Codes

Look For

Subscription Required

Diagnostic Pearls

Subscription Required

Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls

• Physiologic (racial) pigmentation – Usually a widespread, diffuse, symmetric eruption.
• Oral mucosal melanotic macules – Typically brown-black in color.
• Oral melanoacanthoma – Rapid increase in size and then resolution.
• Melanocytic nevus
• Smoker's melanosis
• Melanoma – Larger, asymmetric, nonuniform pigmentation.
• Carbon pigmentation – Exposure to lead in pencils.
• Drug-induced pigmentation – Minocycline, anti-malarials, birth control pills, and clofazimine are common culprits.
• Systemic metallic intoxication – Exposure to lead, mercury, bismuth, etc.
• Melanotic macules – Typically associated with systemic conditions (Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, Albright syndrome, and Addison's disease).
• Varicosities and other small vascular lesions

Best Tests

Subscription Required

Management Pearls

Subscription Required

Therapy

Subscription Required

References

Subscription Required