Morphoea of the breast in a young girl

Abstract

Localized morphoea is an uncommon sclerosing skin disorder. Prognosis is usually good but it may lead to contractures, perturbed limb growth, atrophy, pigmentary changes and cosmetic disturbance. We describe a case of morphoea that developed in one breast in a 9-year-old white female. Treatment comprised topical ammonium lactate 12% cream and tretinoin 0.025% cream but no topical corticosteroids were prescribed. One year later she was noted to have bilateral symmetrical breast development and, although signs of morphoea were still present in one breast, the plaque had softened and there was no breast deformity. It is important to remember that most cases of morphoea improve spontaneously, although a number of possible therapeutic options may be indicated in some patients.