Dictionary of Dermatology Diagnoses

Achrochordon - skin tag, harmless growth – no further treatment

Actinic keratosis (AK) - benign growth, precancerous, but needs to be treated

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) – a skin cancer, least serious, but needs to be removed. 

Blue nevus - a benign lesion.  Mole cells are present in the deep dermis giving the lesion a blue color on the surface.

Bowen’s disease - a kind of SCC in situ, often on genital skin.  (treated as below for SCC in situ)

Bullous pemphigoid – blistering disease, autoimmune, needs further treatment

Chondrodermatitis nodularis helicis (CNH) -  harmless inflammation of the ear- no further treatment needed.

Cyst (usually an epidermal inclusion cyst) - A benign lesion - No further treatment is necessary.

Compound nevus (CCN) - harmless growth

Dermatofibroma (DF) harmless growth

Drug eruption - may be due to a drug, herb, supplement or food

Dysplastic (Dysp) or Clarks nevus - benign growth – no further treatment unless “margins positive or involved”.

Eczematous dermatitis – May need cortisone cream or shot of Kenalog IM  

Fibroma - harmless growth

Fibrous papule - harmless growth, usually on the nose

Folliculitis- may be bacterial (needs antibiotics)

Foreign body - usually a reaction to a ruptured cyst, but may be splinter

Intradermal nevus (IDN) - harmless growth

Junctional nevus (JCN) - harmless growth

Keloid scar- harmless growth – will need further treatment if painful or itches

Keratoacanthoma (KA) - A rapidly growing (often painful) tumor.  Technically considered a benign lesion, but it is sometimes diagnosed as a squamous cell carcinoma, keratoacanthoma type, which is a skin cancer.  These lesions often resolve spontaneously, but one should usually excise these lesions if they do not appear to be removed in the biopsy

Lipoma- harmless fatty growth

Melanoma (MM) - most serious skin cancer, should be removed immediately.

Neurofibroma (NF) - harmless growth – no further treatment, unless many of lesions (greater than 10, then patient has neurofibromatosis)

Porokeratosis- a benign growth

Psoriasis (Pso) - may need cortisone prescription of cream, light therapy, methotrexate etc. (see psoriasis description)

Pyogenic granuloma - A blood vessel overgrowth.  Often they are on fingers. They may be treated by curettage and electrodessication (The changes seen microscopically for this lesion are the same as seen in skin healing from a biopsy)

Scar- harmless growth

Seborrheic keratosis (SK) - harmless growth

Spitz nevus – usually seen in kids, a benign growth, but should be completely removed. 

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) - a skin cancer, moderately serious, needs removal

Squamous cell carcinoma in situ (SCC in situ), a superficial skin cancer that can be treated by excision or with Aldara cream for 8 weeks.

Tinea – fungal infection of the skin

Verruca (VV) - wart