[Extensive Dowling-Degos disease following long term PUVA therapy]

Abstract

Background: Dowling-Degos disease is a rare and benign inherited dermatosis.

Patients and methods: A 53-year-old woman presented with generalized histologically confirmed Dowling-Degos disease revealed 8 years after psoralen photochemotherapy (PUVA) for psoriasis. This presentation was special in terms of its considerable spread as well as the absence of comedone-like and punctate scars.

Discussion: Dowling-Degos disease is a reticulate pigmentary disorder of the flexures associating prominent comedone-like lesions and pitted scars. Diagnosis is based on clinical and histopathological examination, which allows this entity to be differentiated from other reticulate pigmentary disorders. A literature review failed to provide any indication that PUVA therapy either aggravates or reveals Dowling-Degos disease, a finding which we feel merits mention.