Volume 27 Number 1 July 1992
Brief communications
111
Pool palms Andrew Blauvelt, MD,a Ana M. Duarte, MD,a, b and Lawrence A. Schachner, MDa, b
Miami, Florida We report four patients with red linear plaques on the palms as a result of contact with rough pool surfaces. We propose the name "pool palms" for this condition. CASE REPORT A 3 Ih-year-old boy had a 4-month history of molluscum contagiosum on his chest. Further examination showed symmetric erythematous linear plaques on the palms (Fig. 1). Identical lesions were observed on the palms of another young boy seen soon thereafter. Further questioning revealed that these children had been taught in swimming classes to grab the floor and walls of the pool to help guide movement while swimming underwater. In addition, we observed similar lesions on the palms of an ll-year-old girl and her 12-year-old sister. They reported scraping their palms on a pool floor while swimming for several hours the day before coming to our clinic. The palms were asymptomatic in the four cases.
DISCUSSION
In a recent review on skin injuries in sports medicine, Basler! noted that calluses occur on the hands when subjected to unusual increases in pressure or friction. Specifically, oarsmen, devotees of racquet From the Departments of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery," and the Department of Pediatrics," University of Miami School ofMedicine. Reprint requests: Lawrence Schachner, MD, Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami School of M edkine, P.O. Box 016250 (R-250), Miami, FL 331OJ.
16/54/35302
Fig. 1. Erythematous linear plaques on both palms.
sports, frequent golfers, and gymnasts were listed as the athletes most likely to get hand calluses. We report four patients with pool palms, which are previously undescribed cutaneous lesions in young swimmers. Rubbing the palms on rough pool wall and floor surfaces leads to the development of this distinctive entity. Like swimmer's shoulder? and green hair, 1,3 two previously described conditions in swimmers, pool palms are easily recognized and require no specific treatment. REFERENCES 1. Basler RSW. Skin injuries in sports medicine. J AM ACAD DERMATOL 1989;21:1257-62. 2. Koehn GG. Skin injuries in sports medicine [Letter]. J AM ACAD DERMATOL 1991;24:152. 3. Lampe RM, Henderson AL, Hansen GR. Green hair. JAMA 1977;237:2092.
Brief communications
111
Pool palms Andrew Blauvelt, MD,a Ana M. Duarte, MD,a, b and Lawrence A. Schachner, MDa, b
Miami, Florida We report four patients with red linear plaques on the palms as a result of contact with rough pool surfaces. We propose the name "pool palms" for this condition. CASE REPORT A 3 Ih-year-old boy had a 4-month history of molluscum contagiosum on his chest. Further examination showed symmetric erythematous linear plaques on the palms (Fig. 1). Identical lesions were observed on the palms of another young boy seen soon thereafter. Further questioning revealed that these children had been taught in swimming classes to grab the floor and walls of the pool to help guide movement while swimming underwater. In addition, we observed similar lesions on the palms of an ll-year-old girl and her 12-year-old sister. They reported scraping their palms on a pool floor while swimming for several hours the day before coming to our clinic. The palms were asymptomatic in the four cases.
DISCUSSION
In a recent review on skin injuries in sports medicine, Basler! noted that calluses occur on the hands when subjected to unusual increases in pressure or friction. Specifically, oarsmen, devotees of racquet From the Departments of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery," and the Department of Pediatrics," University of Miami School ofMedicine. Reprint requests: Lawrence Schachner, MD, Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami School of M edkine, P.O. Box 016250 (R-250), Miami, FL 331OJ.
16/54/35302
Fig. 1. Erythematous linear plaques on both palms.
sports, frequent golfers, and gymnasts were listed as the athletes most likely to get hand calluses. We report four patients with pool palms, which are previously undescribed cutaneous lesions in young swimmers. Rubbing the palms on rough pool wall and floor surfaces leads to the development of this distinctive entity. Like swimmer's shoulder? and green hair, 1,3 two previously described conditions in swimmers, pool palms are easily recognized and require no specific treatment. REFERENCES 1. Basler RSW. Skin injuries in sports medicine. J AM ACAD DERMATOL 1989;21:1257-62. 2. Koehn GG. Skin injuries in sports medicine [Letter]. J AM ACAD DERMATOL 1991;24:152. 3. Lampe RM, Henderson AL, Hansen GR. Green hair. JAMA 1977;237:2092.
