Barber′s syndrome: Plenoidal sinus with nonpatient hairs

Abstract

Barber's syndrome is a plenoidal sinus that occurs in the interdigital space resulting in penetration from the epidermis by exogenous hairs. As an occupational disease, it is named so because of its prevalence in barbers. The penetration of short and hard hairs into the epidermis and the subsequent accumulation in the interdigital space triggers infection and leads to the classic plenoidal sinus pattern. However, unlike the classical plenoidal sinus, this pattern is formed in the interdigital space free of hair follicles and with exogenous, nonpatient hairs. Here, we present the case of a 31-year-old male patient who had plenoidal sinus in the second interdigital space for 1½ years. We would like to emphasize that it is a rare occupational disease which occurs in barbers with exogenous hairs and wanted to show the diagnostic and treatment modalities of this rare syndrome.