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Lichen planus

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment

Symptoms:

• Itching in the location of a lesion, mild to severe
• Skin lesion:
  • Usually located on the inner areas of the wrist, legs, torso, or genitals
  • Generalized, with symmetric appearance
  • Single lesion or clusters of lesions, often at sites of skin trauma
  • Papule of 2 - 4 cm size
  • Papules clustered into a plaque or large, flat-topped lesion
  • Distinct, sharp borders to lesions
  • Possibly covered with fine white streaks or linear scratch marks called Wickham's striae
  • Shiny or scaly appearance
  • Color dark -- reddish-purple (skin) or gray-white (mouth)
  • Possibility of developing blisters or ulcers
• Ridges in the nails ( nail abnormalities )
• Dry mouth
• Metallic taste in the mouth
• Mouth lesions
  • Tender or painful (mild cases may have no discomfort)
  • Located on the sides of the tongue or the inside of the cheek
  • Occasionally located on the gums
  • Poorly defined area of blue-white spots or "pimples"
  • Linear lesions forming a lacy-appearing network of lesions
  • Gradual increase in size of affected area
  • Lesions occasionally erode to form painful ulcers
• Hair loss

Signs and tests:

A preliminary diagnosis may be made on the way your skin or mouth lesions look. A skin lesion biopsy or biopsy of a mouth lesion can confirm the diagnosis. Additional blood tests may be done to rule out hepatitis.

• Review Date: 10/16/2006
• Reviewed By: Michael S. Lehrer, M.D., Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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