Venous lake
| Venous lake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venous lake of the lip | |
| Specialty | Dermatology  |
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]
Though these lesions may resemble
Cause
The cause is unknown; however it is thought to be associated with sun exposure, leading to a dilated blood-filled vascular channel
Treatment
Treatment 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
The 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
- List of cutaneous conditions
Footnotes
- ISBN 0-7216-2921-0.
- ^ ISBN 0-323-01319-8.
- PMID 4075841.
- ^ ISBN 0-397-50668-6.
- S2CID 11007307.
- ISBN 978-1-4160-2999-1.
- ^ ISBN 0-07-144019-4.
- S2CID 39649694.
- ISBN 978-0-19-972254-9.