Benign skin lesions

Abstract

Benign skin lesions are far more prevalent in our skin cancer clinics than their malignant counterparts, indicating possible diagnostic uncertainty as a cause of referral. There is limited teaching on the recognition of skin lesions at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, even though up to 12.4% of work in primary care relates to skin disease, in which skin lesions often predominate. Enhancing aptitude in the diagnosis and evaluation of treatment options for benign skin lesions is necessary for providing patients with a safe and efficient service. Here I discuss a simple yet effective approach for differentiating benign from malignant skin lesions, and classify the benign lesions most commonly presenting to our skin cancer clinics into broadly three categories: (1) pigmented benign, (2) non-pigmented benign, and (3) vascular benign skin lesions. The individual pathognomonic diagnostic features and commonly performed treatment options for each are discussed.