A superficial BCC is a shiny, pearly plaque, a different morphology than the eczematous, often weeping plaque of EMPD.
While both are carcinoma in situ, Bowen's disease is typically a dry, scaly plaque on sun-exposed skin, whereas EMPD is an eczematous plaque in apocrine gland-bearing skin (genitals, axilla).
Eczema will respond to topical steroids and is typically itchy, whereas EMPD is a persistent, non-responsive plaque representing an underlying adenocarcinoma.
This is a bright red, sharply demarcated bacterial infection that responds rapidly to antibiotics, unlike the persistent, neoplastic plaque of EMPD.
Inverse psoriasis in the anogenital area is a smooth, red, well-demarcated plaque, but it lacks the induration and resistance to therapy seen in EMPD.
This fungal infection is distinguished by its active, scaly border and can be confirmed with a positive KOH test, which would be negative in EMPD.
