A 64-year-old woman presented with extensive erythematous papulosquamous le
sions along the lines of Blaschko on the right half of the trunk and the ri
ght leg. The clinical and histological features led to the diagnosis of lic
hen striatus, a dermatosis which usually appears during childhood. Treatmen
t with acitretin led to marked improvement. Lichen striatus and its differe
ntial diagnoses particulary "blaschkitis of adulthood" as first described i
n 1990 - are discussed.