Low-dose ultraviolet-A1 phototherapy for lichen sclerosus et atrophicus

Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by white porcelain-like sclerotic skin lesions, It is most c ommonly seen in adult females and usually affects the genitoanal area, Extr agenital LSA appears in 15-20% of cases, We report a 9-year-old Caucasian g irl suffering from extragenital LSA that was resistant to conventional trea tment. After 40 treatment sessions with low-dose UVA1 phototherapy, ail ski n lesions were resolved completely, Moreover, the improvement. of skin stat us has been sustained during B-months of follow-up. Longwave UVA irradiatio n has been shown to induce intensively collagenase activity in human dermal fibroblasts, We suggest that UVA1 irradiation could be an effective treatm ent in patients suffering from extragenital LSA.