Hypertrophic striae gravidarum as an eruptive dermatosis of pregnancy

Abstract

The authors present the unusual case of a 21-year-old woman, who, during the fourth month of her first pregnancy, developed asymptomatic lesions on abdominal distension striae. On physical examination, she presented erythematous–violaceous nodules, of a fibrous consistency, superimposed on atrophic whitish linear plaques along the abdomen, flanks, and lumbar region. A skin biopsy was performed that confirmed the clinical suspicion of hypertrophic scars on striae distensae. Over the biopsy wound, a keloid scar also developed. The authors have found previous case reports of queloid recurrence during pregnancy, but none about hypertrophic scars on stretch marks of pregnancy. However, it appears that the relationship between hormonal factors during pregnancy and the tendency toward abnormal scarring is well established.