What does atheroma on the scrotum and penis look like and how to treat it

What is

A testicular lipoma is a benign tumor. It occurs due to the growth of adipose tissue under the skin.

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Wen can appear one at a time, but more often in several pieces. Their size ranges from a pea to a chicken egg.

Lipomas look like round, painless formations; they are not contagious and are not transmitted through sexual contact or contact.

They can exist on a person for a long time and not cause him harm, but there are cases of inflammation of the tumor or their degeneration into an oncological disease.

There are three types of benign tumors on the testicles.

Lipoma

Consists entirely of adipose tissue. It most often appears as a small, painless ball, but it can also be in the form of multiple Fordyce-type granules with a diameter of about 5 millimeters.

Atheroma

This is a cyst of the outer layer of the skin, which is formed due to blockage of the sebaceous gland duct. It is denser than a lipoma, less mobile, and in the center of the ball you can see a black dot, which is a clogged duct. Often complicated by inflammation and suppuration.

Milium

These are multiple small white subcutaneous capsules filled with sebum.

Features of formations

A lump on the scrotum is far from a rare occurrence. Quite often, men exhibit these neoplasms in single and multiple clusters. Wen can be the size of a pea or reach the size of a chicken egg (12 - 15 cm in volume). The characteristics of the wen on the scrotum made it possible to divide the neoplasms into several types:

Quite often, having discovered these neoplasms on the scrotum, many assume that these are symptoms of infectious diseases, in which the foreskin is covered with vague pimples. Because of such beliefs, frequent divorces occur. However, you should not draw premature conclusions; in order to understand the problem, you need to find out the causes of neoplasms, for which you should contact a dermatologist.

Causes

It is not known for certain why a lipoma appears on the testicles. Many factors are hypothesized to contribute to its development.

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Reasons that lead to the formation of wen:

• genetic predisposition;
• pathological transformation of hormones, due to which too much adipose tissue is formed in the testicular area;
• lack of enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract that break down fatty acids;
• endocrine disorders in which tissues do not develop properly;
• pelvic circulatory disorders
• poor personal hygiene and excessive sweating;
• bad habits;
• poor immune response;
• of hormones released into the blood;
• stress;
• metabolic disorders
• genital injuries
• poor nutrition.

Methods for removing sebaceous gland cysts in the skin of the scrotum

• Surgical - dissection of the gland shell with a scalpel, removal of fat, pus, capsule, suturing.
• Electrosurgical and radio wave - dissection of the skin over the wen with an electric knife, removal of the contents of the atheroma, destruction of its capsule and duct to prevent relapse. Or simply evaporate the atheroma when it is small. Suturing the wound is necessary only for large elements.
• Laser removal - dissection of the gland capsule with a laser or laser vaporization of small elements to form a sterile protective crust.

The choice of technique is up to the doctor, taking into account, of course, the wishes of the patient. Much depends on which method the doctor is better at. In our clinic, doctors more often use electrosurgical, radio wave and laser removal of sebaceous gland cysts, because they go away without bleeding, the wound after manipulation is absolutely sterile due to the high temperature of the laser and electrode, there is often no need to apply sutures, which facilitates further management and care wound.

Symptoms

A lipoma on the testicle is visible to the naked eye and the main symptom is its presence. The formation itself should be painless, most often movable, and the wen can be easily moved slightly under the skin during examination and palpation.

The size of a lipoma can be from a pea to the size of a chicken egg. The number of formations is often single, but can also be multiple. The color of the wen is usually light yellow.

Attention! If the formation begins to hurt and sharply increases in size, you should immediately consult a doctor.

How to remove a wen on the scrotum with a laser

Laser destruction is the best choice for small clogged sebaceous glands. Allows you to get rid of atheroma of the scrotum without a trace, without incisions, by evaporation with a laser beam. It is performed under local anesthesia. After manipulation, sometimes you don’t even need to apply a bandage; shading with an antiseptic solution is enough.

