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

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...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Antonela Stiube, Daniella Jenni, Lea Wiederkehr, Florian Anzengruber, Stephan Nobbe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Karger Publishers 2019-04-01
Series:Case Reports in Dermatology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/499897
Description
Summary: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.
ISSN:1662-6567