Trichoadenoma of the upper eyelid: case report and literature review

Abstract

BAckground: Trichoadenoma of Nikolowski is a rare and benign tumor of the hair follicle. It was first described in 1958. The clinical appearance of trichoadenoma can be confused with basal cell carcinoma, and a differential diagnosis must be made with this entity and with other benign lesions such as epidermal cyst, seborrheic keratosis, actinic keratosis, and more exceptionally with comedo. cASE prESEntAtIon: We report a case of a 45-year-old woman with a pigmented lesion in the left eyelid mimicking comedo. Histopathology study showed lesions containing keratinous cysts surrounded by lymphocytic components in the dermis and hair shaft among the cystic keratin, which is unusual in these tumors. The lesions were diagnosed as trichoadenoma. concLuSIon: We suggest that all excised eyelid lesions be sent to histopathological study.