Pedicled warts are not warts in the true sense of the word. Real warts are transmitted by human papilloma viruses and are contagious. Pedicled warts, on the other hand, are non-contagious, benign tissue growths on the skin. In medical terms, they are referred to as soft fibromas, Latin: fibroma pendulans. As pedunculated warts are not warts, conventional wart remedies do not help.
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Soft fibromas are rich in cells but low in fibers. Their tissue structure is determined by loosely arranged fibers. The Latin term fibroma pendulans means: "pendular fibroma". It conceptually indicates the growth of the fibroma on a stalk-like structure.
Pedunculated warts are not dangerous to health. If they do not bother you, you can simply leave them as they are. However, due to their conspicuous appearance, they are often a cosmetic problem for those affected. Statutory health insurance companies do not usually cover the costs of aesthetic treatments. Those affected must therefore pay the costs themselves.
There are no reliable surveys on the frequency of stalk warts. However, studies have shown that stalk warts occur more frequently in overweight and older people.
Stalk warts do not necessarily have to be stem-shaped. Often stalk warts also have the appearance of small clumps of tissue and are located broad-based directly on the skin. This is colloquially referred to as a cauliflower-shaped growth.
The surface of peduncle warts is usually rough and scaly. Stalk warts are usually slightly darker than the skin color. A small, black dot can sometimes be seen at the tip of a stalk wart.
The size of a stalk wart can vary greatly. In most cases, stalk warts are only a few millimeters in size. However, they can sometimes be up to one centimeter in size.
Stalk warts prefer soft skin tissue. They can therefore be found more frequently in corresponding areas of the body, e.g.
In women, stalk warts often also grow in the cleavage area or under the breast.
They can appear alone or in groups close together. Such groups can consist of up to 30 individual stalk nipples.
Depending on the size and location of the stalk nipples, they can sometimes be a hindrance:
Stalk warts are caused by the excessive growth of certain skin cells, the fibrocytes. The cause of the proliferation of these skin cells is not yet known.
Some people are more prone to stalk warts than others. For example, it has been shown that stalk warts recur in some patients even after removal. Others, however, remain free of stalk warts.
A hereditary predisposition to stalk warts therefore seems likely, but whether this predisposition actually exists has not yet been conclusively clarified.
A number of risk factors are now known to promote the increased growth of fibrocytes and thus stalk warts. These include
In principle, peduncle warts are not a health risk. However, rapidly progressing color changes or abrupt growth of the stalk wart should be clarified as soon as possible.
Such changes can have several causes and are not automatically a sign of malignant tissue changes.
Experienced doctors can recognize stalk warts at first glance. However, if the doctor has any doubts or suspects a malignant growth, he or she will take a tissue sample. This can be examined in detail. Then it is certain whether it is a fibroma, i.e. a benign growth.
Due to the risk of confusion by name, many sufferers start conventional wart treatment. However, these do not work for stalk warts. Consult a doctor, preferably a dermatologist.
Surgical removal of stalk warts is the only promising treatment. Do not try home remedies that are supposed to help. They usually cause more damage.
Also, do not try to cut off the stalk wart yourself. There is usually a larger blood vessel inside soft fibromas . Cutting off a pedunculated nipple can result in complications due to bleeding and infection. Parts of the pedunculated nipple may also remain - the damage to its tissue structure can cause it to grow even more than before.
Before the actual surgical removal of the stalk wart, the doctor disinfects the surrounding skin.
The procedure is performed under local anesthesia. The type of anaesthetic again depends on the size and location of the stalk wart. For very small specimens, the doctor will use a cold spray or an anesthetic cream. However, this can only achieve a very limited anesthetic effect.
Stalk warts are often larger or have grown closer to the skin structure. In this case, the doctor injects a local anesthetic directly at the root of the stalk wart. This anesthetizes the skin areas under the stalk wart for a short time.
Depending on the shape and size of the growth, the doctor removes the stalk wart with
The size of the fibroma or the resulting wound also determines whether the doctor finally sutures the wound or not.
A scar may remain after the removal of stalk warts. However, if it is professionally removed by a doctor, it is usually very small. It can therefore only be seen on close inspection.
An alternative is the freezing of the stalk wart, cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is also a popular and promising treatment for real warts.
Liquid nitrogen is used for icing. The stalk wart is treated with it using a cold spray or a cold probe. It freezes instantly and dies.
Depending on the size of the growth, the stalk wart will then detach from the skin immediately or after a few days. It may be necessary to repeat the procedure after some time, especially in the case of larger stalk warts.
It is also possible to remove stalk warts using a laser. This treatment is also often used for normal warts.
A laser beam cuts the stalk wart very precisely directly above the healthy areas of skin. Sting-like pain may occur for a short time.
The laser procedure is very quick. The doctor must decide whether anesthesia is required or not.
In recent years, electrocoagulation has been used more frequently to remove stalk warts and also real warts.
The doctor heats the stalk wart for a fraction of a second using a high-frequency current. This causes the stalk wart to die instantly. It then either falls off immediately or after a few days.
One advantage is that the wound is immediately closed by electrocoagulation and scabs over. The scab that remains on the skin usually falls off within the next few days. This causes the stalk wart to disappear completely.
Sometimes tissue remnants of the stalk wart remain on the skin, especially in the case of larger stalk warts. It may therefore be necessary to repeat the procedure after some time.
An effective way of preventing stalk warts is not yet known. The same applies here: preventive measures and remedies for real warts do not help with stalk warts.
Being very overweight can promote the growth of stalk warts. Maintaining a healthy body weight therefore reduces the risk of developing a stalk wart.
In addition, it is important to ensure adequate personal hygiene. Regularly and thoroughly clean the areas where stalk warts tend to develop.
Women with a predisposition to stalk warts should pay attention to the areas directly under the breasts. Heavily overweight people should clean skin folds in particular. Examine the areas regularly for the presence of stalk warts.
