Trichoscopy as a Clue to the Diagnosis

Abstract

A 43-year-old man presented to our department with generalized erythroderma since early childhood, previously treated with topical and systemic corticosteroids with only partial improvement. The physical examination revealed polycyclic erythematous scaly plaques on the trunk and extremities and lichenification of the body folds (Fig. 1). In addition to skin lesions, we observed sparse hair of both eyebrows and eyelashes, however hair of the scalp was normal. The patient had a history of asthma in childhood. The family history was non- -contributory and the patient didn’t have any children. Analytically, routine blood tests were normal, however an elevated serum level of IgE 29650 UI/mL (N < 165) was detected. We performed trichoscopy of the eyebrows that showed nodules along the hair shaft and distal fractures (Fig.s 2a and 2b). The trichoscopic examination of the hair of the scalp did not identify any changes.