REPORT OF A CASE
A 13-year-old girl presented with a prominent, erythematous, desquamative plaque of 3 cm in diameter on the left part of her chin (Fig 1). The lesion, which she had had for three months, was slowly enlarging in spite of the use of topical steroids and antimycotic agents. She was in good general health and results of routine examination were normal. Results of microscopic examination and culture of the scale for detection of fungal elements were negative. A cutaneous biopsy specimen showed the pattern in Fig 2.What is your diagnosis?
DIAGNOSIS:
Alopecia mucinosa (follicular mucinosis).
HISTOPATHOLOGIC FINDINGS
Toluidine blue stain showed metachromatically colored material in the cystic spaces of the follicular epithelium (Fig 3).
DISCUSSION
The terms alopecia mucinosa and follicular mucinosis are used by many authors to indicate an inflammatory condition characterized by mucin deposits in the epithelium of the