Parry-Romberg syndrome in an adolescent: a case report on progressive hemifacial atrophy

Parry-Romberg syndrome is a rare degenerative disorder causing progressive atrophy of skin and soft tissues of the face and neck, which is usually unilateral. The mean age of onset is usually in the second decade of life and the disease causes functional, aesthetic and psychological disabilities in the affected individual. We present a 14-year-old boy with this disorder. The diagnosis was based on clinical characteristics. A multidisciplinary team approach involving rheumatologists, dermatologists, maxillofacial surgeons, dentists and psychologists is required for the management of this problem, which is mainly targeted at controlling active inflammation with the use of immunosuppressive agents in addition to possible surgical correction of repositioning of adipose tissue that is lost due to atrophy.