A patient presents to your office with known HIV and complains of new skin lesions on their feet.
Note: There are several photos, as this condition can have many different appearances!

Question: What are these lesions called and how do you treat them ?
For treatment – please presume it’s isolated to the feet as depicted above.

Answer: These photos depict different manifestations of Kaposi sarcoma, a disease of the endothelial cells of blood vessels and the lymphatic system commonly associated with HIV.

By treating the underlying HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy, it reduces the frequency of Kaposi sarcoma.

For local lesions, you can also consider topical therapy if they are causing pain or cosmetic problems, though there is tendency for recurrence after local treatments. These treatments may include cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen, radiotherapy, laser therapy or surgical excisions to name a few.