Atheroma (wen) is a cystic formation often found in people on the surface of the skin, which occurs, as a rule, as a result of blockage of the sebaceous gland. The formation is a benign, painless tumor that has a rounded shape, the sizes of which vary from 2-3 to 50-70 mm. The content of atheroma is a curd mass consisting of sebum, severed epithelial cells, horny skin scales, cholesterol crystals, microorganisms, and residues of fallen hair.
Atheroma usually occurs on the face, back, trunk, scalp, and inguinal regions. Sometimes a small hole appears on its surface, from which an atheromatous mass of a cheesy character with an unpleasant odor periodically stands out. The cause of atheromas may be impaired metabolism, air pollution in large cities, excessive reproduction of bacteria. Often they appear against the background of increased sweating, hormonal changes, acne, or with oily seborrhea. Atheroma on the face of a man may appear as a result of irregular (rare) shaving. According to some experts, the disease may have a genetic predisposition.
Atheromas are easily confused with lipomas: visually they are very similar. In difficult cases, it is impossible to establish the type of neoplasm in appearance. In such cases, to make a correct diagnosis, a histological examination (puncture) is indicated, according to the results of which only a correct diagnosis is possible.
Atheroma of the skin occurs in people of both sexes and almost all ages. It is often multiple - atheromatosis. Atheroma is sometimes complicated by infection. The inflammatory process is indicated by redness of the skin above it, an increase in size, swelling, fever, pain when touched, the release of a white-gray substance. If you have at least one of the listed symptoms, you should immediately consult a surgeon, since there is a danger of a possible complication - transformation into a malignant tumor.
Some believe that only large formations should be removed (and they sometimes reach the size of a chicken egg). But this is the wrong opinion - you need to remove any, even if they do not bother the person in any way, because there is a risk of infection, which leads to complications and increases the recovery time. In addition, atheroma on the face is a cosmetic defect that can bring a person to a nervous breakdown.
Atheroma on the face can be removed traditionally, that is, under local anesthesia, as well as using radio wave or laser technology.
The surgical method involves the removal of atheroma of any size (along with the membrane) through a small puncture, which avoids postoperative scars. The operation does not last long: only 7-10 minutes.
The laser can remove small, not launched atheromas. There is no relapse after such an intervention, the wound heals very quickly and without a scar.
The most effective and, at the same time, safe, is considered the radio wave method. With this method, a 100% guarantee is given against the reappearance of a cyst in the same place. No suturing is required, no scar remains, recovery time is reduced as much as possible. In this case, the patient's working ability is not impaired. Surgical intervention by the radio wave method is especially important for patients with atheroma on the head. Since the method is seamless, there is no need to shave hair in the area where the operation is performed.
Doctors warn that self-medication (squeezing or cauterization) of atheroma is unacceptable: it must be removed with a capsule, which only a surgeon can do. Otherwise, inflammation and complications are inevitable. In addition, since the cystic formation can sometimes degenerate into a malignant tumor, the material for verification, after removal of the cyst, is necessarily sent for histological examination.