Skin cancer
— Although macules don't indicate skin cancer and most are harmless, they are often found on people who have skin cancer. When you notice a new macule, you should have it checked by your dermatologist.
Are macules harmful?
Macules: Macules are smaller skin lesions, mostly in brown, white and red. Common examples of macules are moles and freckles. These skin lesions
are not dangerous by themselves but can pose a threat when evolving over time
.
What can cause macules?
- vitiligo.
- moles.
- freckles.
- sun spots, age spots, and liver spots.
- post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (such as that which occurs after acne lesions heal)
- tinea versicolor.
Are macules normal?
Hypopigmented macules, also known as “ash-leaf spots,” can be
present at birth
and are most common on the trunk and lower extremities. They appear in 80 percent of persons with tuberous sclerosis by one year of age.
Is melanoma a macule?
Oral
melanoma begins as an irregular, brown to black macule
. Later the lesion will develop thickening and sometimes ulceration. The most common locations are the hard palate, gingiva, and alveolar ridge. It is not possible to distinguish an oral melanocytic nevus from early melanoma.
Where do macules occur?
Macules can be seen on any part of the body, but are most frequently found
on the chest, back, face, and arms
. They may be hypopigmented (lighter than the surrounding skin), hyperpigmented (darker than the surrounding skins), or appear pink or red.
Are macules itchy?
A maculopapular rash looks like red bumps on a flat, red patch of skin. The reddish background area may not show up if your skin is dark. The
rash is sometimes itchy
, and it can last from two days to three weeks depending on the cause.
What is an example of a macule?
Macules: Macules are flat skin lesions. They are small (less than one centimeter in diameter) and may be brownish or reddish.
Freckles and flat moles
are examples of macules. A macular rash is commonly seen in measles.
What is the difference between a macule and a patch?
MACULE – A circumscribed, flat area of discoloration that is
less than 10 mm* in diameter
. PATCH – A circumscribed, flat area of discoloration that is greater than 10 mm* in diameter.
What is larger than a macule?
A macule is a flat lesion smaller than 1 cm and
a patch
is a flat lesion larger than 1 cm. Elevated lesions are either solid or fluid-filled. Solid lesions can be described as either a papule, plaque, nodule, or wheal.
Are freckles macules?
Background and objectives: Freckles (ephelides) are
small, light brown macules of sun-exposed areas
in fair-skinned subjects. On the other hand, freckle-like pigmentation of the axilla is a highly characteristic feature of neurofibromatosis.
What are Hypomelanotic Macules?
Hypomelanotic macules, or hypopigmented macules, are not lesions,
but simply patches of skin lighter than the surrounding area
. They vary in size from several millimeters to several centimeters in diameter. They also vary in shape but are generally elliptical or lance shaped (commonly called “ash leaf” shaped).
Do macules burn?
Because they lack melanocytes, macules are more sensitive to sunlight than the rest of the skin, so
they will burn rather than tan
.
Can you have melanoma for years and not know?
How long can you have melanoma and not know it? It depends on the type of melanoma. For example, nodular melanoma grows rapidly over a matter of weeks, while a radial melanoma can slowly spread over the span of a decade. Like a cavity, a
melanoma may grow for years before producing any significant symptoms
.
How quickly does melanoma progress?
Melanoma can grow very quickly. It can
become life-threatening in as little as six weeks
and, if untreated, it can spread to other parts of the body. Melanoma can appear on skin not normally exposed to the sun. Nodular melanoma is a highly dangerous form of melanoma that looks different from common melanomas.
Can melanoma take years to spread?
Superficial spreading melanoma presents as a slowly growing or changing flat patch of discoloured skin. At first, it may resemble a melanocytic naevus (mole), ephelis (freckle), or lentigo. It becomes more distinctive in time, often growing
over months to years
or even decades before it is recognised.
