need help with your account or subscription? click here to email us (or see the contact page)
join telegramNEW! discord
jump to exam page:
search for anything ⋅ score predictor (โ€œpredict me!โ€)

NBME 20 Answers

nbme20/Block 1/Question#5 (reveal difficulty score)
A 24-year-old African American man comes to ...
Pseudofolliculitis barbae ๐Ÿ” / ๐Ÿ“บ / ๐ŸŒณ / ๐Ÿ“–
tags: derm

 Login (or register) to see more


 +4  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—hayayah(1212)
get full access to all contentpick a username

Foreign body inflammatory facial skin disorder characterized by firm, hyper-pigmented papules and pustules that are painful and pruritic. Located on cheeks, jawline, and neck.

Commonly occurs as a result of shaving (โ€œrazor bumpsโ€), primarily affects African-American males.

Images: shorturl.at/fpwY1

get full access to all contentpick a username
tyggles  A good way to remember this is that the word Barber comes from the French for beard (barbe) and these rashes will be in the distribution of a beard. +4
fatboyslim  Also, it is unlikely to be acne vulgaris beginning at the age of 24 with only a 3-month history +7



 +4  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—hungrybox(1277)
get full access to all contentpick a username

I did this by process of elimination:

Acne is not itchy or painful from my experience (Choice A).

Never heard of cutaneous lupus eryhtematosus, but I'd asssume you'd have a malar rash (involving the nose/undereye area), not spread out over the cheeks, jaw, and neck (Choice B).

Keloids are just overgrown scars. Scars are not particularly itchy or painful (Choice C)

Rosacea is just redness/flushing in certain areas of the skin. Mainly an aesthetic issue. Not itchy or painful (Choice E).

tbh I was between B and D.

get full access to all contentpick a username



 +3  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—mrclean83(3)
get full access to all contentpick a username

Black person here. Curly facial hair tends to curve back towards the skin a day or two after shaving. Hence the "pseudo" folliculitis. Not an infection but an inflammation from sharp edge of the hair growing into the skin. And yes it hurts! Generally sensitive to touch as well

get full access to all contentpick a username



 +1  upvote downvote
submitted by โˆ—lilyo(94)
get full access to all contentpick a username

https://mybeardgang.com/pseudofolliculitis-barbae-treatment-tips-razor-bumps/

get full access to all contentpick a username



 +0  upvote downvote
submitted by thegooddoctor(1)
get full access to all contentpick a username

Pseudofolliculitis barbae is also extremely common in AA males. This should be another automatic reflex based on clinical presentation.

get full access to all contentpick a username



Must-See Comments from nbme20

amorah on Cytomegalovirus infection
masonkingcobra on Contact with parakeets
hayayah on Capillary hydrostatic: increased; ...
hayayah on X chromosome-linked isoenzymes
medbitch94 on Mannose 6-phosphate
hello on Capillary hydrostatic: increased; ...
hayayah on Osteoblasts
imgdoc on Hypophosphatemia
hayayah on Missense
celeste on 50%
justgettinby on Omeprazole
andrewk1 on Cold, dry air
yotsubato on Jugular venous pressure of 12 mm Hg
strugglebus on Drug effect

search for anything NEW!