A Case of Papular Elastorrhexis

Abstract

Papular elastorrhexis is a rare disease, characterized by multiple nonfollicular white papules that usually occur on the trunk. Papular elastorrhexis occurs during childhood and adolescence. Histopathologically, the elastic fibers are decreased and they may appear in thin and fragmented forms. Herein, we report a 20-year-old Korean woman with asymptomatic multiple nonfollicular white firm papules that were scattered over the anterior chest.

Papular Elastorrhexis: A Case and Differential Diagnosis

“…PE is an uncommon cutaneous condition characterized by multiple asymptomatic papules measuring 1~5 mm, and scattered mainly on the trunk and the proximal portion of the extremities; it occurs predominantly during childhood or adolescence, with a predilection for females 3 , 4 . It is also known to have no extracutaneous abnormalities and a lack of family history 5 .…”

“…It is also known to have no extracutaneous abnormalities and a lack of family history 5 . The pivotal histological feature is decrease or fragmentation of dermal elastic fibers with or without changes in collagen bundles in the dermis 3 , 4 .…”

The Importance of Collagen Tissue in Papular Elastorrhexis, Eruptive Collagenoma, and Nevus Anelasticus

“…Twenty-four cases of PE 1 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 , 12 cases of EC 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 , and 2 cases of NA 7 33 were found. One case of EC 24 was reported in Korean in the Korean literature, and the others were in English.…”

“…Changes in collagen fibers in the elastic fiber-reduced area could be classified into 3 patterns: (i) normal collagen, (ii) fine, dense collagen, and (iii) thick, dense collagen. Four cases of PE 8 10 16 18 and 2 cases of EC 24 27 had fine, dense collagen tissue. In 2 cases of PE 6 9 and 1 case of NA 33 , collagen fibers did not show any change; and only 1 case of EC 25 had the thick, dense collagen fibers.…”

“…Among the reports, we selected only cases with histological figures in which we could evaluate the status of dermal collagen and elastic fibers. Six cases of PE 6 8 9 10 16 18 , 3 cases of EC 24 25 27 , and 1 case of NA 33 were selected. Changes in dermal collagen and elastic fibers in those cases are summarized in Table 2 .…”