JLE

European Journal of Dermatology

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Hair follicle nevus – A dermoscopic approach Volume 18, numéro 2, march-april 2008

Auteurs
Kyushu University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Maedashi 3-1-1, Higashi-ku, 812-8582 Fukuoka, Japan, Department of Dermatology, Inatsuki Hospital, Kama, Japan, Kiryu Clinic, Department of Dermatopathology, Chihaya 5-14-25, Higashi-ku, 813-0044 Fukuoka, Japan

We report the case of a 26-year-old man who presented with small soft nodules with tiny hairs that had been present on his nose since childhood. The nodules were initially diagnosed as melanocytic nevi. However, dermoscopy showed many uniform hair follicles and an interfollicular ‘pseudo-pigment network’ in the nodules. Histologically, many well-differentiated hair follicles and sebaceous glands were seen in the dermis. Serial sectioning revealed neither central cysts nor a central canal. We therefore diagnosed this case as hair follicle nevus. Dermoscopy is now widely used as a non-invasive, in vivo technique for the diagnosis of pigmented skin lesions. Hair follicle nevus is a very rare disease and this is the first report to demonstrate the manifestation of this clinical entity by dermoscopy.