Trichoepithelioma is a benign skin tumor of the pilosebaceous follicle. It may occur either as nonhereditary solitary lesion or as multiple lesions (multiple trichoepitheliomas), which may be a new or autosomal dominant germline mutation. Trichoepithelioma usually appears in childhood or early adolescents and may involve a limited area of the body, most commonly on the face, or be widespread. Multiple hereditary trichoepithelioma was first described by Brooke in 1899 and was previously also known as Brooke syndrome and epithelioma adenoides cysticum. When occurring as the only cutaneous finding, it is called trichoepithelioma papulosum multiplex. Alternatively, it may be associated with other cutaneous findings such as cylindromas, spiradenomas, and milia, in a syndrome called Brooke-Spiegler. The differential diagnosis of multiple familial trichoepithelioma includes BCC, other appendageal tumors, syringoma and angiofibroma.
Treatment options include surgery, split-thickness skin grafting, dermabrasion cryotherapy, electrodessication, and carbon dioxide laser. All methods carry significant risk of side-effects, and most importantly scarring and unsatisfactory results.