A lump on the head can be confused with an atheroma (sebaceous cyst). The difference between these pathologies is that atheroma is located in the ducts of the sebaceous glands, and wen is located under the skin of the head.
Wen, or lipomas, are mobile. They have a spherical shape. Lipomas are made up of fat cells and form in different parts of the scalp.
The lump creates aesthetic discomfort, which a person does not feel at first.
According to the observations of doctors, lipoma most often forms in the fairer sex than in men (60% versus 40%). The risk group includes women over 50 years of age.
They have an increased risk of developing a wen due to physiological processes occurring in the body, in particular due to the onset of menopause.
What it is
A fatty tissue on the head is an accumulation of adipose tissue in some place with impaired functioning of the sebaceous glands.
Being a benign neoplasm, the tumor is easily treatable. However, in an advanced stage, it reaches large sizes, brings serious discomfort, and is difficult to treat on your own. In addition, large seals put pressure on the vessels, cause pain, and provoke the development of the inflammatory process. Therefore, it is not recommended to allow uncontrolled growth of lipoma.
The convex neoplasm is a capsule of connective tissue, jelly-like consistency, mobile upon palpation. The lipoma has an oval or round shape, flesh-colored, and is painless when small in size. As the hair follicles increase in size, they become compressed and atrophy, and there is no hair growth above the surface of the tumor. If a wen grows on the temple or behind the ear, the nerve fibers are compressed, which causes significant pain.
Recipes
Celandine compress.
Use a decoction, tincture, or fresh juice of the plant.
Celandine is applied to gauze, applied to the wen, secured with a band-aid.
Celandine is not the only plant that can be used in this case.
Other compresses
Aloe, golden mustache, and Kalanchoe are perfect. The plant leaf is cut lengthwise and the cut is placed on the pine cone. You can mash the plant into a homogeneous paste, apply it to a bandage, and apply it to the pine cone.
To secure it, you need to cover the affected area with a plaster.
The duration of treatment is from 10 to 20 days, but subject to regular use of the compress, twice a day. Aloe and golden mustache are used as compresses in a similar way to celandine.
Composition of onion and laundry soap.
You need to take a large onion and simple laundry soap. The onion is baked in the oven and chopped with a blender. The soap is rubbed on a grater.
The resulting compositions are mixed with each other. Apply to the affected area.
Causes
In medicine, there are still disagreements about the causes of wen on the head. However, there are statistical facts that can help you get a general picture of what leads to the growth of lipomas. Despite the fact that people of any age are susceptible to benign neoplasms on the head, it has been noted that women suffer from the pathology more often than men. We can also say that often benign formations on the scalp are recorded in mentally unbalanced people.
Since it is known that the main factor influencing the development of this type of neoplasm is blockage of the sebaceous glands, wen most often develop as a result of metabolic disorders, division of adipose tissue cells occurs, which leads to tumor growth.
There are other negative factors that influence the formation and growth of a wen on the head:
- decreased functioning of the immune system;
- hormonal disbalance;
- mechanical damage to the scalp;
- biological, chemical effects on the body.
It is less common to observe the development of benign tumors for the following reasons:
- skin diseases;
- allergic reactions of the body;
- chronic diseases of internal organs;
- long-term use of immunostimulating drugs.
Rapid growth of lipoma is usually observed in people with weakened immunity caused by a long-term illness. Also, the causes of tumor growth include dysfunction of the thyroid gland.
Recommendations for wound care after radio wave removal of lipomas
After the procedure, a crust forms in the affected area, which protects the wound from viruses and bacteria. It is impossible to rip off and injure the resulting scab. This can cause not only wound infection, but also severe tissue scarring. After 5–7 days, the crust will fall off on its own.
To speed up the tissue healing process, after the procedure of radio wave removal of a lipoma, you must:
- exclude visiting the bathhouse, sauna and swimming pool;
- do not expose the crust to mechanical damage;
- do not wet the treatment area on the first day after manipulation;
- treat the area where the lipoma was with antiseptic drugs (as prescribed by the doctor).
If there is redness, swelling, suppuration, pain in the affected area or increased body temperature, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Symptoms
The initial symptoms of the pathology are mild: a lipoma on the head appears in the form of a small tubercle, comparable in size to a pea. Gradually increasing, it resembles an inflamed lymph node or an epidermal cyst, although they differ in their etiology. On palpation, the contents of the capsule are soft, the tumor is mobile and painless. When a wen appears in the forehead, cheeks, or neck, a cosmetic defect is visualized.
Since a wen can be confused with malignant neoplasms, it is possible to diagnose it yourself only by certain signs:
- due to the absence of nerve endings in the capsule, there is no pain when pressed;
- the growth is hardly noticeable, in rare cases reaching 3–5 cm in diameter;
- since the structure of the wen consists of fibrous, loose connective tissue, it is soft upon palpation;
- due to weak attachment to surrounding tissues, it can easily be moved subcutaneously with pressure.
