Lipidized Dermatofibroma:The Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of Twelve Cases

Abstract

Objective: Lipidized dermatofibroma is a rare and lesser-known variant of dermatofibromas. This study aimed to reveal the clinical and demographic features of lipidized dermatofibromas. Material and Methods: Histopathologically confirmed twelve cases of lipidized dermatofibroma were included in the study and retrospectively evaluated. Clinical and demographic characteristics such as patients' age, sex, location and duration of lesions, lesion size and serum total cholesterol and triglyceride values of the patients were evaluated from their medical records. Results: The ages of the patients ranged from 36 to 65 years, with a mean of 51 years. The size of the lesion varied between 1.5 cm and 4 cm. All lesions were located on the lower extremities with 75% being below the knee. Seven lesions were tumoral. Some of the exophytic lesions were yellow in color macroscopically and the others were recorded to be yellow in color during biopsy. Eighty percent of the cases had a high serum level of either cholesterol or triglyceride or both. Conclusion: Lipidized dermatofibromas occur at a later age than classic dermatofibromas. They are larger than classic dermatofibromas and they may be identical to giant dermatofibromas. Larger dermatofibromas tend to be lipidized and localized in the lower extremity. Since this situation necessitates histopathological validation, diagnosed lipidized dermatofibromas are usually located on the lower extremities. The yellow areas observed in a dermatofibroma may be an indication of lipidized form. The lipidization can be related to the high cholesterol levels of the patients.