Syringomas are the yellowish or skin color, harmless sweat duct bumps. These painless tumors develop due to the overgrowth of the sweat glands. They often appear on your under-eye areas but can develop on the armpits, face, vulva, umbilicus, and upper chest. You can confuse syringomas with the Mila.

Overview:

Syrigomas are painless bumps on the skin that usually develop near the eyes, affecting your facial appearance. Syringomas come from a Greek word that means, “tube”. Syringomas can also appear on the abdomen, neck, or genital area.

Syringomas are caused by cell growth in sweat ducts, especially in hot weather. Plane warts and xanthomas are similar, but a definite diagnosis of syringomas needs a skin biopsy¹.

What exactly do syringomas look like?

Syringomas are typically firm, rounded tumors or bumps. They look firm and rounded, 1-3 millimeters in diameter. However, skin biopsy shows under a microscope, that they are small ducts with comma-like tadpoles² in the skin.

How common are syringomas?

Syringomas are rare in general people. However, they are most common in individuals diagnosed with Down syndrome, where 20 % of individuals diagnosed with the condition have syringomas².

Who do syringomas affect?

Syringomas are most common in women aged between 8-85 years.

A study showed the two hundred and forty-four lesions were included. The sex ratio was 0.27 and the mean age was 42 years (8 to 85 years). Multiple syringomas were noted in 76% of cases, of which 29.2% were eruptive, and one case occurred in a setting of metastatic melanoma. The sites of predilection were the face (56.7%, of which 36.3% were on the eyelids), the chest (18.1%), and the neck (17.5%) for the multiple forms³.

However, syringomas can affect:

Adults, ages between 40-60 years
People who have a fairer skin tone
Puberty age⁴
People with diabetes, Marfan syndrome, or Down syndrome
Females and individuals assigned women at birth

What are the types of syringoma?

There are four syringoma types including:

1. Down syndrome associated:

In this type, bumps are due to genetic changes that develop in your body if you are diagnosed with Down syndrome.

2. Generalized (eruptive syringomas):

In this type, bumps develop on multiple different parts of your body and are common among adults.

3. Localized:

Bumps only develop in one area of your body. This type of syringoma is not linked with any other medical condition, and this is the most common type of syringoma.

4. Familial:

This type you inherited from your biological parents.

What causes syringoma inheritance?

You can get syringoma from your biological parents during conception when this process occurs, the cells you obtain from your biological parents do not make replicas or copy properly when the sperm and egg assemble or your parents pass a gene that has a quality that makes your sweat glands overwork.

You have syringoma, due to the diagnosis of Down syndrome in your childhood, as you inherit an extra copy of chromosome 21. This change in genetic makeup leads to the symptoms of Down syndrome as well as symptoms of syringoma.

Causes:

What are the possible causes of syringoma?

As a general body phenomenon, when your body gets warm, the sweat glands present in the skin, begin to produce sweat to cool down the body temperature.

The sweat glands called eccrine glands are present in the skin of your under-eye area, some environmental or physical factors can cause your eccrine glands to overgrow or overwork. These factors are:

Extreme physical and exercise activity
Stress
Extreme hot weather or temperature
Some medical conditions
Changes in genetic makeup or mutation

Symptoms:

What are the symptoms of syringoma?

The symptoms of syringoma include:

A papule is circular having a diameter of 3 mm
Translucent, yellow, papules (bumps)
The syringoma appears as a cluster of small papules with a similar color, shape, and size.
The papules are rigid or firm.

Other than the eyelid which part of my body can be affected by syringoma?

Syringoma can influence different parts of your body. It usually appears near sweat ducts. The most common parts are:

Chest
Face
Around eyes
On or around genital areas such as the vulva, penile, vaginal.
Neck
Underarm
Shoulder
Belly⁴

Although vulvar syringoma is not well known it can be itchy³^.

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^{Meconium illius, causes, symptoms, treatment}

Diagnosis:

How syringoma is diagnosed?

