Itchy Purple Bump Appeared On Thumb. Should I Consult A Dermatologist?

Posted on Wed, 6 Mar 2013

Question: A week ago I had a less than 1/16 inch round purple/black smooth bump on my right palm, near thumb. No pain but maybe very slight itching. I just noticed it then as before I thought it was just an inkspot from a ballpoint pen. Maybe had it 2 or 3 weeks. A week later it looks more like a scab, it's a very XXXXXXX red or black. There's a tiny area of maroon that doesn't look like scab. Several weeks ago i was doing many things to irritate my hand. Lifting very heavy things, maybe burning my hand on pot and/or microwave. I'm planning to go away for a month, but should I see a dermatologist immediately.

Answered by Dr. Kalpana Pathak (56 minutes later)

Hi,
Thanks for writing to us.
This purplish lesion could be anything. It could be a haematoma or bruise due to some injury, a Pyogenic granuloma, vasculitis lesion,cherry angioma, angiokeratoma, a nevi or a melanoma. Melanoma usually appears as an irregular pigmented lesion and is quite commonly confused with a bruise
As you can see the cause could be benign as well as something as sinister as a melanoma.
Dermatology is completely a visual field and no diagnosis can be surely suggested without clinically examining the lesion. As you would be away for a month, I would definitely suggest you to XXXXXXX a dermatologist near by to decide upon a possible diagnosis and treat the lesion appropriately.
Hope that helps. Should there be any query, feel free to write back.
Regards.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar