Cheek started shrinking inside, looks like bruise. Planning for biopsy. Any suggestion?

Jul 2012

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Answered by

Dr. Praveen Rodrigues
Dermatologist

Practicing since : 1993

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My husbands cheek suddenly sunk like a finger was pushing it in and looks dark or bruised. Dentist found nothing dental about it but does see a dark spot above his mandible where it is sunken in. A biopsy is planned. What could it be?

Posted Thu, 25 Apr 2013 in Skin Hair and Nails

Answered by Dr. Praveen Rodrigues 4 hours later

Hi there.
I read your history & note the issue at hand.
It could just be a condition called erythema induratum or a hematoma arising out of a cheek bite that was innocuous but left behind a puckered scarring; morphea is a condition that merits mention.
However, i must stress that this requires to look at the person in toto. Going by your history of phaeochromoctoma & prostratic issues, one needs to be careful to rule out any underlying systemic disorder. This however seems unlikely & you can rest assured this is an isolated local phenomenon.
I think your approach of doing the skin biopsy is the 'right' one & an excision of the lesion will give you a clear cut picture. Good Luck & GodSpeed!
Dr Praveen Rodrigues MD

Above answer was peer-reviewed by

Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar