Fox-Fordyce disease is an uncommon inflammatory disease of the apocrine sweat glands. Two recent reports indicated
laser hair removal as a novel cause of axillary
Fox-Fordyce disease. We report the first case of
Fox-Fordyce disease developing in women after completing treatment with a depilatory hair
laser appearing in the axillae, umbilicus, and pubis. We describe a case of
Fox-Fordyce disease that developed in a 27-year-old woman 3 months after she had completed two LightSheer
Diode laser treatments of her axilla, periumbilical region, and bikini area. Clinical and histopathological changes are as well detailed.
Laser therapy induces damage to follicular infundibulum, resulting in altered maturation of keratinocytes which led to
keratin plugging causing the common pathologic features in
Fox-Fordyce disease. Differences in the physiologic features of the anatomic sites, in the susceptibility to
laser-induced injury among these areas, or additional factors may contribute to
Fox-Fordyce disease.