Erratum

biopsies of areas with normally abundant eccrine sweat glands, such as axillae and palms and soles, however, may show sparseness and hypoplasia of eccrine glands. Skin biopsies from areas with alopecia areata of long duration^* show sparse or absent inflammatory infiltrate, and an isolated finding consists of the presence of dystrophic miniature hair structures, either as dystrophic early anagen or as dystrophic telogen hair structures; therefore, the biopsy must be done from the edge of the lesion and include involved and normal skin to compare the hair structures. Finally, the detailed examination of an apparently normal skin specimen may show the presence of round, brownish-black granules around the sweat coils and in the arrectores pilorum fibers in the argyria or in the upper dermis, either free in the dermis or within macrophages, with mercury pigmentation.^° Dark-field examination of these slides shows the granules to be brilliantly refractile and has the advantage of blocking out otherwise visible granules (Fig. 6).