Dermatology Online Journal

Granuloma annulare (GA) is a benign, granulomatous disease with several clinical manifestations, which include localized, generalized, perforating, subcutaneous, patch, papular, and linear forms.  We report a case of papular GA of the dorsal aspects of the hands that arose after repeated, direct trauma to the site of subsequent involvement.  Although multiple etiologies for GA have been proposed, which include ultraviolet light, arthropod bites, trauma, tuberculin skin tests, viral infections, and PUVA photochemotherapy, the underlying pathogenesis of the disorder remains unclear.  However, owing to the key histopathologic findings of focal collagen and elastic fiber degeneration and mucin deosition in GA, it is not surprising that cutaneous trauma may have played a role in connective tissue injury, subsequent degeneration, and the production of a granulomatous response with increased mucin deposition.