What is a pilomatricoma cyst?
Pilomatricoma, also known as pilomatrixoma, is a type of noncancerous (benign) skin tumor associated with hair follicles. Hair follicles are specialized structures in the skin where hair growth occurs. Pilomatricomas occur most often on the head or neck, although they can also be found on the arms, torso, or legs.
Should a pilomatricoma be removed?
A pilomatricoma is a rare but usually harmless skin tumor that mostly affects children and young adults. While pilomatricoma tumors usually don’t cause any problems, your doctor might recommend surgical removal to prevent them from getting larger over time.
How do you get rid of pilomatricoma?
Treatment. A pilomatrixoma will not go away or become smaller; therefore, surgical excision is the treatment of choice. Removal of a pilomatrixoma is a day surgery, meaning your child will go home the same day as the procedure. The mass will be removed and sent to the lab to confirm the diagnosis.
What is a pilomatricoma?
A pilomatricoma, sometimes called a pilomatrixoma, is a rare, noncancerous tumor that grows in hair follicles. It looks and feels like a hard lump on your skin. It’s most common on the head and neck, but can appear anywhere on the body. It usually affects children and young adults under the age of 20.
How is a pilomatricoma diagnosed?
Pilomatricomas are frequently confused with other benign skin growths, such as dermoid or epidermoid cysts. To confirm that a growth is a pilomatricoma, your doctor may do a skin biopsy. This involves removing all or part of the lump and looking at the tissue under a microscope. This will also show whether the spot is cancerous. How is it treated?
What are the symptoms of a pilomatrixoma?
The symptoms of a pilomatrixoma include a small, hard mass less than 3 cm in diameter, typically covered by normal-appearing skin. The mass is usually painless unless it becomes inflamed or infected. A pilomatrixoma forms when cells abnormally harden and form a mass under the skin. The cells involved are similar to hair follicle cells.
What is the curative treatment for pilomatricoma?
Surgical resection is often curative for pilomatricomas. A pilomatricoma was first described by Malherbe and Chenantias in 1880, as a subcutaneous tumor, and was shown to be a derivative from hair cortex cells in 1942 by Turhan and Krainer . The root of the term pilomatricoma is derived from the Latin word ‘pilus’ meaning hair.