9th June 2025

Dermatitis artefacta

Dermatitis artefacta is a factitious disorder. Patients intentionally damage their own skin and present with irregularly shaped dermatological lesions. The lesions often appear on normal surrounding skin, that is within easy reach.

The condition is often seen alongside other psychological/psychiatric conditions. Patients presenting are usually in early late puberty and of female gender.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2012). Dermatis Artefac, Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=dermatitis+artefacta&title=Special%3AMediaSearch&go=Go&type=image (Accessed 23 May 2025).