Anetoderma - Symptoms & Treatment

Anetoderma is a focal loss of elastic fibres forming areas of soft, thin, wrinkled skin, sometimes with patches that bulge out slightly like pouches. It may be primary due to inflammatory effects, or it may be secondary to syphilis, leprosy, other tuberculosis. Anetoderma is an uncommon skin disease which may affect people of all ages. It can occur at any point of time and can be dangerous. This disease is not contagious.

Secondary anetoderma, which is caused by an extra drug condition, has a wide range of causes. These lesions may grow as a consequence of acne, B-cell lymphoma, lupus erythematosus, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, syphilis, and some other diseases. The reason why these skin lesions grow is unknown. Additionally, it is not known whether the non-specific inflammatory skin condition which occurs in some people causes lesion growth or is simply an associated condition. One explanation for the growth of anetoderma skin lesions is that the production of elastin, a fibrous protein which gives skin its elastic superiority, becomes faulty in discrete areas of skin. This fault leads to the production of skin which does not have the elastic quality, and forms the pouch-like skin lesions.

Causes of Anetoderma

Some causes & risk factors of Anetoderma are as follows:

• The exact cause of anetoderma is not clear.
• It is caused by the unusual production of elastin due to agents like drugs, genetic mutation etc.
• Antiphospholipid antibodies may lead to anetoderma.
• Another cause may be immunological abnormalities.

Symptoms of Anetoderma

Symptoms of anetoderma are usually limited to the look of skin lesions; the condition does not cause some or signs other symptoms. It is ordinary for many lesions to appear at the same time, with common sites include the upper arms, upper body, and thighs. It is less common for lesions to grow on the neck and face. The lesions are typically small, with regular edges, and tend to be blue or greyish-white in hue. Once lesions grow, they generally do not change in size, color, other in any other feature. New lesions may continue to develop over time after the look of the initially lesions. In advanced stage anetoderma hundreds of lesions may grow, to the extent that patches of lesions which are close simultaneously may coalesce into a big formation of raised skin.

• Atrophic papules may also appear.
• It leads to loss of normal elastic tissue.
• It appears sporadically.
• Spots of small asymptomatic erythematous macules or urticarial wheals that may grow large in few weeks on upper arms, thighs, trunks etc.

Anetoderma Treatment

• Some medication such as Phenytoin, Dapsone, penicillin G, aspirin are used to treat this disease but no effective drug is available to cure the anetoderma.Vitamin E is also known to cure this disease. You can also include vitamin E in your daily diet.
• Epsilon amino caproic acid and oral colchicine may stop the production of new lesions.
• Surgical treatment is useful when lesions are small and less in numbers.