot.
What is the cause of skin tags?
The exact cause of skin tags is unknown. Skin tags can theoretically form on any part of the skin. However, the most common areas of their localization are the neck and axillary areas. Skin growths are often found on the skin of the eyelids, under the breasts in women, in the skin folds under the buttocks and in the groin. The frequency of skin growths appearing in these areas is associated with constant friction of the skin against the skin or against clothing. As indicated, there is a high incidence of skin growths in people over 60 years of age who are obese. However, hormonal imbalance can also contribute to the appearance of a large number of skin tags.
Rice. 4. Frequent locations of skin growths
Often, skin tags are combined with acanthosis (dark discoloration of the skin in skin folds), high levels of triglycerides and blood sugar. Skin tags are not contagious and therefore cannot be transmitted from one person to another.
Why do warts appear?
The formation is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) of various types (currently there are more than 100 varieties). Infection occurs through contact (from person to person) and household contact (through common objects, contaminated surfaces - swimming pools, saunas, gyms). Cases of self-infection are common.
The virus that enters the body through microtrauma actively multiplies in the surface layers of the skin. The latent period lasts 1-6 months, then typical nodules appear.
In practice, most often we encounter flat and vulgar warts. Vulgar ones are predominantly located on the dorsum of the hands. These are multiple painless dense rounded gray papules with an uneven, keratinized surface of a flesh-colored or yellow-brown color. Flat warts are located on the back of the hands, forearms, as well as the face and mucous membranes. Clinically, they are represented by small multiple papules the color of normal skin. On the surface of both, black dots can be seen - these are thrombosed capillaries.
Methods for removing skin tags
There are several known ways to remove skin growths:
- Simple cutting with scissors or a scalpel;
- Removal with radio knife;
- Removal with a coagulator;
- Removal with liquid nitrogen;
- Laser removal;
- Plasma removal.
Rice. 5A. Stages of removing skin growths with a laser. Anesthesia
Rice. 5 B. Stages of removing skin growths with a laser. Laser vaporization
Rice. 5V. Stages of removing skin growths with a laser. Laser vaporization.
Rice. 5G. Stages of removing skin growths with a laser. Laser vaporization
Rice. 5D. Stages of removing skin growths with a laser. Final result
Each of them has the right to exist. However, since skin growths in most cases are removed solely for cosmetic reasons, removal methods should be chosen that will not subsequently leave a visible mark on the skin. These methods include: laser and plasma vaporization.
Symptoms of the disease
Warts themselves, both ordinary and with blackheads, as a rule, do not bring negative sensations, unless their location provokes constant friction of this area. Ordinary skin papillomas are small in size, usually about 0.2-0.6 cm in circumference, the shape of such growths is often round or semicircular, and the color is light to brown.
When several warts appear at once, there is a high probability of their further growth, which will lead to the merging of these formations into a single mosaic-type conglomerate. It is especially unpleasant for a person when warts begin to grow in the oral cavity, where their usual location is the outer corners of the mouth, the tip of the tongue, and the lateral and anterior parts of this area.
No less unpleasant are genital warts, which are genital warts - the papillary type, having a pale pink color. The base of such a growth is a thin stalk, on which a more voluminous papilloma with a sharp tip rests. It should be noted that for women such neoplasms and the papilloma virus are generally more dangerous than for men.
Important! If genital warts occur, you must immediately decide on their removal; the doctor will prescribe all the necessary examinations and refer you for this procedure.
Often people find black dots under the thin upper part of the wart, which frightens any person. However, there is no reason to be upset. Such inclusions appear at the base of the growth not immediately after its appearance, but only after some time. A wart with black dots is not dangerous, since these dark inclusions are the roots of this formation.
The papilloma itself has a fairly developed circulatory system, thanks to which the growth receives enough nutrients for active reproduction. The more black dots in a wart, the greater its root and ability to grow further and multiply.
If there is a constant increase in the number of blackheads in the formation, and the papilloma itself is constantly itching, itching and painful, it means that it is growing. It is plantar warts that are often characterized by such active growth and deep roots, and their removal is necessary at the initial stage of appearance.
The larger the formation, the longer the rehabilitation period will be after removal of the growth. A wart that has one black dot is not very dangerous, but it needs to be examined.
If the wart has turned completely black, this is a reason to be wary, since this is how the process of degeneration of a benign tumor into a malignant one manifests itself.
A visit to the doctor is necessary. The dermatologist will determine the oncogenic risk group and the degree of danger to the life and health of the patient.
Benign neoplasms of the oral cavity
“Something” that appears in the mouth does not grow, does not appear in a new place and, in principle, does not hurt. This means that the tumor is benign in nature. They, in turn, are divided into several subspecies.
Epithelial growths: papillomas, nevi, Serre glands. Papilloma is a small protrusion with “papillary” growths; when left in the mouth for a long time, it becomes rough and whitish. A nevus that varies in color, ranging from pale pink to brown. If you notice a yellowish semicircle above the upper or lower gums, it is most likely a Serra gland.
There are many more types of connective tissue tumors. Fibroids of identical color form on the lower lip, tongue or palate. After inflammation of the gums, compactions can form - fibromatosis. Lumps on the muscle tissue on the underside of the tongue and underneath it are called fibroids.
In addition to connective tumors, neoplasms of the oral mucosa are vascular. More often they develop in children and appear after diseases of the nasopharynx.
