What are Brown Macules?
Ephelides are small, 1- to 2-mm macules that appear around age 2 years, and these red- to light brown-colored spots increase in pigmentation with increased sun exposure.
What causes brown marks on skin?
Age spots are caused by overactive pigment cells. Ultraviolet (UV) light speeds up the production of melanin, a natural pigment that gives skin its color. On skin that has had years of sun exposure, age spots appear when melanin becomes clumped or is produced in high concentrations.
What are the brown dots on my skin called?
What are brown spots and freckles? Brown spots and freckles on sun-exposed skin are ephelides (the plural of ephelis) and lentigines (the plural of lentigo).
What do Macules look like?
A macule is a flat, distinct, discolored area of skin less than 1 centimeter (cm) wide. It doesn’t involve any change in the thickness or texture of the skin. Areas of discoloration that are larger than or equal to 1 cm are referred to as patches.
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.
Can macules be cancerous?
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 common?
Hypopigmented macules are one of the most common skin lesions encountered in clinical practice.
What kind of skin lesions have brown spots?
Melanocytic naevi may be congenital or appear in early childhood (congenital type); there are several distinct varieties. The café-au-lait macule is a well-demarcated light brown patch. Histologically, these have nests of naevus cells along the dermoepidermal junction. The naevus cells have variable-sized melanosomes including macromelanosomes.
What causes macules to appear on the skin?
Macules can be caused by various conditions that affect the appearance of your skin, resulting in areas of discoloration. Conditions that are likely to cause macules are: post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (such as that which occurs after acne lesions heal)
Can a melanotic macule be a benign lesion?
Most dark spots on the lips or inside the mouth are benign oral melanotic macules. Usually, your doctor will observe the lesion by measuring it, by taking a photograph of it, or both.
How to tell if you have oral melanotic macule?
The biopsy can help the doctor to tell whether it is a benign oral melanotic macule or a malignant melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Most dark spots on the lips or inside the mouth are benign oral melanotic macules. Usually, your doctor will observe the lesion by measuring it, by taking a photograph of it, or both.