A Case of Pityriasisrosea Following Cosmetic Shaving

Atypical cases of pityriasisrosea are relatively common; however, there are very few reports of pityriasis rosea exhibiting a koebner-like phenomenon. We present a case of a 25-year-old healthy male patient with multiple salmoncolored, oval-shaped lesions on his abdomen, following along the same area which he had previously shaved two weeks prior. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with pityriasis rosea presenting in an atypical pattern. It is proposed that this atypical presentation of pityriasis rosea was a result of a koebner-like phenomenon triggered by the cosmetic shaving, either caused by a latent human herpes virus, the putative cause of pityriasis rosea, which was reactivated by the trauma of the shaving, or by koebnerization of a small herald patch that was present before the patient shaved. In general, the authors recommend that other differentials be excluded before arriving at a diagnosis of atypical pityriasis rosea. Yet, with the increased incidence of cosmetic body depilation, it is in a physician's best interest to keep trauma-induced or koebner-like phenomenon on the differential.