Dermatosis Papulosa Nigra

Although nothing is clearly established about the genetics of this disorder, the occurrence predominantly in blacks is consistent with a genetic basis. As many as 35% of adult blacks may be affected. The disorder is somewhat more frequent in females. The papules occur most typically on the face below the eyes and on the cheeks. Castellani (1925) described and named this disorder, which he found to be very frequent among the blacks of Jamaica and Central America. The lesions are black and dark-brown papules, sometimes cupoliform or at times flattened; they are situated on the face, principally on both malar regions, being rare or absent on the lower parts of the face and chin. Onset is usually about the time of puberty. Butterworth and Strean (1962) expressed the opinion that this condition is merely a variant of seborrheic keratoses that occurs predominantly in blacks.