TINEA INCOGNITO AND OVER-THE-COUNTER POTENT TOPICAL STEROIDS

The term tinea incognito has been used to describe a dermatophyte infe ction modified by corticosteroid treatment. Lesions are often atypical appearing and the diagnosis is frequently delayed or missed, This dif ficulty is often exacerbated by the random misuse of potent dermatolog ic preparations that can alter the initial presentation to the dermato logist, Recently, we have encountered an increasing number of patients who have obtained potent superpotent topical steroids ''over the coun ter'' to self-treat various dermatoses, We report two such cases of ti nea incognito that were exacerbated and altered clinically by the use of such preparations.