How much does it cost to remove lipomas on the scrotum with a laser? Depends on the size of the element. The price starts from 1000 rubles. For multiple microatheromas, the cost is calculated comprehensively.

The only disadvantage of laser removal is the impossibility of histological examination of the removed material, because the atheroma evaporates completely.

If histology is necessary, we choose radio wave and electrosurgical removal.

Treatment

If a lipoma has formed, it will not disappear on its own, but may also be complicated by inflammation and suppuration, therefore, when lipomas form, surgical intervention is necessary. There are three types of treatment for this disease, which can be performed under either local or general anesthesia.

Liposuction

The surgeon cuts the tissue in the area of ​​the wen and pumps it out with a special device. At the end of the procedure, several cosmetic stitches are applied.

The advantages of this treatment are the speed of implementation and less pain, but when pumping out the contents of the lipoma, there is no guarantee that it will not recur and this is a big disadvantage.

Surgical intervention

With it, the wen must be completely removed along with the capsule in which it is contained, and this ensures the prevention of the reappearance of lipoma in this place.

Laser surgery

A widely used method that has many advantages. It is good because it completely removes the wen with the capsule. This removal is bloodless due to the fact that the laser cauterizes the blood vessels. The laser also disinfects the surface on which the removal is performed, and this prevents the occurrence of postoperative infections. After removing the wen with a laser, the wound heals quickly without leaving any rough scars.

There is a therapeutic method, but it does not cure the disease, but is used as supportive measures before and after surgery.

Attention! You should not try to puncture or squeeze out the wen yourself to remove them. You can introduce an infection into the wound, which will cause inflammation and suppuration of the tissue. It is also impossible to remove the wen capsule at home. And if the capsule remains, then the lipoma will appear again in this place.

After removal of lipomas, it is necessary to undergo histological examination in order to exclude malignant neoplasms. They do this because wen, which has not responded to treatment for a long time, can mutate and degenerate into cancer.

How to get rid of a tumor?

To date, there is not a single conservative method of treating lipomas. This means that wen can only be removed surgically. Fortunately, the development of modern medicine has made it possible to perform the following operation:

• Painless (thanks to anesthesia).
• Almost 100% safe.

Wen removal is carried out by dermatologists in public and private clinics.

Removal methods

There are several options for removing wen on the scrotum:

• Excision of the tumor with a scalpel. After anesthesia, a small incision is made on the skin, then the lipoma is isolated from the surrounding tissue and eliminated. The doctor stops bleeding from small vessels and applies stitches.
• Laser treatment. In this situation, the skin is cut with a laser beam, which is considered more gentle than using a scalpel. In this case, the vessels do not bleed, the risks of postoperative hematomas are reduced, as well as the likelihood of infection of the postoperative wound. The scar after such an intervention looks minimal, and healing often occurs faster.
• Radio wave therapy. This treatment uses radio waves to cut tissue. The advantages of such removal are the same as when using a laser.
• Puncture-aspiration therapy. This method of getting rid of lipomas eliminates incisions on the skin - the contents are injected into the tumor and its contents are sucked out. This method often leads to relapses, since it does not involve removing the tumor shell.

Modern clinics practice laser and radio wave removal of lipomas. This operation lasts only 10-15 minutes and allows you to permanently get rid of one or more tumors.

Possible complications

There are cases when a wen can lead to complications.

Sudden increase in size

Adipose tissue is not able to quickly increase in size, and if this happens, then there is a possibility that the tumor will degenerate into a malignant one, and you should immediately consult a doctor.

Painful sensations

If pain occurs in the area of ​​the lipoma, then an inflammatory reaction occurs.

Pain in the testicles when walking

This suggests that the wen puts pressure on the reproductive organs, and this leads to their inflammation.

Urinary and erectile dysfunction

The tumor can compress the urethra, spermatic cords and porous vessels of the penis, thereby disrupting their function.

Attention! If such complications arise, then this is a reason to immediately consult a doctor.

