What is artefacta?
Dermatitis artefacta is a condition in which skin are solely produced or inflicted by the patient's own actions. This usually occurs as a result or of a psychological problem. It could be a form of emotional release in situations of distress or part of an attention seeking behaviour. In very rare cases there may be an underlying attempt to secure an insurance claim.
The condition is also known as factitial dermatitis.
Who is at risk?
Dermatitis artefacta occurs more commonly in women than men. Usually affected women are in their teens or early adulthood and tend to be emotionally immature or have or interpersonal difficulty. Intelligence of the patient varies but many have some superficial medical knowledge.
Features of dermatitis artefacta
Patients present with lesions that are difficult to recognise and do not conform to those of known . Features of dermatitis artefacta include:
- Lesions are often in bizarre shapes with irregular outlines in a or geometric pattern.
- Lesions are usually clearly from surrounding normal skin.
- The appearance of lesions varies depending on methods used to injure the skin.
- Lesions range from red patches, swelling, blisters, denuded areas, crusts, cuts, burns, and scars.
- Lesions may be produced by a variety of mechanical or chemical means, including fingernails, sharp or blunt objects, lit cigarettes and caustic chemicals.
- Sometimes it is hard to distinguish dermatitis artefacta from natural diseases, particularly if lesions inflicted mimic those with a cause.
- Lesions do not evolve gradually but emerge almost overnight without any prior signs or symptoms.
- They are usually found on sites that are readily accessible to the patient's hands, e.g. face, hands, arms or legs.
- The patient will usually deny that the is self induced.
Dermatitis artefacta
DO AUTOIMMUNE SCREEN , PORPHYRIA SCREEN
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