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Fibromyalgia often seems to come with a lot of other symptoms, and they’re often ones that we don’t expect. For instance, one thing that people with fibromyalgia often suffer from is fibromas. A fibroma is an enlarged, benign growth on the skin. They can often be quite painful and occasionally dangerous.
So, what are fibromas? How are they related to fibromyalgia? And how can you treat them?
What Are Fibromas?
Fibromas are, on a basic level, a growth of tissue in the body. But the term covers a wide range of different types of growths and nailing down what is causing a fibroma is difficult.
If you’ve ever heard of a “skin tag,” then you’ve likely heard of fibromas before. The skin tag, which is a small growth of skin, is a form of fibroma. And they are fairly common, particularly in older people. This type of fibroma is not dangerous and can often be removed easily. In addition, skin tags aren’t often painful, but this is not the case for all kinds of fibromas.
Another common type of fibroma that is painful is the plantar fibroma. A plantar fibroma is a growth on the underside of the foot. These can often make walking difficult because they disrupt the natural contour of the foot and press on the tendons running through the foot.
One of the most common types of fibroma grows in the ovaries. These are called ovarian fibromas or fibroids. Fibroids usually affect women in their early thirties or forties. But as you age, your chances of developing fibroids increase to the point where by the age of fifty, almost seventy percent of women will likely develop at least a few. Some cases of fibroids can be painful and even cause bleeding and eventually infertility. But typically, the risk of that is quite low.
And fibromas can really occur anywhere in the soft tissue of the body. Occasionally, they grow into the body, pressing on the vital organs. In these cases, the skin tags can actually be dangerous.
Are They Related To Fibromyalgia?
Fibromas seem to be more common in people with fibromyalgia. But we don’t fully understand why this is the case.
We do know that fibromas are more common in people with chronic diseases like diabetes or autoimmune conditions. It could be that suffering from fibromyalgia makes you more susceptible to skin tags in the same way. That would hardly be surprising as anyone with fibromyalgia knows how the condition seems to cause endless complications.
At the moment, this is one of those conditions that lack the medical research to be able to say why it seems so closely linked to fibromyalgia. So, we are forced to speculate based on the reports of people with fibromyalgia who suffer from skin tags as well.
How Can You Treat Them?
The good news is that fibromas are usually benign, which means they aren’t dangerous for your health. But the bad news is that the isn’t really a good way to treat them with medications.
Of course, it would be great if there were a medication that could help shrink and eliminatethem. But for most people, the only option is surgery. Luckily, this surgery is usually fairly simple and can be done in a simple out-patient procedure in the case of skin tags.
The surgery itself involves using a laser to instantly seal blood vessels as the growth is cut away with a scalpel, which makes the procedure almost bloodless. As a result, the surgery can be performed in around fifteen minutes and only leaves behind a small scar where the growth was. And it also makes the procedure very safe for the patient.
But these types of skin tags or growths usually don’t even need to be removed, but they can be embarrassing or unsightly, which can cause people who suffer from them a fair amount of stress. It’s best to weigh the risks and benefits of these procedures with your doctor.
For internal fibromas, the treatment options are similar. Again, most don’t actually need to be removed. But in the cases when they interfere with the functioning of vital organs, surgery may be necessary. And in the case of an internal fibroma, you will likely have to go under full anesthesia, which can be dangerous.
For that reason, most doctors recommend that internal fibromyalgias be left alone unless they present a clear danger to your health.
So, do you have fibromas? Do you think they’re linked to fibromyalgia? Let us know in the comments.
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