Korean J Med Mycol.  2004 Mar;9(1):54-59.

Three Cases of Tinea Faciei Misdiagnosed as Contact Dermatitis

• Kim WJ
• Park JW
• Shin DH
• Choi JS
• Kim KH

Abstract

Although tinea faciei has its own characteristic clinical features, its clinical features may be similar to contact dermatitis, discoid lupus erythematosus, polymorphous light eruption, and seborrheic dermatitis. So we should always considered them in differential diagnosis. Recently we have seen three patients with erythematous scaly skin lesions on their faces. Their clinical features were very similar to that of contact dermatitis. All of them have been using topical steroids prescribed by non-dermatologists. Despite of topical and systemic steroid, skin lesions became worsened and spread. Repeatative KOH examination from the skin lesion have shown many hyphae. Trichophyton mentagrophytes was cultured from all three patients. Their colonial morphology and microscopic findings were very similiar each other, in spite of no direct contact. All the 3 cases developed in a month. Because one of the patients had a rabbit in her home, source of infection was suspected from rabbit

Keyword

Tinea faciei; Contact dermatitis; Misdiagnosis

MeSH Terms

Dermatitis, Contact*
Dermatitis, Seborrheic
Diagnosis, Differential
Diagnostic Errors
Humans
Hyphae
Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid
Skin
Steroids
Tinea*
Trichophyton
Steroids