Atheroma on the arm, shoulder and fingers

Benign cysts of the upper extremities prevail over malignant neoplasms in this part of the body; atheroma on the arm also belongs to the category of relatively safe subcutaneous tumors. In dermatological and surgical practice, a lipoma on the arm is considered a more common occurrence; atheroma is diagnosed extremely rarely, which is explained by the fact that there are few sebaceous glands on the arms, and accordingly, they cannot be fertile ground for the development of subcutaneous cysts of this type.

Atheroma is a cystic tumor, mainly of a secondary nature - the so-called retention follicular cyst of the sebaceous glands. True atheroma is determined less often, mainly in newborns and children under 2 years of age. For the formation of atheroma, the following conditions or provoking factors must be present:

• The presence of sebaceous glands in a certain area of the body.
• Increased production of sebum.
• The preferred location is the hairy part (sebaceous hair apparatus).
• Accumulation of secretion in the excretory duct.
• Obstruction of the duct.
• The tendency of the cyst to become inflamed and suppurate.
• Presence of excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis).
• Failure to comply with personal hygiene rules.

An atheroma on the hand can be either a consequence of uncured acne or a diagnostic error, when a subcutaneous follicular cyst is confused with fibroma, hygroma, senile keratoma, folliculitis, or lipoma. If, however, the bulge, subcutaneous tumor of the hand is diagnosed as an atheroma, it is removed surgically. Self-healing, opening of the suppurating atheroma is also possible, but is not considered a complete cure, since part of the cyst capsule remains under the skin, in the duct, and accordingly there is a risk of relapse. Thus, since independent involution of atheroma on the hand is impossible, it should be diagnosed in a timely manner, differentiated from benign skin tumors with similar symptoms and removed.

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Atheroma on the shoulder

Atheroma is a typical cystic formation of the sebaceous glands. Accordingly, it can form on all areas of the body where there are alveolar sebaceous glands. The density of glandulae sebaseae on the skin varies, there are so-called seborrheic zones, where the number of glands is large. These are all hairy areas of the body - the head, groin area, ears, chest, back between the shoulder blades, partially the shoulder area. Atheroma on the shoulder is most often found in males, especially in those who suffer from hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) and hypertrichosis (increased hair growth on the body). Etiological factors contributing to the development of sebaceous cysts in the shoulder area are associated with heredity, metabolic disorders and dysfunction of the hormonal system. The work of glandulae sebaseae is due to a genetic "program", so quite often atheromas in the upper half of the body are found in many members of the same family. Hormonal levels also play an important role in the formation of subcutaneous cysts, especially if the level of androgens is elevated, which explains the fact that retention neoplasms on the shoulders of men are more common.

Atheroma on the shoulder can be of two types - true - congenital or retention, associated with hypersecretion of the sebaceous glands and obstruction of the excretory duct of the gland. The first type is considered nevoid cysts and is often called steatomas, formed from epidermal cells, retention atheromas (secondary cysts) are a consequence of the gradual accumulation of sebum secretion in the duct and its blockage. It should be noted that secondary atheroma on the shoulder can be provoked by independent removal, squeezing out simple acne in this area, when part of the core remains and blocks the excretory opening.

Clinical manifestations of atheroma are non-specific, it can be determined visually when the cyst increases and begins to cause discomfort, also atheroma is prone to inflammation, infection and suppuration. In such cases, it shows all the characteristic signs of a local inflammatory process - swelling in the cyst area, hyperemia of the skin, obvious symptoms of an abscess (a white dot on top of the cyst), and an increase in body temperature is possible. If several atheromas form on the shoulder at once, and this is typical for male patients, such neoplasms quickly increase, merging into a single inflammatory conglomerate, and then into a large abscess.

A purulent atheroma in the shoulder area is removed urgently, first of all, it is opened, drained, signs of inflammation are eliminated, after a few days the cyst is excised totally to avoid relapses. A simple small cyst is removed surgically in a planned manner, it should be noted that excision of an atheroma in the upper half of the body is more appropriate in the "cold" period of cyst development, that is, at a time when it does not become inflamed or suppurate. An atheroma is considered a benign formation and never becomes malignant, but it is still not worth delaying its treatment, since there is always a risk of infection and inflammation of this neoplasm.

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Atheroma on the finger

An atheroma on a finger can be considered a medical finding, in this area of the body there are practically no sebaceous glands - in the area of the hands and feet there is a minimal amount of them, therefore, most likely, another disease similar in visual signs is taken for an atheroma. What can an atheroma on a finger be similar to?

• Neurofibroma.
• Fibroma.
• Stenosing ligamentitis.
• Hygroma.
• Osteofibroma.
• Endothermic papilloma.
• Hyperkeratosis.
• Chondroma.
• Xanthoma.
• Tendon ganglion.
• Synovioma.
• Epidermoid cyst.

Differential diagnostics should be performed by a doctor - dermatologist, surgeon. Visual examination, palpation, radiography of the hand in three projections are mandatory.

In addition, atheroma on the finger can be a very rare type of such a cyst, it is defined as a primary (congenital) residual atheroma formed as a result of the movement (translocation) of epithelial cells of the stratum papillare (papillary layer of the dermis) into the layers of subcutaneous tissue. Such cystic tumors are subject to enucleation and mandatory histological examination of tissue material.

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