POIKILODERMA

 

As a morphologic term, poikiloderma refers to the combination of atrophy, telangiectasia, and varied pigmentary changes (hyper- and hypo-) over an area of skin. This combination of features may give rise to a dappled appearance to the skin. The distribution of poikiloderma varies according to etiology. Because of some confusion in the past stemming from the use of the word poikiloderma in the naming of specific syndromes, it is probably best to restrict its use to a descriptive. A clinical example is chronic radiodermatitis