Our friend John Smith went to the dermatologist for an unrelated issue, but there the doctor noticed that John has a minor dark mole-like lesion one of his legs. John said he had never given it too much attention because it never bothered him, though he remembers it being smaller when he was a child. Should Mr. Smith have left it be just like that until now?
There are skin afflictions that slowly appear over the course of our lives and are hardly a bother to our daily lives, but usually if they are left untreated, they reach the point where they become painful or bothersome to our daily lives. Today we will talk about verrucous lesions, which are a type of growth that appears on the skin and can be both painful and bothersome if left untreated.
A verrucous lesion, also known as verrucous hemangioma, is a malformation on the surface and subcutaneous layer of the skin. They will usually appear on the legs and can spread as time passes into additional nodules around them, which gives the common impression of several warts located in the surrounding area. When alone or grouped into a single place, their common size is around 5 centimeter but some have been found to reach 7cm or even 8cm. The lesions can also spread in a linear way, and some have been observed in the arms as well.
The lesion is usually found at birth or during early childhood. Its early appearance is bluish-red colored formations, but later due to growth or trauma they take on a darker appearance and can become infected which causes complications and gives it a verrucous surface. On a completely evolved case, the lesion consists in several small and large nodules with a verrucous appearance, which can easily bleed and are a potential focus of infection.
Since verrucous lesions often are congenital and become apparently visible during early childhood, they are often detected via examination but clinical correlation is necessary. This is because an improper diagnosis might confuse them with an angiokeratoma, which they resemble during their early stages, but unlike the angiokeratoma the vascular tissue of the verrucous lesion can affect underlying skin tissue and spread over the course of time. Therefore for a correct diagnosis of verrucous hemangioma it must be confirmed by a proper medical analysis.
There are several methods of giving treatment to these lesions, but it is important for them to be treated as early as possible to prevent unwanted relapses and to insure a healthy look on the skin. For minor lesions there exists a low change of recurrence, so laser therapy, cryosurgery or even electrocautery can be used to treat the minor formations.
Larger lesions require a more surgical approach, requiring removal of all the affected epidermis and subcutaneous tissue, but the lesion may present recurrence if not all the affected tissue is removed.
In conclusion, a verrucous lesion is a rare tumor-like affliction of the skin, often congenital, that affects mainly the lower extremities of the body. Their early appearance is made of small nodules on the skin, which later grow into a dark verrucous appearance and will spread in the surrounding region of the lesion. Removing it requires medical assistance to prevent unwanted relapses and a clinical analysis is recommended to achieve a correct diagnosis.