Papule

<p>A papule is a small, well-defined bump in the <a href="/facts/Skin_lesion/Vkr5XpeG">skin</a>. It may have a rounded, pointed or flat top, and may have a <a href="/facts/Umbilication/Vkr5XpeG">dip</a>. It can appear with a <a href="/facts/Peduncle_(anatomy)/MS5Bf4Gd">stalk</a>, be thread-like or look <a href="/facts/Wart/j16Nwpl7">warty</a>. It can be soft or firm and its surface may be rough or smooth. Some have <a href="/facts/Crust_(dermatology)/UVpUW23J">crusts</a> or <a href="/facts/Scale_(dermatology)/Vkr5XpeG">scales</a>. 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 <a href="/facts/Pustule/Vkr5XpeG">pustule</a> or <a href="/facts/Vesicle_(dermatology)/Vkr5XpeG">vesicle</a>. A papule is smaller than a <a href="/facts/Nodule_(medicine)/BgCs3GNE">nodule</a>; 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.
</p><p>A papule's colour might indicate its cause, such as white in <a href="/facts/Milium_(dermatology)/8DAr08PS">milia</a>, red in <a href="/facts/Eczema/JwlyQBa2">eczema</a>, <a href="/facts/Yellowish/bqlm9x8s">yellowish</a> in <a href="/facts/Xanthoma/kkdJksvS">xanthoma</a> and black in <a href="/facts/Melanoma/qdT7E97Y">melanoma</a>. They may open when scratched and become infected and crusty.
</p>

Papule open-in-new

Papule