Lichen Planus Pigmentosus in North Africa: A Series of 17 Cases.
Lichen planus pigmentosus is considered as a rare macular and pigmented
variant of lichen planus.
Two other conditions are similar, with close clinical and histological
characteristics: Ashy dermatosis described by Ramirez et al in 19572 and
“pigmented cosmetic melanosis” also called Riehl’s melanosis by Nakayama.
This pigmented dermatosis is characterized by brown to grey macules, located in face,
neck, arms, and more rarely in flexural areas. Histology shows pigment incontinence and, sometimes, basal cell vacuolization.
The disease affects preferentially women, in young to middle ages and
predominantly with dark skin phototypes.
LPPig was first described in Latin America, Indian subcontinent,
the middle east, and the far east but never reported in North Africa.
The aim of this paper is to report the characteristics of this condition
in Moroccan patients.
Inclusion criteria were the presence of macular pigmented lesions of the face,
neck or arms, and/or cutaneous histology showing pigment incontinence with basal cell
vacuolization and lichenoid infiltrate.
Six patients underwent cutaneous histology; pigment incontinence was observed in all cases,
as basal vacuolization The biopsy showed lichenoid infiltrate.
Eight patients received antimalarials before 2016; after
this date, 11 patients had tranexamic acid orally, 500 mg twice
daily during 3 or 6-months. One patient had Vibramycin during
3-months and another one had an injection of corticosteroids.
Typically, all except one patient received hydroquinone and sixteen
Dermatol Open J. 2019; 4(1): 10-14. doi: 10.17140/DRMTOJ-4-135
