Hi Tracy! It's understandable that you are confused. Was a punch biopsy performed? My dermatologist thoroughly examined my skin prior to performing the biopsy? If you are uncertain about the biopsy results, have you thought about having another biopsy performed and getting a second opinion from another dermatologist?
July 17
I’m even more confused now
July 15
That's a really important concern worth raising with your dermatologist. Where a biopsy is taken from matters — for prurigo nodularis, samples are typically taken from the middle of a lesion or nodule to get the most accurate results. If the biopsy wasn't taken from a nodule site, it's reasonable to question whether the Show Full Answer
That's a really important concern worth raising with your dermatologist. Where a biopsy is taken from matters — for prurigo nodularis, samples are typically taken from the middle of a lesion or nodule to get the most accurate results. If the biopsy wasn't taken from a nodule site, it's reasonable to question whether the results are fully reliable. It's also worth knowing that scabies and PN can look very similar, and telling them apart can be tricky. A few things that can help distinguish between the two:
- Scabies is infectious, so recent exposure to someone with itchy skin could be a clue
- People with scabies are more likely to show signs of skin picking in a different pattern than PN
- A skin scraping (not just a biopsy) is often used specifically to check for scabies
If your treatment for scabies doesn't improve things, or if the biopsy location feels off, it's absolutely worth going back to your dermatologist and asking for a second opinion or a repeat biopsy taken directly from a nodule. You deserve a diagnosis you can feel confident in.
July 15
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