Other Common Skin Disorders
For more information on other skin conditions visit our
Patient Education Center.
Granuloma Annulare
Granuloma Annulare is a harmless skin eruption consisting of one or more ring-like collections of bumps which may be skin-colored, faintly red, or pale-violet in color. Although the cause is unknown, some cases have been linked to insect bites or other forms of minor skin trauma. Granuloma Annulare is located most commonly on the hands or feet but can occur anywhere on the body. The condition is more common in children, but any age can be affected.
The diagnosis of Granuloma Annulare can usually be made by a dermatologist based on the appearance of the lesions, but sometimes a biopsy may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis or to exclude other conditions.
Treatment of Granuloma Annulare with cortisone creams may be helpful in speeding up the healing process. In more severe cases, it may be necessary to use oral medications or ultraviolet light therapy. In most people, the condition is not generally not disfiguring and causes no symptoms. Treatment is not absolutely necessary. In fact, Granuloma Annulare goes away by itself (without treatment or scarring) in 75% of patients within two years.
Keratosis Pilaris
Keratosis pilaris is a common skin disorder that may affect the sides of the upper arms, the anterior thighs, and the cheeks on the face. This condition usually appears between the ages of 2 and 3, but may only become noticeable later. Most people with keratoses pilaris experience improvement in the summer and worsening in the winter (although activities like swimming may dry the skin out and prevent summertime improvement).
Generally, the typical changes of keratosis pilaris are rough-surfaced, sometimes red bumps occur at the opening of a hair follicle. The condition may be an inherited trait just as some people inherit curly hair or blue eyes. Keratosis pilaris is a harmless condition, but it may be somewhat unsightly and may occasionally itch.
Fortunately, keratosis pilaris that occurs on the face usually disappears after the onset of puberty. Other affected areas may remain problematic for many years. Treatment is never rapidly effective but, with patience and persistent use of recommended therapies, improvement occurs. Sometimes more than one medication may need to be tried before the one that works best for you is found. Also, it is recommended that you avoid frequent bathing (no more than once per day) and long, hot showers. Besides prescription medicines, you should regularly apply a good moisturizing cream or lotion after bathing. Moisturizing the affected areas at least twice a day is best.
Since keratosis pilaris is a natural trait for most people who have it, it is important to understand that no medicine or treatment will produce a permanent cure. While keratosis pilaris may disappear on some body sites, other locations are likely to need long-term care to keep the condition under control.
Molluscum Contagiosum
Molluscum Contagiosum is a virus infection which appears as small bumps (1 to 4 mm) on the skin, often with small, dimple-like depressions in their centers. These growths may occur on any part of the body, and there may be a single growth or as many as 50 or more.
As the name suggests, these growths are contagious and are spread from place to place on the body and to other people by physical contact. Sometimes they are spread by sexual contact, and if you feel this is a possibility, sexual partners should be examined for presence of lesions.
Treatment consists of physically removing these superficial growths from the skin. This may be done by curettement (scraping them off with a special surgical instrument), application of various medicines to the lesions, or freezing with liquid nitrogen. Sometimes these viral growths can also become infected with bacteria and may require antibiotic therapy. Since Molluscum Contagiosum lesions sometimes go away by themselves, treatment by cautery or surgery requiring stitches is avoided because of the scarring that results from these methods.
Sometimes new lesions keep appearing after treatment. This happens because some growths are in an early stage at the time of the treatment and these lesions are too small to be seen. At the present time, there is no oral medicine which makes these growths go away. Repeat treatments are usually necessary until new lesions stop appearing; this may occur after the first treatment or only after several visits to the office.
Treatment with Canthardin
The liquid medicine (cantharidin) applied to Molluscum Contagiosum lesions usually causes a small blister-reaction after a few hours. While the blister is forming there may be some pain, but discomfort should subside over the next 1-2 days.
Severe pain is not common but if it occurs it may be treated with Tylenol™, aspirin or ibuprofen. It may also help to bathe the areas in water of a comfortable temperature. It is important to keep the treated skin clean.
Large blisters may occasionally form and these can be punctured and drained using a sterilized needle. After a week to ten days, most treated lesions will have formed a dry crust (scab) and many may have come off the skin. Red marks at treatment sites eventually disappear. Any new or remaining lesions will be evaluated upon your return visit and will be re-treated as needed.
