[Familial syringoma: a rare clinical variant]

Syringomas usually occur either sporadically in a periorbital localized or truncal eruptive form. We report on two families with very uncommon hereditary syringomas. Multiple syringomas developed in the periorbital area of affected patients in the first family while the face, neck, trunk, and extremities were involved in the second family. The lesions first appeared during puberty and their number and distribution varied among the family members. Autosomal dominant inheritance equally affecting both sexes appears most likely. The incidence of familial syringomas may be widely underestimated. For treatment, carbon dioxide laser yielded good results while an excellent cosmetic outcome was achieved on the face with a special surgical technique using a springaction microscissors.