Do I need treatment?

Small lipomas, which are present on the scrotum in small quantities, do not tend to grow and do not become inflamed; there is no need to remove them. In such a situation, doctors advise regularly assessing the condition of the tumor and contacting specialists if any changes or abnormalities are detected. Removal is carried out solely at the request of the patient.

You cannot do without targeted treatment of lipoma if such a tumor:

• It begins to actively increase in size. The progressive growth of the tumor is fraught with the fact that it will begin to put pressure on nearby tissues or come into contact with the testicles. This development of events increases the risk of inflammation, provokes severe discomfort and can even cause pain.
• It becomes inflamed and festers.
• Causes itching, discomfort and discoloration of the skin.
• Accompanied by the appearance of disturbances in sexual life or urination (which, however, is extremely rare).

Prevention

To reduce the risk of developing wen on the testicles, you need to follow a few simple recommendations.

Physical activity

To prevent congestion in the pelvic area and excessive formation of adipose tissue, it is necessary to improve blood circulation in this area. For this, regular exercise, walking, squats and other types of physical activity are indispensable.

Rejection of bad habits

Drinking alcohol and smoking disrupt the metabolism in the human body and fats lead to the formation of lipomas on the testicles. Therefore, giving up bad habits is one of the measures to prevent the appearance of wen.

Hygiene

With constant adherence to the rules of intimate hygiene, the skin pores in the testicular area are cleaned in time and are not clogged.

Balanced diet

It will improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and metabolism.

Where to remove a wen on the scrotum in Moscow

It is best to do this in a clinic specializing in outpatient urology, where all the necessary techniques and equipment are available.

Doctors with experience in removing such formations will perform the procedure quickly, painlessly and, if possible, without leaving a trace.

The Private Practice clinic paid close attention to the aesthetic side of the issue, so that the removal field did not leave any rough marks on the skin of the scrotum. Plus, the technique used does not require hospitalization of the patient and allows you to get rid of wen on the skin of the testicles even on the day of treatment.

External manifestation

It is not difficult to notice a wen on the scrotum. Such neoplasms are easily palpable and diagnosed during a standard examination. A characteristic sign of the accumulation of sebaceous gland secretions under the skin is the appearance of a wen, resembling a small pea that easily rolls under the skin. Wen are rarely painful, but if an inflammatory or purulent process occurs, they begin to cause discomfort. Sometimes discomfort can occur due to friction with clothing or as a result of injury.

If a ball is found in the scrotum, you should consult a specialist to determine that the neoplasm is truly a safe wen. Alarming symptoms are pain, rapid increase in the size of the formation, sudden disturbances in the genital area or difficulty urinating, discomfort when walking due to friction with clothing. Any of these signs should alert a man.

Prevention of atheromas on the genitals in men

It is almost impossible to regulate the process of sebum formation and the patency of the ducts of the glands of the skin of the scrotum. Often, the appearance of wen has genetically determined factors, such as an increased content of androgen receptors on the surface of the sebaceous glands.

Regular hygiene of the genital organs, normal nutrition rich in vitamins A, D, C, and B are of great importance for the prevention of recurrence of atheromas.

In severe cases, our doctors select drugs based on retinoids to reduce the activity of the sebaceous glands and normalize the keratinization of the epithelium of their ducts. This helps reduce the appearance of new elements, but has certain side effects.

Diagnostics

Which doctor should I contact: a surgeon, dermatologist, dermatovenerologist. In most cases, it is useless to contact a urologist, since he will refer you to a surgeon.

The best diagnostic option is ultrasound. Signs of atheroma:

• Clear contours.
• Lack of blood flow.
• Homogeneous internal structure.
• The maximum depth of location under the skin is up to 10 mm.

Atheroma of the scrotum on ultrasound: a) – two formations of increased echogenicity, b) – a single formation with a pronounced capsule

The most accurate method for visualizing atheroma is MRI. The images allow you to examine its structure without contrast enhancement.