Temporal

The appearance of skin lesions can evolve over time.

Despite the causes of the visual complexity, and no matter when a patient is evaluated on the timeline of the disease process, accurate identification of morphology and classifications of skin lesions are the keys to diagnosing a patient’s skin condition.

This series of pictures demonstrates the evolution of lesions in a patient with herpes zoster (shingles).

• 

  Day 1: Grouped umbilicated vesicles form within a dermatomal skin distribution.

• 

  Day 6: More crusts forming and redness decreasing.

• 

  Day 21: Hypopigmented macules, small scars, and no redness (inflammation).