Darier's Disease

Definition: A rare skin disease that is inherited from a parent and starts in the teenage years. The two most common appearances of this condition are:

• Thick, red to brown papules that start on the forehead, scalp, folds of the nose, ears, chest, or back
• Around half of the people with Darier's disease also have flat, skin-colored or brown, wart-like papules on the backs of the hands, feet, and sometimes on forearms and legs.

These lesions itch and often have an odor. Topical steroids and topical retinoids are used to treat this condition but sometimes oral medications such as Accutane (isotretinoin) or Soriatane (acretin) have to be used.

_Source:

Martinez-Mir, Amalia, and Angela Christiano. "Genodermatoses: Darier's Disease." Dermatology. Ed. Jean Bolognia. New York: Mosby, 2003: 531-5. 823-29.

Also Known As: Darier-White disease, keratosis follicularis, dyskeratosis follicularis