Blaschko's lines
| Lines of Blaschko | |
|---|---|
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| Specialty | Dermatology |
| Symptoms | Swirls and streaks in skin; maybe dark, pale, pinkish, purplish, flat-topped bumps or larger plaques[1] |
| Named after | Alfred Blaschko |
Blaschko's lines, also called the lines of Blaschko, are lines of normal cell development in the skin.[1] These lines are invisible under normal conditions.[2] They become apparent when some diseases of the skin or mucosa manifest themselves according to these patterns.[2] They appear as dark or pale swirls and streaks in skin.[1] They typically follow a "V" shape over the back, "S" shaped whirls over the chest and sides, and wavy shapes on the head.[3] The lines maybe dark, pale, pinkish, purplish, consist of flat-topped bumps or larger plaques, depending on the underlying cause.[1]
The lines are believed to trace the migration of embryonic cells.[1] The stripes are a type of genetic mosaicism.[4] They do not correspond to nervous, muscular, or lymphatic systems.[2] The lines can be observed in other animals such as cats and dogs.[5][6]
German dermatologist Alfred Blaschko is credited with the first demonstration of these lines in 1901.[7]
Mechanism
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Blaschko's lines
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Depiction of Blaschko's lines, patterns present in the skin of a human female, male
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Skin lesions that follow Blaschko's lines
The skin lesions that follow Blaschko's lines are varied.[2] They include genetic, congenital and acquired (i.e. non-genetic) conditions.[2][8]
| Name | Descrition | Image | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naevus achromicus (including hypomelanosis of Ito) | |||
| Epidermal Naevus | .jpg)
| ||
| Nevus sebaceous | |||
| Inflammatory Linear Verrucous Epidermal Nevus |  |
.jpg)
| |
| Incontinentia pigmenti | .jpg)
| ||
| CHILD syndrome | |||
| XLPDR syndrome | |||
| Lichen striatus | .jpg) |
.jpg)
| |
| lichen planus | .jpg) |
.jpg)
| |
| lupus erythematosus |
Additional images
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Inflammatory linear verrucous naevus
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Incontinentia pigmenti forming along Blaschko's lines in a 3-year-old girl
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See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Bolognia, Jean L.; Schaffer, Julie V.; Duncan, Karynne O.; Ko, Christine (2022). "51. Mosaic skin conditions". Dermatology Essentials (2nd ed.). Elsevier. pp. 468–488. ISBN 978-0-323-62453-4.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Blaschko's Lines - American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD)". www.aocd.org. Archived from the original on 1 January 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ↑ Brown, Philip M (2002). Transcription. CRC Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-415-27200-1. Archived from the original on 2021-08-28. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
- ↑ Roach, Ewell S (2004). Neurocutaneous Disorders. Cambridge University Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-521-78153-4. Archived from the original on 2021-08-28. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
- ↑ Muller, George & Kirk, Robert (2001). Muller & Kirk's Small Animal Dermatology. Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-7216-7618-0. Archived from the original on 2021-08-28. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
- ↑ Gross, Thelma Lee (2004). Veterinary Dermatopathology. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 156. ISBN 978-0-632-06452-6. Archived from the original on 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
- ↑ Blaschko, Alfred (1901). Die Nervenverteilung in der Haut in ihre Beziehung zu den Erkrankungen der Haut [The distribution of nerves in the skin in their relation to diseases of the skin] (in German). Vienna, Austria & Leipzig, Germany: Wilhelm Braumüller.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) From p. 41: "Ganz ohne meinen Willen … das ich Ihnen bieten kann." (Quite without my intending it, these stripe-form naevi [i.e., skin lesions] and dermatoses have become the main object of my work: in part this is perhaps because much material was collected especially about this disorder. I don't want to repeat myself, but I would like to refer you, above all, to Plate XVI [on p. 93], [figures] 1 and 2, the diagram of naevus lines, which, if I may say so, represent the quintessence of my work and perhaps is the one essentially new [thing] that I can offer you.) See also p. 15. - ↑ Bolognia JL, Orlow SJ, Glick SA (1994). "Lines of Blaschko". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 31 (2): 157–190. doi:10.1016/S0190-9622(94)70143-1. PMID 8040398.