• CDC
  • Heart Failure
  • Cardiovascular Clinical Consult
  • Adult Immunization
  • Hepatic Disease
  • Rare Disorders
  • Pediatric Immunization
  • Implementing The Topcon Ocular Telehealth Platform
  • Weight Management
  • Monkeypox
  • Guidelines
  • Men's Health
  • Psychiatry
  • Allergy
  • Nutrition
  • Women's Health
  • Cardiology
  • Substance Use
  • Pediatrics
  • Kidney Disease
  • Genetics
  • Complimentary & Alternative Medicine
  • Dermatology
  • Endocrinology
  • Oral Medicine
  • Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases
  • Pain
  • Gastrointestinal Disorders
  • Geriatrics
  • Infection
  • Musculoskeletal Disorders
  • Obesity
  • Rheumatology
  • Technology
  • Cancer
  • Nephrology
  • Anemia
  • Neurology
  • Pulmonology

Porokeratosis

Article

These hypopigmented well demarcated round patches with an atropic center are typical of porokeratosis, which can appear at any age.



A 68-year-old man presented with the chief complaint of several enlarging but asymptomatic, well-demarcated, round patches on each leg. The lesions were nontender but felt “rough.”

Key point: A hyperkeratotic border (arrows) delimits the lesion and accounts for the roughness. Close examination shows a slightly hypopigmented and atrophic center. This appearance is typical for porokeratosis. A large or small number of moderate-sized lesions, generally on the extremities, characterize porokeratosis of Mibelli. Lesions can appear in persons of any age, even in the geriatric population.

Treatment: Small lesions can be excised with narrow margins. Larger, or more numerous, lesions are often treated with combination topical therapy, including 5% imiquimod, 5% 5-fluorouracil, a retinoid, and salicylic acid. Photodynamic therapy may also be employed.

Note: The reason to attempt eradication is the small-but real-risk of evolution into cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Related Content
© 2024 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.