Foreign body granulomas are masses of cells that form around objects in the body, including tattoo ink, silicone, surgical cotton, and cholesterol crystals. Symptoms include painful lumps and red, infected-looking skin. Treatment depends on location and cause, and can involve corticosteroids or surgical removal. Granulomas can occur at any time and can lead to inflammation and atrophy of adjacent skin.
A foreign body granuloma is a mass of cells that surrounds an object in the body. Normally when something enters the body, whether by injection, accident, or infection, cells called macrophages attack the object and basically eat it. If the object is too large for macrophages to destroy or they cannot otherwise dispose of it, they cluster around the object and form a granuloma.
The visible symptoms of a foreign body granuloma include a painful tumor-like lump, red, infected-looking skin, or small red bumps, although they don’t just form just at or below the skin. It is possible for granulomas to form within the brain or elsewhere in the body. Animals are also susceptible to granulomas, which can lead to inflammation and, at least for laboratory animals, make recovery from surgery difficult.
Granulomas don’t need a large solid object to manifest. They can form around anything, even particles of liquids like tattoo ink, especially red ink. Injected silicone is also a trigger for the formation of a foreign body granuloma, as are surgical cotton, body piercings, and cholesterol crystals found in damaged and improperly drained ears. Bacterial infections can be another basis for granuloma formation.
Treatment for a granuloma of this type depends on its location and the reason for its formation. In some cases, corticosteroids are the preferred treatment, but in others, such as cholesterol granulomas in the middle ear, the lump must be removed. Granulomas can also cause atrophy or thinning of the adjacent skin. A foreign body granuloma is not always round and can have an asymmetrical shape that projects into the tissue, making surgery difficult and undesirable in some cases.
It’s not known whether or not a foreign body granuloma will form around anything, and having one doesn’t mean a person will form them repeatedly or develop them in response to everything. Granulomas can also occur at any time, which means they could form long after the object or substance is introduced. “Dermal fillers” such as collagen used in cosmetic procedures have a tendency to produce multiple granulomas at the sites where the filler was injected at the same time, and these can actually resolve on their own. If not, medications such as corticosteroids are the next step in treatment.
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