A papule is a small, well-defined bump in the

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

. It may have a rounded, pointed or flat top, and may have a dip. It can appear with a stalk, be thread-like or look warty. It can be soft or firm and its surface may be rough or smooth. Some have crusts or

scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number ...

. A papule can be flesh colored, yellow, white, brown, red, blue or purplish. There may be just one or many, and they may occur irregularly in different parts of the body or appear in clusters. It does not contain fluid but may progress to a

pustule A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is any medical condition that affects the integumentary system—the organ system that encloses the body and includes skin, nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function of this ...

or vesicle. A papule is smaller than a nodule; it can be as tiny as a pinhead and is typically less than 1 cm in width, according to some sources, and 0.5 cm according to others. When merged together, it appears as a plaque. A papule's colour might indicate its cause, such as white in milia, red in

eczema Dermatitis is a term used for different types of skin inflammation, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened ...

, yellowish in xanthoma and black in

melanoma Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it develops from the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes. It typically occurs in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye (uveal melanoma). In very rare case ...

. They may open when scratched and become infected and crusty.

Definition

A papule is a small, well-defined bump in the

. It is smaller than a nodule; it can be as tiny as a pinhead and is typically less than 1 cm in width, according to some sources, and 0.5 cm according to others.

Evaluation

A papule may have a rounded, pointed or flat top, and may have a dip. It can be polygonal but is never rectangular or square. It can appear with a stalk, be thread-like or look warty. Ulceration, oozing, bleeding or thin blood vessels may be present in a papule. It can be soft or firm and its surface may be rough or smooth. Some have crusts or

. A papule can be flesh colored, yellow, white, brown, black, blue or purplish, or varying shades of red. The intensity of redness might indicate how long the papule has been present. There may be just one or many, and they may occur irregularly in different parts of the body or appear in clusters. It may progress to a pustule or vesicle.

Differential diagnosis

Angiofibroma Angiofibroma (AGF) is a descriptive term for a wide range of benign skin or mucous membrane (i.e. the outer membrane lining body cavities such as the mouth and nose) lesions in which individuals have: # benign papules, i.e. pinhead-sized elevatio ...

s are papules, types of which include the usually solitary fibrous papule of the nose and periungual angiofibroma, and multiple in pearly penile papules, and the facial angiofibromas as may be seen in

tuberous sclerosis Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare multisystem autosomal dominant genetic disease that causes non-cancerous tumours to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, liver, eyes, lungs and skin. A combinatio ...

. Papules with scale on the palms and soles may occur in secondary syphilis,

psoriasis Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by patches of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small localized patches to complete b ...

, tinea manuum, mycosis fungoides. In lichen planus papules may be itchy, flat-topped, polygonal, purplish with white streaks, and can be solitary, or occur in clusters or in a line.

References

{{Clinical and histological nomenclature for skin lesions Dermatologic terminology

Definition

Evaluation

Differential diagnosis

See also

References