Abstract

“Tinea incognito” is a dermatophytic infection which modifies typical clinical presentation due to improper use of topical or systemic corticosteroids. In this report, we present three cases who had been treated with topical corticosteroid as a result of incorrect diagnosis. The first case, a 30-year-old male patient complained of localized, erythematous, scaling papules and plaques on his genitocrural crease and umbilical region for four months. The second case, a 40-year-old male patient had generalized, erythematous plaques with papules and pustules, and macular hyperpigmentation for one month. The third case, a 23-year-old male patient had erythematous macules with papules on his malar areas for three months. In all presented cases, direct microscopic examination was positive and, in the first and second cases, the fungal cultures were positive for Trichophyton rubrum. The lesions also showed complete resolution with antimycotic treatment. In this report, we have reviewed the recent medical literature about “tinea incognito”.