A severe case is reported of a rare skin disorder characterized by multiple intracutaneous cystic lesions; the condition is difficult to manage and impossible to cure. The complicating cystic infections that accompany the condition are treated acutely using sound surgical principles, yet long-term management remains a difficult and unsolved problem. Some of the approaches to treatment are discussed. Surgical cures are usually precluded by the extensive nature of the disease. Perhaps most disheartening is the devastating social and psychological damage resulting from the progressive facial and bodily disfigurement, for which there is at present no satisfactory treatment.