Benign skin tumours are a very heterogeneous group of skin lesions. They differ in their cause, symptoms, treatment methods, etc. Every person has benign skin tumours and they continue to be acquired over the course of life. These include warts, moles, skin papillomas, dermatofibromas, seborrhoeic keratoses (“senile warts”), haemangiomas, lipomas and others. For example, warts are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, seborrhoeic keratoses are caused by age-related changes in the skin and exposure to harmful UV rays, and lipomas are simply a formation of fat cells in the subcutaneous tissue, confined to a capsule. Although benign skin tumours vary in origin and expression, they all share certain common features that classify them as benign skin lesions, such as:
- they do not spread to adjacent tissues or to distant organs
- grow slowly and remain unchanged over time
- no invasive (i.e. affecting surrounding tissues) growth
- clear, regular contours, clear borders
- no accompanying symptoms such as urination, itching, bleeding, pain, inflammation. Symptoms may be present only when the tumour is large in size and mechanically presses on adjacent blood vessels or nerves, or is traumatised.
- uniform and even colour
- uncharacteristic changes in the surrounding skin, enlargement of adjacent lymph nodes
The diagnosis of benign tumours usually does not require further examination. In rare cases, cytological or histological examination is carried out in case of uncertainty, atypical appearance or similarity to a malignant mass.
Only in extremely rare cases may benign skin tumours visually resemble skin cancer. Therefore, in the event of any new suspicious skin lesion, do not hesitate to consult your dermatologist.
The appropriateness of removal will be discussed during the consultation. The method of removal depends on the type of lesion. Benign skin lesions do not pose a health risk and are therefore removed only at the patient’s request for better cosmetic results. The most popular methods of removing benign skin lesions are laser destruction, electroporation and surgical intervention. The procedures are carried out under local anaesthesia, under outpatient conditions, so the patient can go home the same day.
