"Maculopapular" rashes

[fulminantgangrene]

During our derm module, our clinical instructor made it a point to tell us that there is no such thing as a "maculopapular" rash. See: http://gomerblog.com/2016/07/internist-guide-rashes/

In clinical practice, do dermatologists ever use the phrase? I've certainly heard this term used a lot by non-derms in my clinical experiences so far and just wanted to see what the general thoughts are on this

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[asmallchild]

During our derm module, our clinical instructor made it a point to tell us that there is no such thing as a "maculopapular" rash. See: http://gomerblog.com/2016/07/internist-guide-rashes/

In clinical practice, do dermatologists ever use the phrase? I've certainly heard this term used a lot by non-derms in my clinical experiences so far and just wanted to see what the general thoughts are on this

In general, most attending-level dermatologists don't do a lot of describing.

My PD used to joke:

PGY-2 is for learning the vocab (macule vs papule vs etc)
PGY-3 is for learning the differentials
PGY-4 is for learning the diagnosis

Obviously as a student and a resident, you will be expected to describe the rash prior to giving a differential. Describe the papules and macules and don't call it a maculopapular rash. e.g. The patient has pink resolving papules and hyperpigmented macules consistent with a resolving drug hypersensitivity reaction