[Tinea of the eyebrows. About six cases]

Tinea of the eyebrows is a part of tinea capitis. M. canis, T. violaceum, T. verrucosum and T. mentagrophytes are the most frequently implicated fungi in tinea of the eyebrows.

Our study includes six patients who presented erythematous scaly plaques and pustules on the eyebrows. The eyebrows hairs were grayish, friable and broken leaving alopecic areas. Direct microscopy of the infected hairs of the eyebrows lesions followed by culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar were effectuated in every patient at the beginning, during and the end of treatment.

The direct microscopy revealed ectothrix-type hair shaft infection forming a sheath of small-spores on the outside of eyebrows hairs and M. canis was identified on cultures of Sabouraud's dextrose in all cases. Systemic treatment was initiated with griseofulvin 1000 mg/day in two patients and with terbinafine 250 mg/day in four patients associated with topical antimycotics for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks of treatment mycological cure was obtained in 100% of cases.

Tinea of the eyebrows is a rare disease that occurs usually secondary to other dermatophytic infection and rarely isolated.