Publication:

Successful treatment of granuloma faciale

Granuloma faciale (GF) is a chronic condition characterized by asymptomatic erythematous plaque with prominent telangiectasia presenting usually over the face. Although the condition is benign, its treatment is often unsatisfactory. Therapeutic modalities that have been tried include topical steroids and topical tacrolimus sometimes enhanced with topical dapsone. Others include intralesional corticosteroids, antimalarials, isoniazid and pulsed-dye laser. We report a case of a 58 years old female with a 1 year history of a solitary slowly progressive plaque over the nose. Diagnosis of GF was made based on the histopathological findings. The patient was started on the combination of topical tacrolimus, intralesional corticosteroids injection and oral doxycycline for 3 months. The patient showed gradual improvement in 3 months without any side effects. This case supports previous papers of successful treatment of GF with topical tacrolimus. There was no recurrence at follow-up 18 months later. It also supports the use of combination therapy especially in resistant cases.