A venous lake (also known as phlebectasis[1]) is a generally solitary, soft, compressible, dark blue to violaceous, 0.2- to 1-cm papule commonly found on sun-exposed surfaces of the vermilion border of the lip, face and ears.[2][3][4] Lesions generally occur among the elderly.[5][6]
| Venous lake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venous lake of the lip | |
| Specialty | Dermatology  |
Though these lesions may resemble nodular melanoma, the lack of induration, slow growth, and lightening appearance upon diascopy suggest against it, and indicate a vascular lesion.[7] Additionally, lack of pulsation distinguishes this lesion of the lower lip from a tortuous segment of the inferior labial artery.[4]
Cause
editThe cause is unknown; however it is thought to be associated with sun exposure, leading to a dilated blood-filled vascular channel[2] "...lined with a singled layer of flattened endothelial cells and a thin wall of fibrous tissue filled with red blood cells."[7]
Treatment
editTreatment may be requested for cosmetic reasons. Traditional techniques such as surgical excision are effective but will leave a scar. Laser therapy has become the mainstay of therapy. Published research suggests that the Long Pulsed Nd:YAG laser is a very effective, with a clearance rate of 94% following a single treatment. In this study no scarring or other complications were reported. [8]
History
editThe term was coined by American physician William Bennett Bean.[9]
Images
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Venous lake of the ear -
Venous lake of the ear
See also
editFootnotes
edit- ^ James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005). Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology. (10th ed.). Saunders. Page 588. ISBN 0-7216-2921-0.
- ^ a b Habif, Thomas P. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. Mosby, Inc. 2004. Page 825. ISBN 0-323-01319-8.
- ^ Goldberg, LH; Ar, Altman (1985). "Venous lakes of the ears". Cutis. 36 (6): 472–5. PMID 4075841.
- ^ a b Sauer, Gordon. Manual of Skin Diseases. Lippincott. 1985. Page 315. ISBN 0-397-50668-6.
- ^ Kuo, HW; Yang, CH. (2003). "Venous lake of the lip treated with a sclerosing agent: report of two cases". Dermatol. Surg. 29 (4): 425–8. doi:10.1046/j.1524-4725.2003.29101.x. PMID 12656828. S2CID 11007307.
- ^ Rapini, Ronald P.; Bolognia, Jean L.; Jorizzo, Joseph L. (2007). Dermatology: 2-Volume Set. St. Louis: Mosby. p. 1620. ISBN 978-1-4160-2999-1.
- ^ a b Wolff and Johnson. Fitzpatrick's Color Atlas and Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology. The McGraw-Hill Companies. 2005. Page 192. ISBN 0-07-144019-4.
- ^ Bekhor, Philip (11 Sep 2006). "Long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser treatment of venous lakes: report of a series of 34 cases". Dermatologic Surgery. 32 (9): 1151–4. doi:10.1111/j.1524-4725.2006.32253.x. PMID 16970696. S2CID 39649694.
- ^ Mulliken, John B. (2013). "13. Capillary malformations, hyperkeratotic stains, telangiectasias, and miscellaneous vascular blots". In Mulliken, John B.; Burrows, Patricia E.; Fishman, Steven J. (eds.). Mulliken and Young's Vascular Anomalies: Hemangiomas and Malformations (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 553. ISBN 978-0-19-972254-9.