Dermatosis neglecta
A skin condition from neglected hygiene due to pain or immobility.
Dermatosis neglecta is a skin condition resulting from inadequate hygiene of a specific body part, typically due to disability, pain, hyperesthesia, or immobility. It manifests as a localized patch of discoloration or a wart-like plaque caused by accumulation of sebum, keratin, sweat, dirt, and debris. The condition is notable because it resolves completely with vigorous rubbing using alcohol swabs or soap and water, which also serves as diagnosis, potentially avoiding unnecessary skin biopsies.
Quick Facts
- Specialty
- Dermatology
Facts from the source article.
Diagnosis
Dermatosis neglecta must be distinguished from dermatitis artefacta, where a skin lesion is factitiously created, whereas dermatosis neglecta arises from unconscious avoidance of cleaning due to pain or immobility. Other conditions that should not be mistaken for it include terra firma-forme dermatosis (which lacks a history of inadequate cleaning), confluent and reticulated papillomatosis of Gougerot and Carteaud, several forms of ichthyosis, acanthosis nigricans, and Vagabond's disease.
History
The term dermatosis neglecta was first coined by Poskitt and coworkers in 1995. Case reports include a man who avoided washing skin around an artificial pacemaker fearing damage, a woman who did not clean the right side of her chest due to hyperesthesia after mastectomy, a girl afraid to wash around an abdominal scar, and a man with multiple fractures, shoulder dislocation, and radial nerve palsy that reduced his mobility.
More in Skin Conditions Resulting from Physical Factors
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced