Three Cases of Lupus Miliaris Disseminatus Faciei

LMDF is an asymptomatic papular eruption affecting the central area of the face, which runs a chronic course and involutes spontaneously with scarring. Histopathologically, the papules usually show scattered masses of tuberculoid granuloma composed of epithelioid cells, giant cells, and an encircling rim of small round mononuclear cells in the dermis. The etiology and pathogenesis of this condition are still unknown. Consequently, the treatment of LMDF has not been satisfactory despite the use of various drugs such as antituberculous drugs, steroids, tetracycline. Dapsone and isotretinoin have been reported to be effective in some cases.

Three cases of LMDF are presented with efficacy of isotretinoin. Red-brown papules of the face developed and improved by isotretinoin in a 33-year-old man(case 1), and a 28-year-old man(case 2). But the lesions of the face persisted in 55-year-old man(case 3).