Eric J. Lewis, MD

September 14, 2005

Although tinea versicolor is fairly common, its appearance on the face and neck is unusual, notes Robert P. Blereau, MD of Morgan City, La. His patient, a 30-year-old woman, exhibits the pale, rounded, fine-scaled lesions typically found on tanned or dark-skinned persons.

September 14, 2005

The sharp transitions in pigmentation on the anterior surface of the arms of this 49-year-old black man were noted as an incidental finding. The arms' lateral aspects were distinctly more deeply pigmented than the medial aspects. In addition, a hyperpigmented band was present over each pectoral area, while a hypopigmented vertical stripe covered the sternum. These symmetric transitions in pigmentation are normal variants found most commonly in blacks and are known as pigmentary demarcation lines.

September 14, 2005

A 69-year-old woman, who was being seen regularly for treatment of psoriasis, was noted to have numerous open comedones on the sides of her face in association with photodamaged skin.

September 14, 2005

After having been bothered by these lesions for the past 9 months, a 27-year-old woman described the eruption as "itchy bumps under my arms."

September 14, 2005

A 61-year-old man with a history of squamous cell carcinoma was concerned about a tender nodule on his ear. He complained of exquisite tenderness with pressure, such as when lying on the affected side at night.

September 14, 2005

A recent outbreak of small-plaque and guttate psoriasis was confined primarily to the arms of this 32-year-old woman. The slightly scaly, brick-red, linear plaques and clusters consisted of 3- to 10-mm papules, some of which were surrounded by a faint whitish ring. It was quickly ascertained that many of these lesions corresponded to areas where the patient had been scratched by her cat.

September 14, 2005

Referral for biopsy was made because a 6-mm, red and black, dome-shaped papule on a 43-year-old woman's left groin resembled a melanoma. The patient had numerous cherry hemangiomas on her trunk-bright red, 2- to 5-mm papules that are among the most common vascular anomalies.

September 14, 2005

A 57-year-old man with a history of venous stasis leg ulceration wondered about the “white spots” on his leg.

September 14, 2005

The dark red plaques seen here developed rapidly under both arms of this markedly obese 43-year-old woman. The lesions spread concentrically, forming necrotic ulcerations with overhanging borders, and there was surrounding violaceous discoloration. No other areas of the patient's body were involved, and she was otherwise in good health.

September 14, 2005

Five days after beginning aggressive treatment with intravenous corticosteroids for inflammatory bowel disease, this 26-year-old man noticed the sudden eruption of this mildly pruritic rash.