Atheroma: treatment of the disease by surgery

Atheroma is an epidermal or follicular cyst that is filled with pasty substance or with its own secretions of the cyst. In fact, this ailment is a subcutaneous capsule, inside of which there is curdled mass.

The substance inside this sore, most often, is accumulated secretions of the sebaceous gland, which have an unpleasant odor. In some cases, in the middle of the formation there is a hole from which its contents are extracted with an unpleasant color and odor. They are single or multiple.

Causes of the appearance of the disease

There are many reasons for the appearance of this disease. Often atheroma occurs due to blockage of the duct of the sebaceous gland, or as a result of edema of the hair follicle, which most often occurs due to mechanical damage. As a rule, only one hair grows from one hair follicle. After trauma or removal of this hair, the exit from the follicle can be blocked, especially with an increased content of testosterone.

The rest of the sebaceous gland continues to give off specific discharges, as a result of which the follicle rapidly increases in size and turns into atheroma. The appearance of this disease is greatly influenced by hereditary and hormonal factors.

What's inside?

Atheroma is most often filled with sebaceous gland secretions. As a rule, the pathological mass consists of fatty and keratinized substances with a fibrous structure. In appearance, this mass resembles cottage cheese.

In case if the inside of the infection has penetrated, its contents turn into a purulent mass with impurities of blood. Festering atheroma can be painful.

Frequency of appearance and location of the atheroma

Atheromas occur quite often. At the majority of people, during all life she appears at least once. Such formations, as a rule, appear unexpectedly, without any apparent reason. However, it is believed that this growth is more common in men than in women. As for age, the peak of appearance falls on the age of 20 to 30 years, but often the specialists are treated and much older patients, who have acquired this rather serious disease.

As to where this formation appears, you can identify several proposed locations. Thus, atheroma on the back is one of the most common phenomena, atheroma of the ear lobe rarely occurs. Very often such formation appears on the scalp, less often there is an atheroma on the face and neck, shoulders and chest.

Treatment of the disease

Treatment of atheromas is carried out by various methods. As a rule, most often an excision of education followed by suturing. Recently, such a technique as laser removal is often used, rarely the specialists use the radio wave method of removal with a special scalpel.

If the formation has a hole that displays a sebaceous secret on the surface of the skin, then the probability of bacterial infection is high, as a result of which there is a complication in the form of suppuration and soreness. In this case, the removal of atheroma is preceded by the removal of its pathological contents, the removal of the inflammatory process and the actual removal of the capsule of atheroma.

Atheroma, which is treated prior to possible infection, is removed during routine intervention. When referring to a specialist, he conducts an examination and establishes an accurate diagnosis. Sometimes for accurate diagnosis, ultrasound, a consultation of a dermatologist and oncologist.

When choosing a treatment by surgical removal of the education, the specialist will tell the patient exactly how it will be carried out - by what method, under what type of anesthesia and in what volumes, and also explains if it is painful to remove the build-up, and what is the approximate duration of the subsequent recovery process. If possible, surgical removal may be performed on the day of treatment, or according to a pre-designated date.

Surgical method of treatment involves the use of several methods:

• on the skin, in the place of the greatest swelling of the formation, the doctor makes a cut through which the contents are squeezed out, then the atheroma capsule is removed or the cavity is cleaned;
• the skin over the formation is dissected so that the capsule remains intact, after which the atheromas are shifted by the skin and squeezed onto the surface of the capsule along with its contents;
• over education, two fringing incisions are made that cover the hole. With the help of the clamps, the edges of such incisions are grasped, after which under the capsule with atheroma scissors are cut, which she takes out on the surface of the skin.

The radio wave removal method involves the use of high-frequency radio waves to vaporize the atheroma capsule and its contents. The operation is performed under local anesthesia and takes about 10-15 minutes.

The advantage of this method of removal is that after it there is no scarring, the risk of bleeding is minimized and the healing time is accelerated. In addition, this removal technique completely excludes the possibility of re-emergence of education.