The Human Horn

Aims: To revisit the once common condition- the sebaceous horn- long forgotten with the development of the medical field.

Presentation of Case: A 65 year old woman presented to the outpatient department with a lesion on the left upper arm which resembled an animal horn on inspection. This lesion had been painlessly progressive for more than 15 years but had become painful over the last 7 days. After thorough clinical examination she underwent wide local excision. Her post-operative period was uneventful.

Discussion: Sebaceous horn is an uncommon entity formed by condensation of Keratin- from the sebaceous cyst. It is mostly benign, but can harbor malignancy underneath. Treatment is by wide local excision and biopsy.

Conclusion: Sebaceous horn, is an uncommon entity which are predominantly benign. But they may harbor malignancy in approximately 20% of the cases and hence should be excised with a margin and sent for biopsy.