tretinoin and Collagen-Diseases

Topics: Animals; Cartilage; Collagen; Collagen Diseases; Enhancer Elements, Genetic; Gene Expression Regulation; Rats; Tretinoin

A fifty-nine year old man is reported herein with a hyperkeratotic papular eruption that clinically and histologically was compatible with Kyrle's disease (hyperkeratosis follicularis et parafollicularis in cutem penetrans). Treatment with tretinoin (topical vitamine A acid) resulted in a severe inflammatory reactions in the lesions which persisted for four monthes and did not prevent a mild recurrence of the disease. The clinical and histologic differential diagnosis is reviewed perforating folliculitis, reactive perforating collagenosis, and elastosis perforans serpiginosa. The close similarity between Kyrle's disease and perforating folliculitis often makes absolute diagnosis very difficult.

Topics: Collagen Diseases; Darier Disease; Diagnosis, Differential; Drug Eruptions; Elastic Tissue; Folliculitis; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Recurrence; Tretinoin

The clinical and histologic features of lifelong reactive perforating collagenosis in a twenty-five year old woman are presented. Experimentally induced lesions showed the expected evolution and regression, although total time for the experimental lesion to develop and regress was shorter than the time necessary for those occurring spontaneously. Therapeutic trials with a wide variety of topical and systemic medications were without benefit, with the exception of tretinoin cream (0.1 percent), which was regularly effective in reducing the total number of lesions present.

Topics: Administration, Topical; Adult; Collagen Diseases; Erythema; Female; Humans; Keratosis; Skin; Tretinoin; Vitamin A