Sebaceous glands on the testicles | Sebaceous gland

Sebaceous glands on the testicles

Sebaceous glands also appear on the scrotum and can be enlarged here, especially during puberty. Inflammations occur very rarely, however. Frequently sebaceous glands on the testicles are mistakenly confused with pimples or even warts. These are small bright spots, which are usually evenly distributed on the testicles.They are neither itchy nor painful or contagious and are completely harmless. It is merely a standard variant which is completely harmless.

Sebaceous nevus

A Talgdrüsennävus (Naevus sebaceus) is a local reproduction of sebaceous glands and occurs mainly on the face or the hairy scalp. Usually a sebaceous nevus occurs singly and is congenital. The sebaceous nevus is yellow or reddish in color and can have a smooth to knotty surface. Hair usually does not grow in the area of the nevus. Since up to 30% of the sebaceous nevus can turn into a benign or, more rarely, a malignant tumor, removal is usually attempted in childhood.

Diseases of the sebaceous gland

Diseases of the sebaceous gland are most noticeable in the quantity and/or quality of the secreted substance. If an increased secretion of sebum occurs, this is called seborrhea, and a reduced production is called sebostasis. In addition, the sebaceous gland is a popular starting point for infections (favored by the accumulation of secretion in the glands, which can also lead to the development of blackheads), which leads to the clinical picture of acne.

Rarely, the sebaceous gland can also degenerate into malignant, which results in sebaceous gland carcinoma. In acne, excessive sebum production occurs, whereby the sebum cannot flow off. Certain bacteria feel particularly well in this environment, which subsequently leads to bacterial colonization and inflammation.

This manifests itself in blackheads, nodules and pus spots. Especially on the hairy scalp, a cyst filled with secretion, a so-called atheroma, can develop due to a blocked sebaceous gland duct. If this becomes bacterially inflamed, surgical removal may be necessary.

The sebaceous gland carcinoma is a rare, malignant tumor that originates from altered sebaceous glands. A sebaceous gland carcinoma occurs mainly in older adults, very rarely in children. The tumor usually occurs around the eye, often on the eyelids.

In addition, the carcinoma is more frequent in the neck. On the trunk, the occurrence is rare, sporadically an infestation of vulva (external female genitals) or parotid gland (parotid gland) has been described. Carcinomas of the sebaceous glands are divided according to their location into ocular (around the eye, on the lid) and non-ocular tumors.

It is usually a nodule of about 0.5-2 cm diameter. Externally, it is difficult to differentiate them from other benign or malignant tumors, since there is no serious distinguishing feature. The lump may be discolored red or yellow and covered with crusts or appear as if it is scratched.

In some cases, sebaceous gland carcinoma is associated with Muir-Torre syndrome, a genetic defect that prevents the repair of defective genetic material. These patients also very often suffer from colon cancer, uterine cancer or bladder cancer. Ocular sebaceous gland carcinomas are treated by an ophthalmologist.

A complete removal of the tumor should be performed with a safe distance, which can be problematic in the eye region. In addition, it should be checked whether lymph node involvement is present and the corresponding lymph nodes should be removed.