Melanoacanthoma is a rare form of Hyperpigmentation and it comes in many forms. Oral Melanoacanthoma has not been around that long, and it is basically a lesion which is characterized by both Melanocytes and Keratinocytes. They result in a pigmented macular or in plaque like lesions.
At first it was thought that the lesions were malignant, and whilst around two percent of the cases of the condition are malignant, mostly the lesions tend to be benign. So just who gets Melanoacanthoma, and just how rare is it?
Oral Melanoacanthoma, its Causes and who it affects
Oral Melanoacanthoma is an extremely rare condition, and there have only been around thirty cases of the condition since it was identified in America. There does tend to be a specific pattern with who the condition affects and generally white people seem to be the people most at risk of the cutaneous version of the condition. Black people tend to end up with the mucosal version of the condition mainly, along with some Asian people too.
Generally the condition affects both males and females, though ages do tend to vary between the different variations of the condition. Cutaneous Melanoacanthoma usually appears in people aged around sixty and over, whereas the mucosal variety tends to affect much younger people of around twenty five years old.
Cutaneous lesions are not usually painful and they are usually only found during a routine examination. The lesions vary in appearance and they usually tend to be black, blue or brown in color. They are usually isolated and they grow quite slow, usually they are present at least a few months before they are found.
Mucosal lesions are very similar to cutaneous lesions, though they do tend to grow a lot quicker. They range in size and they can be either a few millimeters or several centimeters long. They are generally brought on by a traumatic event and are most commonly found on the lips.
How to Treat the Condition
If you do have Oral Melanoacanthoma, it is essential that you get a proper diagnosis. In order to diagnose this condition, a histologic examination will be carried out. This helps to determine that the problem is in fact Oral Melanoacanthoma, and not any other type of pigmented lesions.
Currently there is no real medical treatment known to cure the condition. Mucosal lesions may be treated by removing the precipitating stimulus. Usually however, all lesions tend to spontaneously disappear by themselves in up to forty percent of the cases.
It is possible to have surgery for both the cutaneous and mucosal lesions, and in most cases the lesions are benign and so a local excision is usually adequate enough to treat it. In some cases it is possible for a sufferer to receive laser treatment, though it often jeopardizes microscopic diagnosis.Once treatment has finished, it is uncommon for the lesions to come back again.
Overall, Oral Melanoacanthoma is extremely rare but it can occur and it is helpful to know what to look out for. As mentioned, lesions are usually isolated and it is uncommon for them to appear in multiple places. The condition can be treated and it hardly ever reoccurs after treatment. Most of the time people do not even realize they have this condition as it really is not painful, and often it also goes away by itself.
If you do suspect you may have the condition, it is always better to go and see your local doctor. They will be able to give you a better diagnosis and suggest ways to treat the condition in order to eliminate it.
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