Archives of Dermatology · 1951 · 14 citations · 0 references
MedicineDermatologyPathologyDermatopathologyGenodermatosesHistopathologyInflammatory DermatosesInflammatory Skin DiseasesInflammatory Skin DisordersCutaneous AtrophyInflammatory Pigmentary Changes
Heidingsfeld<sup>1</sup>in 1918 reported the case of a 20 year old white man who presented numerous "pit marks" on his face. These were indistinguishable from the scars seen following variola. The patient denied having had any previous eruption which might account for the marks, or pits. Further questioning of the patient and his immediate family convinced Heidingsfeld that the atrophic areas had appeared spontaneously. The patient's cheeks were studded with sharply defined, shallow, pitted scars. Most of the lesions were round; a few were linear or rectangular, but all were devoid of any inflammatory or pigmentary changes. However, Heidingsfeld described a little erythema and scaling preceding the appearance of the pitted scars. This erythema disappeared quickly, to be followed by atrophy, with occasionally a very faint, residual furfuraceous scaling. Heidingsfeld described this as a new disease to be classed with the so-called spontaneous or idiopathic atrophies of the skin.