Monthly Archives: August 2019

Nevus Spilus: Speckled Lentiginous Nevus…

Nevus Spilus is also referred to as Specked Lentiginous Nevus and is present at birth or in early childhood.  It frequently occurs on the trunk and lower extremities and occurs in about 2% of the population.  Although it may be less than  1 cm in diameter it is most often significantly larger and often follow a… Read more »

Halo Nevus: Sutton Nevus…

In 1916, the dermatologist Richard Lightburn Sutton described two young women with pigmentary changes he called “leukoderma acquisitum centrifugum,” better known as Sutton nevus or halo nevus. He thought that the cases he presented were varieties of vitiligo, not nevi. The correlation of leukoderma acquisitum centrifugum with melanocytic nevus was made by John H. Stokes, as… Read more »

Hair Anatomy: Love is in the Hair…

A long, long time ago.  In a land far, far away I did an article with Dr. Leonard Sperling on hair anatomy.  This came after publishing our articles on the Ridgeback Anomaly and another article on scalp whorls.  Please refer to my CV for more details.  I came across these slides and thought it might… Read more »

Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT): A Photosensitive Disorder…

Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT) is the most common form of porphyria.  The disease develops in midlife with a mean age of 45 years at onset.  It is characterized by photosensitivity (sensitivity to sun exposure) resulting in bullae (blisters), milia, and scarring.  The dorsal hands and forearms, ears and face are primarily affected. The bullae are… Read more »

Sebaceous Hyperplasia: Tiny Yellow Donuts…

The onset of Sebaceous Hyperplasia is usually after the age of 40 and the prevalence increases with aging.  The most common sites of involvement are the forehead, infraorbital regions, and temples although I have seen them in all areas of the face to include the chin and nose.  Rarely it may involve unusual sites such… Read more »

Subcutaneous Emphysema: It’s a gas…gas…gas…

When I was doing Internal Medicine as a resident and as Chief Resident of Internal Medicine I spent a lot of time in the intensive care units.  I was fascinated by the degree of Subcutaneous Emphysema observed in patients on ventilators.  The picture above is representative of the bloated appearance observed in these patients, and… Read more »

Pustular Psoriasis: Lakes of Sterile Pustules…

Generalized Pustular Psoriasis is also referred to as von Zumbusch psoriasis.  Traditionally the onset is sudden with formation of “lakes of pus” along the nails, palms and at the edges of psoriatic plaques.  Erythema (redness) occurs in the flexures before the generalized eruption appears, followed by generalized erythema and more pustules.  The pustules are sterile–no… Read more »

Erythrodermic Psoriasis: An Exfoliative Dermatitis…

Erythroderma is a rare and aggressive inflammatory condition that results in generalized redness and exfoliation of the skin.  There are other conditions that can cause erythroderma, but psoriasis is one of the most frequent forms, causing a third of reported cases.  The eruption presents abruptly and generalizes quickly resulting in an itchy, burning condition that… Read more »

Guttate Psoriasis: A Shower of Scaly Teardrops…

The name comes from the Latin word “Gutta” which means “drop.”  Guttate psoriasis occurs as an abrupt eruption usually associated with acute infections, such as a streptococcal pharyngitis–mostly in patients under the age of 30.  The lesions are red, scaly and about the size of water droplets 2-5 mm in diameter. TREATMENT:  The treatment of… Read more »