Confluent and reticulate papillomatosis is a rare but clinically distinct dermatosis first described by Gougerot and Carteaud in 1927. It consists of dark brown pigmented papules which coalesce to reticulate and confluent patches. It usually begins shortly after puberty mainly in females and is most often localized to the intermammary and interscapular regions. Histological examination shows hyperkeratosis and papillomatosis, and there may be decreased granular cell layer, focal acanthosis, or hypermelanosis of the basal cell layer. We recently observed a 20-year-old male patient who showed typical clinical and histopathological findings of confluent and reticuIate papillomatosis. Treatment with an aromatic analog of vitamin A acid(Ro 10-9359) resulted in dramatic effectivenese.
Adolescent ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Male ; Papilloma* ; Puberty ; Skin Diseases ; Tretinoin* ; Vitamin A* ; Vitamins* ; Young Adult