Actinic Purpura

Excerpt

Actinic purpura is a common benign disorder of dermal connective tissues due to skin damage from chronic sun exposure. It was initially described by Bateman in 1818 and is also known as Bateman senile purpura or Bateman disease. It usually affects elderly individuals and is characterized by dark purple blotches on photo-exposed areas, especially the back of the hands and the extensor surfaces of the forearm. These lesions normally fade for up to three weeks. The term solar purpura has been used by some authors as a synonym to actinic purpura, but it is preferable to reserve it to purpuric lesions that occur acutely after sun exposure.