A 12-year-old girl presents for a routine physical examination. The patient has numerous freckles over her upper trunk and face. Which of the following terms best describes the morphologic appearance of her freckles?: (A) Comedo, (B) Macule, (C) Nodule, (D) Papule
Answer is B. Freckles, or ephelides, are small, brown macules that occur on sun-exposed skin, especially in people with fair skin. Freckles usually appear at about age 5 years. The pigmentation of a freckle deepens with exposure to sunlight and fades when light exposure ceases. Freckles show hyperpigmentation of the basal keratinocytes without a concomitant increase in the number of melanocytes. The other choices represent raised lesions of the skin.Diagnosis: Freckles, ephelides