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What Causes A Lump With A Dark Centre On Arm?

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Posted on Fri, 18 Mar 2016
Question: Hi, my daughter has a lump on her arm with what appears to be a dark center. Our GP has booked her in for an ultrasound 9she believes it's a cyst) but it is a concern because my wife has melanoma and was positive for the BRAF gene. Would a cyst really look that different to a melanoma on an ultrasound or is a Fine Needle Aspiration ultimately going to be necessary to put our minds at ease?
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Answered by Dr. Pavan Kumar Gupta (3 hours later)
Brief answer.....appearance suggests it to be a sebaceous cyst
Detailed answer....
Hello,
Thanks for the query.
I have read your query and understand your concern.
A lump with a dark centre is highly suggestive of sebaceous cyst also called as epidermal inclusion cyst. Ultrasound can clearly tell whether it is sebaceous cyst or not.
In suspicious cases of melanoma dermatologist can employ DERMOSCOPY where a highly magnifying lens of a dermatoscope helps in finding the skin cancers early.
In case doubt still persists then the best tool to diagnose melanoma would be a skin biopsy.
Biopsy would be much better than a FNAC.
I hope it helps,however you are most welcome to revert to me for any further query.
Best of luck
Thanks
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Pavan Kumar Gupta

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :1978

Answered : 6704 Questions

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What Causes A Lump With A Dark Centre On Arm?

Brief answer.....appearance suggests it to be a sebaceous cyst Detailed answer.... Hello, Thanks for the query. I have read your query and understand your concern. A lump with a dark centre is highly suggestive of sebaceous cyst also called as epidermal inclusion cyst. Ultrasound can clearly tell whether it is sebaceous cyst or not. In suspicious cases of melanoma dermatologist can employ DERMOSCOPY where a highly magnifying lens of a dermatoscope helps in finding the skin cancers early. In case doubt still persists then the best tool to diagnose melanoma would be a skin biopsy. Biopsy would be much better than a FNAC. I hope it helps,however you are most welcome to revert to me for any further query. Best of luck Thanks