ACQUIRED RELAPSING SELF-HEALING BLASCHKO DERMATITIS

We describe a 44-year-old woman who had a unilateral relapsing linear dermatosis for 12 years. The lesions consisted of erythematous, discre te and grouped papules and papulovesicles that were localized to the l eft side of the upper and lower limbs, chest, abdomen, and back. They were distributed along Blaschko's lines. There was also a diffuse eryt hematous scaly hyperkeratosis of both palms. The lesions healed sponta neously. Examination of biopsy specimens from the back and the left pa lm revealed acute and subacute spongiotic dermatitis, respectively. Th is dermatosis was first described by Grosshans and Marot in 1990 and t ermed ''Blaschkite de l'adulte.'' Because the disease is acquired, rel apsing, heals spontaneously, follows Blaschko's lines, and is characte rized histopathologically by a spongiotic dermatitis, we propose the t erm ''acquired relapsing self-healing Blaschko dermatitis.''