Dawaa Reference

chronic

Dermatofibroma

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources3 sources

Dermatofibroma - StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf NBK470538) - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470538/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - no medicine is given for this in primary care

Verified against1 document
  • No dose - no medicine is given for this in primary care

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (3)

  • A slow-growing lesion that most often turns up on the arms or legs
  • Usually painless, though it can occasionally itch or feel tender [itching]
  • About one in five patients recall an injury at that spot, such as a shot or an insect bite

Signs — what you find (6)

  • A firm, non-tender nodule under 1 cm with tan-pink to reddish-brown discoloration, though lesions over 3 cm are described
  • One in ten patients has more than one lesion, so a full skin check is worthwhile since they can be subtle
  • Pinching the skin at the edges produces a central dimple because the lesion is tethered to the tissue beneath it
  • Crops of multiple lesions have been reported in people on immunosuppressive therapy, those with HIV, and pregnant women
  • The rare metastasizing benign variant is larger than 3 cm, more cellular, has more mitotic figures, and extends into the fat below
  • A rare clustered variant looks like a plaque made of more than 15 reddish to hyperpigmented bumps, usually on the legs of children or young adults [plaques]

Tests (4)

  • Diagnosis relies mainly on how it looks and the history; a longstanding lesion should not have changed rapidly
  • On dermoscopy it typically shows a white center ringed by a pigmented network
  • Histopathology remains the reliable way to confirm the diagnosis
  • On pre-biopsy ultrasound it appears as a poorly marginated, spiculated, avascular dermal lesion, sometimes reaching the superficial fat

If not this — what else fits (5)

  • Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is more cellular with deeper fat involvement in a honeycomb pattern, and stains CD34 positive and factor XIIIa negative, opposite to dermatofibroma
  • Kaposi sarcoma tests positive for HHV-8 and can stain for CD31, CD34, and D2-40
  • An intradermal nevus feels softer than a dermatofibroma and does not dimple when pinched
  • A keratoacanthoma grows fast and typically has a central keratin plug
  • Basal cell carcinoma shows peripheral palisading and CK20-positive Merkel cells within follicular induction, distinguishing it on biopsy

SourceStatPearls "Dermatofibroma" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (ASSESSMENT & ADVICE)

1st line
Adult dose and duration

A common benign firm skin nodule, most often on the lower legs, that dimples inward when pinched; diagnosed clinically and left alone unless symptomatic or diagnostically uncertain, in which case excision biopsy is offered. - Assessment and advice

Paediatric dose

Children follow the same pathway: assessment, explanation and follow-up. No primary-care medicine is implied.

Dose source

No dose - no medicine is given for this in primary care

Why

A common benign firm skin nodule, most often on the lower legs, that dimples inward when pinched; diagnosed clinically and left alone unless symptomatic or diagnostically uncertain, in which case excision biopsy is offered.

Cautions
  • No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care. The value of the consultation is recognition, explanation and follow-up, and referral if the red flags above appear.
  • RED FLAG - Rapid growth, ulceration or bleeding are atypical features for a dermatofibroma: refer for biopsy to exclude another diagnosis.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.