Skin atrophy and hyperpigmentation

Introduction Skin atrophy refers to the formation of a cord-like atrophy due to obstruction, pregnancy, edema and other reasons. Pigmentation is an endogenous pigment such as hemosiderin, lipofuscin, melanin, and bilirubin in normal humans. Carbon dust, coal dust, and tattoo pigments sometimes enter the body. Under pathological conditions, some of the above pigments will increase and accumulate inside and outside the cell. It is called pigmentation.

Cause

The reasons for pigmentation are summarized as follows:

Genetic factors: Representative diseases include freckles, seborrheic keratosis, neurocutaneous melanosis, pigmented intestinal polyposis, and pigmentation in this group of diseases are localized.

Endocrine factors: Addison's disease, certain pituitary tumors, longer-term estrogen therapy, pregnancy and chloasma.

Metabolic factors: hepatolenticular degeneration, hemochromatosis, etc., pigmentation is mostly systemic diffuse, no obvious boundaries.

Malnutrition: malignant malnutrition, pellagra, vitamin B12 deficiency.

Chemical and pharmaceutical factors: certain anti-tumor and anti-immune drugs, anti-malarial drugs, tar, bitumen, eucalyptus oil and other hydrocarbons.

Physical factors: mechanical trauma, ultraviolet light, certain radiation, chronic itching, scratching and friction.

Inflammation and infectious diseases: chronic inflammation of the skin. Some tumors.

other factors.

Skin atrophy is due to obesity, pregnancy, edema, tumors, autoimmunity and other reasons.

The most common cause of skin atrophy and pigmentation is systemic lupus erythematosus.

an examination

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Diagnostic points for skin atrophy: occur at any age, more common in adolescence, young people gain too much weight and pregnant women. Early lesions were strip-shaped reddish-brown, slightly elevated. The old man has a white shrinking pattern. No symptoms. According to different situations, there is no part, pregnant girls in the abdomen. During puberty, it occurs in the medial, hip and back waist. It occurs in the ankle, groin and other wrinkles due to the taking of corticosteroids.

The diagnosis of pigmentation can be made at any age. Pigmentation can occur in any part of the body. The skin lesions are uniform black, brown and yellow pigmentation, and the depth is dark brown, the boundary is clear, the surface is smooth, and a few have desquamation, often symmetrically distributed.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is often indicated when skin atrophy and pigmentation occur simultaneously. Common symptoms are: most of the early manifestations of non-specific systemic symptoms, such as fever, especially low fever common, general malaise, fatigue, weight loss and so on. The condition often alternates slowly. The rash is common, and about 40% of patients have a typical facial erythema called butterfly erythema. About 90% of patients have joint swelling and pain, and often the first symptom of the treatment. The most susceptible is the proximal interphalangeal joint of the hand. The knee, foot, ankle and wrist joints can be involved. Joint swelling and pain are mostly symmetrical. About half of the patients have morning stiffness. X-ray examinations often did not change significantly, and only a few patients had joint deformities. Muscle soreness and weakness are common symptoms.

Differential diagnosis

Often identified with contracture scars.

A contracture scar is a scar named after the dysfunction caused by it. More common after deep burn healing, due to scar contraction, often lead to shape changes and dysfunction, long-term scar contracture can affect the development of bones, muscles, blood vessels, nerves and other tissues, should be treated early. Clinically common deformities caused by scar contracture include valgus valgus, lip valgus, chest-thoracic adhesion, hand scar contracture deformity, and flexion or extension of the joints. Among them, the cord-like scar contracture in the flexion of the joint, for a long time, the skin and subcutaneous tissue on both sides of the contracture scar can gradually elongate, becoming a scar-like scar contracture, called a scar contracture scar. Such larger scars are common in the anterior neck, axillary fossa, elbow fossa, ankle joints, etc., and the smaller ones can be found in the medial malleolus, external malleolus, nasolabial fold, mouth, finger, etc. The opening of the body cavity is annular, causing its narrow diameter and affecting normal function.

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