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Case Reports
. 2025 Jan 24;17(1):e77907.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.77907. eCollection 2025 Jan.

Inverted Follicular Keratosis in a Young Female Patient: A Case Report of a Rare Occurrence

Haifa A Alfalah  1 , Halah O Alamawi  2 , Hamad J Aldhafiri  3 , Alanood M Alharthi  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Inverted Follicular Keratosis in a Young Female Patient: A Case Report of a Rare Occurrence

Haifa A Alfalah et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

This case report describes a rare occurrence of inverted follicular keratosis (IFK) in a 27-year-old woman who had a single lesion on the left side of her nose. IFK, which primarily affects older males, is a harmless condition that involves the hair follicles and sebaceous ducts. The patient's lesion, with a size of 0.4 x 0.3 x 0.3 cm, was surgically removed and subsequently identified as IFK through histopathological analysis. This case underscores the significance of including IFK in the list of potential causes for solitary keratotic lesions in younger patients and emphasizes the need for histopathological analysis to ensure an accurate diagnosis. After the surgical removal, the patient did not experience any return of the condition, which aligns with the positive outlook described in the medical literature.

Keywords: dermato-pathology; dermatology; differential diagnosis; histopathology; ifk; inverted follicular keratosis; solitary skin lesion; young female.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. A solitary, dome-shaped, exophytic nodule is observed resembling inverted follicular keratosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Low power histologic review (H&E) from the skin shows a well circumscribed keratinized squamous cell lesion, with an endophytic growth pattern.
(H&E): Hematoxylin and Eosin.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Low power histologic review (H&E) from the skin shows a well circumscribed keratinized squamous cell lesion, with an endophytic growth pattern.
(H&E): Hematoxylin and Eosin.
Figure 4
Figure 4. High power histologic review (H&E) shows surface parakeratosis.
(H&E): Hematoxylin and Eosin.
Figure 5
Figure 5. High power histologic review (H&E) demonstrates the inward bulbous growth pattern of this lesion. In addition, squamous eddies and peripheral palisading basaloid cells are noted.
(H&E): Hematoxylin and Eosin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Inverted follicular keratosis. White DK, Miller AS, Burkes EJ, et al. J Oral Maxill Surg. 1985;43:498–503. - PubMed
    1. Inverted follicular keratosis: a retrospective study over 10 years. Baklouti M, Sellami K, Mellouli M, et al. Indian J Dermatol. 2023;68:122. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Inverted follicular keratosis. ME AH. Arch Dermatol. 1964;89:229–235. - PubMed
    1. David Weedon. Weedon's Skin Pathology (Third Edition) Churchill Livingstone; 2010. Tumors of cutaneous appendages; pp. 757–807.
    1. Infundibular tumors of the skin. Mehregan AH. J Cutan Pathol. 1984;11:387–395. - PubMed

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