Despite the fact that wen can be detected at any age, it most often increases after 40 years. This is explained by a slowdown in metabolic processes in the body.
Conservative therapy
Drug treatment of lipomas is carried out using topical medications. For children, it is recommended to use Vishnevsky and Ichthyol ointments. They have an anti-inflammatory effect and prevent the possibility of wound infection. In addition, the drugs draw out the pus and then restore the epithelial layer of the skin.
If conservative therapy does not produce results, then laser removal is performed.
The products must be used in accordance with specific instructions:
- A small amount of ointment is applied to the area of the wen.
- The top of the formation is covered with a cotton pad and wrapped with a bandage. Leave the bandage on overnight.
- The procedures are carried out over three days. Next, a two-day break is taken.
- After two days, the bandage is applied again for three days.
For large formations, the doctor may prescribe the injection of drugs directly into the cavity of the wen using a special needle. The method allows you to get rid of the tumor without scars or scars.
But there are also negative aspects of this treatment:
Also read: Why wen appear
- low level of efficiency;
- duration of therapy (about two months);
- impossibility of use for lipomas whose size exceeds two centimeters.
During therapy, it is imperative to follow a diet. The following are excluded from the child’s diet:
- spicy dishes;
- fried food;
- canned food;
- marinades;
- sauces.
You can eat baked goods no more than once every seven days.
Why is it dangerous?
In order to understand whether a lipoma of the scalp is dangerous for a person, you need to consult a specialist. Despite the fact that for the most part tumors of adipose tissue are benign, there are a number of factors that can provoke the degeneration of adipose tissue into a malignant tumor.
The danger of a wen on the head is as follows:
- when trying to get rid of a wen on your own at home, the structure of the tumor may be injured, which leads to the development of an inflammatory process and suppuration;
- a false assumption about the nature of the tumor leads to untimely diagnosis of a dangerous tumor;
- Depending on the location of the wen, pressing on it can injure a neighboring organ, such as the eye or ear, which can lead to decreased vision and the development of hearing loss.
Since when the wen is located on the scalp, constant trauma to it with a comb or razor can lead to the introduction of a bacterial infection into the wound, it is recommended to get rid of the pathology in a medical institution.
Diagnostics
A diagnostic study of the nature of the neoplasm is carried out by a dermatologist. To establish an accurate diagnosis, a general examination of the patient is carried out, after which a referral is issued for tests and instrumental diagnostics.
The patient is prescribed the following diagnostic procedures:
- ultrasonography;
- cytological analysis of blood, urine;
- biopsy;
- radiography;
- hormone analysis.
In some cases, a puncture is taken from the patient for histological examination. This procedure allows you to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the optimal treatment.
Treatment
Many patients, faced with the diagnosis of a benign neoplasm, are interested in how to get rid of a wen on the head?
In fact, there are several methods of treating the tumor. Only the attending physician, after a comprehensive examination, decides which method to use in a particular case.
Surgical intervention
When diagnosing a large wen in a patient, a surgical intervention method is used. Before starting surgical treatment, the patient undergoes a puncture to collect sebum, which is sent for examination to rule out malignancy. If the result is negative, removal of a wen on the head is carried out as follows:
- the skin is disinfected with alcohol;
- an incision is made with a scalpel;
- the neoplasm and capsule are removed;
- a suture is placed on the wound.
It is important to completely remove the capsule, otherwise the tumor may begin to grow again.
Liposuction method
When the tumor is located in a visible area of the head, where it is undesirable to apply cosmetic stitches, the liposuction method is used. The lipoma is punctured, a catheter is inserted with a special substance that destroys pathogenic cells, which are subsequently eliminated back through the catheter.
Endoscopic method
If we talk about how to remove a lipoma on the head using the endoscopic method, we must immediately say that the method is characterized by the best cosmetic effect. To carry out the operation, an optical device (endoscope) is used, with which a puncture is made in folds of skin hidden from the visible eye. After this, a catheter with a miniature camera is inserted into it, allowing you to see the tumor from the inside. The tumor is excised and brought out at the puncture site.
Laser correction
Removing a wen with a laser is a bloodless method that prevents infection from entering the wound and further relapse. After laser correction, there are practically no traces left, so the method is most often used to remove fatty tissue on visible areas of the head (face, neck). In addition, wound healing takes place in a short time (1 - 2 weeks).
Do lipomas need to be removed?
The wen itself is not dangerous to human health. As a rule, neoplasms are asymptomatic and do not cause any inconvenience. However, those lipomas that reach large sizes can put pressure on adjacent organs and disrupt their functioning. Wen, which are located in places of constant friction with clothing or accessories, can become inflamed and fester. As a result, the skin around the tumor becomes red and swollen. In this case, a person may be bothered by burning, itching and soreness of the skin.
Lipomas are not prone to spontaneous resorption, so they are recommended to be removed. The most modern method of combating wen is the radio wave method.
