Benign cephalic histiocytosis: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Benign cephalic histiocytosis (BCH) is a rare type of non-Langerhans histiocytic disorder, usually presenting with small, yellow-red or yellow-brown, asymptomatic papules, located mostly on the head and neck of infants and young children. The histopathologic hallmark of BCH is a well-circumscribed histiocytic infiltrate in the superficial to mid-reticular dermis. BCH is a self-healing disorder, with the eruptions regressing spontaneously in most cases; therefore no treatment is required. We present a case of BCH in a 7-month-old boy who was referred to our department with multiple, asymptomatic, yellow-red papules located on his face, and we review 55 cases published in the English-language literature in an effort to better describe and understand this unusual entity.