For the diagnosis of syringoma, your healthcare provider will:

Review your complete medical history
Perform physical examination
Suggest some tests such as skin biopsy

How my healthcare provider will perform and examine skin biopsy?

During a skin biopsy, your healthcare provider will take or remove a small piece of your skin tissue from the area affected by syringoma.

After taking a sample, the technician will examine skin biopsy under the microscope. They confirm syringoma if it looks like a coma or tadpole.

Treatment:

How syringoma is treated?

The treatment of syringoma involves the destruction of the dermal tumor by using procedures such as electrodessication, surgical excision, chemical peeling, laser ablation, and cryosurgery, but the removal of your syringoma is usually not successful, and you can get again frequently⁵.

Typically, syringoma does not cause any harm to your overall health, that’s why it doesn’t need any treatment. If you are interested in the treatment of syringoma, your healthcare provider will suggest one of several approaches:

1. Medication:

This treatment involves topical medication. Your healthcare provider can prescribe you a lotion or maybe oral treatment in pill form, according to your skin or symptoms.

2. Excision:

This is the medical procedure in which your healthcare provider will remove the affected area with the help of a tool called a scalpel.

3. Laser therapy:

During this medical procedure, your healthcare provider or technician will reduce the areas of the affected skin under your eyes, by using a powerful beam of light called laser light.

4. Electrosurgery (diathermy):

This procedure involves deep heating, in which your healthcare provider will apply electric currents from sound or radio waves to produce heat beneath your skin to remove the affected area of the skin.

5. Dermabrasion:

This procedure involves scratches, in which the healthcare provider will scrape blemish off of the affected surface of the skin to disclose a new layer of skin.

Prevention:

How can I prevent myself from syringoma?

Preventing any type of syringoma is impossible, but you can reduce the risks. You should

Try to minimize stress on your body
Use a good quality cleanser and exfoliation cream or lotion to clean your skin before bedtime daily.
You must protect your skin from sunlight by using good-quality sunblock.
Keep consult with your healthcare provider periodically, about different treatment options for syringoma.

Home remedies for syringoma:

Syringoma is a benign skin tumor that usually doesn’t need any treatment. If you want to try home remedies to get rid of syringoma under your eyes, here are some suggestions. But be cautious about the fact that these remedies are not scientifically proven and not suitable for everyone.

1. Aloe vera:

Aloe Vera has anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. Apply aloe vera gel on your under-eye area, leave it on for a few minutes, and wash it off.

2. Warm compress:

This can be an effective remedy for treating syringoma because a warm compress can minimize the appearance and size of the syringoma. This remedy involves applying a warm compress to the affected area. This will open up your pores and ease the drainage.

3. Tea tree oil:

A diluted form of tea tree oil can minimize skin irritation and be beneficial against acne, as it has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

4. Castor oil:

Castor oil is considered that it can assist in the shrinking of syringoma. You need to apply and gentle massage.

5. Topical retinoids:

Retinoids-containing creams are used as an over-the-counter treatment. It can help in improving the appearance of syringomas by minimizing their size. Talk to your dermatologist before using retinoids as they can irritate.

6. Salicylic acid:

Salicylic acid-containing creams and lotions can help you exfoliate the affected skin and improve the syringoma appearance. Be careful it can irritate the sensitive skin areas.

7. Dietary alterations:

Eliminating certain types of foods leads you to minimize your syringoma, such as processed sugar, or dairy products. However, there is no scientific support for this approach.

Always consult your dermatologist before using any remedy, as your skin is more precious than these unknown remedies that have no scientific support.

Conclusion:

Syringoma is a harmless, painless, benign tumor, that appears in yellowish or skin color. There are several treatment options for syringoma, but keep in mind it will appear again after every treatment. If you have this condition, don’t worry about your look as your health and eyes are more important. Always consult your dermatologist before trying any home remedy.

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Syringoma: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment and Home Remedies