A papule is a small, well-defined bump in the skin.[2] It may have a rounded, pointed or flat top, and may have a dip.[2] It can appear with a stalk, be thread-like or look warty.[3] It can be soft or firm and its surface may be rough or smooth.[2] Some have crusts or scales.[2] A papule can be flesh colored, yellow, white, brown, red, blue or purplish.[4] There may be just one or many, and they may occur irregularly in different parts of the body or appear in clusters.[2] It does not contain fluid but may progress to a pustule or vesicle.[2] A papule is smaller than a nodule; it can be as tiny as a pinhead and is typically less than 1cm in width, according to some sources,[2][3] and 0.5cm according to others.[4] When merged together, it appears as a plaque.[4]
Its color might indicate its cause, such as white in milia, red in eczema, yellowish in xanthoma and black in melanoma.[2] They may open when scratched and become infected and crusty.[5]
Definition
A papule is a small, well-defined bump in the skin.[2] It is smaller than a nodule; it can be as tiny as a pinhead and is typically less than 1cm in width, according to some sources,[2][3] and 0.5cm according to others.[4]
Evaluation
A papule may have a rounded, pointed or flat top, and may have a dip.[2] It can be polygonal but is never rectangular or square.[6] It can appear with a stalk, be thread-like or look warty.[3] Ulceration, oozing, bleeding or thin blood vessels may be present in a papule.[6] It can be soft or firm and its surface may be rough or smooth.[2] Some have crusts or scales.[2] A papule can be flesh colored, yellow, white, brown, black, blue or purplish, or varying shades of red.[4][6] The intensity of redness might indicate how long the papule has been present.[6] There may be just one or many, and they may occur irregularly in different parts of the body or appear in clusters.[2] It may progress to a pustule or vesicle.[2]
James, William D.; Elston, Dirk; Treat, James R.; Rosenbach, Misha A.; Neuhaus, Isaac (2020). "2. Cutaneous signs and diagnosis". Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology (13thed.). Elsevier. p.11. ISBN978-0-323-54753-6.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Papule, and is written by contributors.
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