Hereditary perioral pigmented follicular atrophoderma associated with milia and epidermoid cysts

Eight members of a single family all presented the characteristic changes of facial, especially perioral, pigmented follicular atrophoderma, with numerous milia and epidermoid cysts. For this condition. diagnosis at a glance may be possible because of the perioral cutaneous manifestations. Histopathological examination of follicular atrophoderma revealed proliferation of basaloid cells continuous with the epidermis and coarse collagen fibres, with a decreased density of elastic fibres around the basaloid cells. Two of the eight individuals also showed generalized hypohidrosis. The eight affected persons were the proband, her son, mother, uncle, two younger sisters, cousin and nephew: an autosomal dominant mode of transmission was suggested from this family tree. The patients' symptoms resembled those of Bazex-Dupré-Christol syndrome, except for the different distribution of the follicular atrophoderma and the absence of basal cell carcinoma and hypotrichosis. This disease may be an entirely new syndrome characterized by perioral pigmented follicular atrophoderma associated with milia and epidermoid cysts.