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Terra Firme-Forme Dermatosis Diagnostic Sign and Treatment: A Case Report


Stiube, Antonela; Jenni, Daniella; Wiederkehr, Lea; Anzengruber, Florian; Nobbe, Stephan (2019). Terra Firme-Forme Dermatosis Diagnostic Sign and Treatment: A Case Report. Case Reports in Dermatology, 11(1):108-112.

Abstract

Terra firma-forme dermatosis (TFFD) is a little-known disease of unknown etiology that clinically presents with asymptomatic brown to black plaques and resembles dirty skin. Here, we report the case of a 38-year-old woman with skin changes on her areolae that were mistakenly diagnosed as “dermatitis neglecta” by several physicians. Cleansing with water and soap had no impact on the skin appearance. But a swab of 70% isopropyl alcohol removed the plaques immediately, which confirmed the diagnosis of TFFD. Only a few cases of TFFD have been published, and this skin condition is not mentioned in many textbooks. Given the unfamiliarity of this disease, TFFD is speculated to be immensely underdiagnosed, even though a simple diagnostic sign exists.

Abstract

Terra firma-forme dermatosis (TFFD) is a little-known disease of unknown etiology that clinically presents with asymptomatic brown to black plaques and resembles dirty skin. Here, we report the case of a 38-year-old woman with skin changes on her areolae that were mistakenly diagnosed as “dermatitis neglecta” by several physicians. Cleansing with water and soap had no impact on the skin appearance. But a swab of 70% isopropyl alcohol removed the plaques immediately, which confirmed the diagnosis of TFFD. Only a few cases of TFFD have been published, and this skin condition is not mentioned in many textbooks. Given the unfamiliarity of this disease, TFFD is speculated to be immensely underdiagnosed, even though a simple diagnostic sign exists.

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Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, further contribution
Communities & Collections:04 Faculty of Medicine > University Hospital Zurich > Dermatology Clinic
Dewey Decimal Classification:610 Medicine & health
Scopus Subject Areas:Health Sciences > Dermatology
Language:English
Date:23 April 2019
Deposited On:21 Aug 2019 11:26
Last Modified:22 Sep 2023 01:45
Publisher:Karger
ISSN:1662-6567
OA Status:Gold
Free access at:Publisher DOI. An embargo period may apply.
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1159/000499897
  • Content: Published Version
  • Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)