Rhinophyma on hemangioma: A diagnostic conundrum

@#INTRODUCTION: Rhinophyma, aside from persistent centrofacial redness is a major diagnostic criteria for rosacea. Phyma may be mistaken for hypertrophy of tissue due to an underlying hemangioma. CASE REPORT: A 35-year-old female presented with few erythematous papules on the face and nose 19 years prior to consult. Lesions evolved into multiple erythematous nodules on nose and was mistaken for tissue hypertrophy due to an adjacent congenital hemangioma. Her hemangioma was treated with pulsed dye laser 16 years prior with noted decrease in size and erythema. Recently she noticed enlargement of her nose with persistent redness. She presented with multiple firm, thick irregularly shaped erythematous nodules with prominent pilosebaceous pores and telangiectasia on the nose. Skin punch biopsy was done which revealed hypertrophy and lysis of sebaceous lobules with a moderately dense inflammatory infiltrate of lymphocytes. Histopathological diagnosis was rhinophyma. Patient was treated with low dose isotretinoin (0.20 mkd) with marked flattening of lesions in just one month. CONCLUSION: Distinguishing phyma from tissue hypertrophy caused by hemangioma poses as a diagnostic challenge. Careful dermatological examination and histopathological findings will aid in correct diagnosis. Low dose oral isotretinoin is an effective treatment for rhinophyma.

Clinical, dermoscopy and histopathological findings in a case of lipoid proteinosis

Introduction@#Lipoid proteinosis is a rare autosomal recessive genodermatosis with only approximately 300 cases reported worldwide. This condition is due to the loss of function mutation of the ECM1 gene which encodes for extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1), a secretory protein that promotes angiogenesis and is a negative regulator of endochondral bone formation.@*Case summary@#We report a case of a 23-year-old male who presented with chronic recurrent verrucous and waxy lesions on the face and body, diffuse alopecia of the scalp, and hoarseness of voice. Lesions heal leaving scars. Dermoscopy of the eyelid margins show white to yellowish clods with accentuated brownish halo. Lesions on the nape show multiple follicular symmetric whitish-yellow clods with brownish halo and well-defined borders. Lesions on the elbows show a reticular pattern with white clods and diffusely distributed brown dots. Histopathology shows basket-woven stratum corneum, spongiosis of the epidermis with vacuolar alteration, and formation of clefts in the basal cell layer. The papillary dermis shows hyaline material which also surrounds the blood vessel and the adnexal structures. There is mild superficial and mid dermal perivascular inflammatory infiltrate of lymphocytes. PAS highlights eosinophilic material in the papillary dermis which also surrounds the blood vessels and the adnexal structures. Alcian blue staining reveals positive staining for hyaline deposits.@*Conclusion@#This report highlights the importance to recognize the clinical, dermoscopic and histopathological findings of lipoid proteinosis.