Tiny brown spots on palm

I've had these 3 or 4 tiny, clustered brown spots on my left hand palm for about 1-2 years now. I'm 32 years old, fair skin, and I've had basal cell carcinoma near my right eyelid a couple of years ago. Each of these small brown spots is about the size of a needle and they seem to cluster in what looks like a small 1.0 to 1.5 millimeter mole when looked from afar. From what I can see (they are very small dots), they are all the same color, which is approximately the color of my other moles. These small dots are completely flat (no height) and I'm not 100% convinced that they haven't changed in the past year. I'm pretty sure this whole cluster was smaller a year ago. From memory, they started as one small spot, and now there are 3-4 tiny ones very close to each other (1.0-1.5 mm wide as a bunch). Since they are individual dots, they form a cluster with irregular shape when looked as a whole. I'm seeing a dermatologist in a couple of weeks but I'd like an opinion as to what they could be.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It can be due to tine nigra palms. Tinea nigra is a superficial fungal infection that causes dark brown to black painless patches on the soles of the hands and feet. To confirm the diagnosis, I suggest you to get a KOH examination and fungal culture of the skin scrapings done. The other possibilities are of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation or melanocytic nevus.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.