Creeping Hair: An Isolated Hair Burrowing in the Uppermost Dermis Resembling Larva Migrans

Abstract

A 55-year-old Japanese male presented with a slowly moving linear erythema that looked like an eruption of creeping disease, or cutaneous larva migrans. The eruption extended linearly along Langer’s line of the lateral side of the abdomen to the lower back, leaving wave-like erythema. In the top third of the erythematous eruption, close examination demonstrated a black thin line, which was revealed to be a hair shaft by a shallow incision of the skin. After removal of the hair, the eruption diminished immediately, leaving a slight pigmentation. An ingrown pubic hair seemed to have migrated with the lower end forward along Langer’s line, because of the arrangement of hair cuticle and the force of body motion. Linearly moving erythematous eruptions that look like that of larva migrans should be differentiated from creeping hair by close examination detecting burrowing hair.

It’s Time to Distinguish the Sign ‘Creeping Eruption’ from the Syndrome ‘Cutaneous Larva Migrans’

“…The causes of this creeping eruption include hair creeping as remembered in this issue of Dermatology [1] . However, parasitic diseases are more often discussed when facing this sign ( table 1 ).…”

“…The case report of 'creeping hair' published in this issue of Dermatology [1] carries two important messages. It first illustrates that creeping eruption may have other causes than parasitic diseases.…”

A new site of cutaneous pili migrans in a 6-month-old infant

“…Among them, 5 were children with CPM locating at their soles. [1][2][3][4] Herein, we describe a Chinese 6-month-old infant whose lesion was situated in the posterior aspect of left leg.…”

“…[1][2][3] Although the causative hair shaft, needless to say, does not move automatically, but rather by the forces of body surface movement, the hair shaft appears as if it is creeping by itself. The etiology of the condition remains unclear.…”

In Deutschland erworbene Larva migrans cutanea

“…Andere Hautveränderungen, wie die durch Larven des Zwergfadenwurmes ausgelöste Larva currens, breiten sich dagegen linear aus. Auch subkutan fehleinwachsende Körperhaare "creeping hair" sind durch lineare Eruptionen charakterisiert [15]. Ebenfalls im Sommer tritt häufiger die Zerkariendermatits auf, die durch Wurmlarven von Vogelbilharzien hervorgerufen ("Baggerseedermatitis, swimmer's itch") wird.…”