The condition may be recurrent over a number of years. The condition may make it very uncomfortable for the patient to work in a hot, humid environment. It is not known why a number of dermatoses tend to be papular and follicular in dark-skinned people. This phenomenon is well documented in atopic dermatitis. Although most of the patients are male, it has been reported in women.
Most patients report a sudden onset of a widespread pruritic papular eruption.
Occasionally a patient may report that a number of peers have been affected at the same time. There is also often a personal or family history of atopy. In a given area, all the follicles are involved. The usual sites are the chest and mantle and the upper arms. The history often suggests a hot, humid environment as a precipitating cause.