Venous lake

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A venous lake is an asymptomatic, 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.Habif, Thomas P. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. Mosby, Inc. 2004. Page 825. ISBN 0323013198.Goldberg LH, Altman Ar. "Venous lakes of the ears." Cutis. 1985;36(6):472-5. PMID 4075841.Sauer, Gordon. Manual of Skin Diseases. J.B. Lippincott Company. 1985. Page 315. ISBN 0397506686. Lesions generally occur among the elderly.Kuo HW,Yang CH. "Venous lake of the lip treated with a sclerosing agent: report of two cases." Dermatol Surg. 2003;29(4):425-8. PMID 12656828.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.Wolff and Johnson. Fitzpatricks Color Atlas and Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology.'' The McGraw-Hill Companies. 2005. Page 192. ISBN 0071440194. Additionally, lack of pulsation distinguishes this lesion of the lower lip from a tortuous segment of the inferior labial artery.

Images

Image:Venous lake 1.jpg|Venous lake of the lip Image:Venous lake 2.jpg|Venous lake of the ear Image:Venous lake 3.jpg|Venous lake of the ear

Cause

The cause is unknown; however it is thought to be associated with sun exposure, leading to a dilated blood-filled vascular channel "...lined with a singled layer of flattened endothelial cells and a thin wall of fibrous tissue filled with red blood cells."

Treatment

Treatment is not necessary, and patients should be reassured of the lesion's non-malignant nature. However, if treatment is sought for cosmetic reasons, lesions can be treated with surgical excision, laser therapy, infrared coagulation, cryotherapy, and sclerotherapy.Majamaa and Hjerppe. "Treatment of venous-lake angiomas with a carbon dioxide laser." J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2003;17(3):352-3. PMID 12702087.

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