Skin Disorders Guide

Diagnostic Hallmarks

Distribution- face, neck and sun-exposed areas of the upper trunk and arms
Sunlight sensitivity

Clinical Presentation
Lupus erythematosus (LE) is a disease that has a very broad spectrum of clinical symptoms and signs. The spectrum is continuous, but it is convenient to consider four points on the spectrum as if they were four separate conditions.
Only the [...]

Pityriasis Rubra Pilans (PRP) is a disease that looks very much like psoriasis in presentation. In PRP, however, the scalp is diffusely involved, the palms and soles are markedly thickened, and small follicular papules are noted on the dorsal surface of the hands and fingers. The plaques of PRP are huge, and the entire trunk [...]

Psoriasis is usually associated with plaque formation. Some people (mostly children and young adults), however, explosively develop 50 to 100 small, nonconfluent papules over the trunk and proximal extremities. This phenomenon, known as guttate psoriasis, is particularly likely to be precipitated by a preceding streptococcal infection or by an episode of severe emotional stress. The [...]

Diagnosis Hallmarks

Distribution - trunk and extremities, special predilection for the wrists, penis, and mouth
Violaceous color
Shiny, flat-topped papules
Koebner phenomenon
Wickham’s striae

Clinical Presentation
The primary lesion of lichen planus is a violaceous, flat-topped papule 2 to 4 mm in diameter. Scale, because it is of lichen type, is often overlooked, the shiny, mirror-like surface of the papules is [...]

Groups 9 and 10 are characterized by the presence of red scaling lesions. The scaling, which differentiates these two groups from groups 7 and 8, may or may not be readily apparent. Three types of scale must be sought . Psoriatic-type scale (large white or gray flakes) can be easily seen, but pityriasis-type scale is [...]