Background
Venous lakes manifest as dark blue-to-violaceous compressible papules caused by dilation of venules. They were first described in 1956 by Bean and Walsh, who noted their compressibility and predilection for sun-exposed skin, especially the ears of elderly patients.
Although benign, venous lakes are important because of their mimicry of malignant lesions, such as melanoma and pigmented basal cell carcinoma.