Medical Questions » Skin Questions » Question No. 888
| Question: | I have been diagnosed with lichen planus, which mainly affects my mouth. I would like to know more about this condition, what causes it, method of treatment and prognosis. |
| Answer: | Lichen planus is an uncommon skin condition which normally starts in the twenties or thirties. It causes small, shiny, flat-topped growths that may grow and join together to form a plaque. It is more common in skin creases such as the inside of the wrists and elbows, but can occur anywhere on the body surface, including the insides of the mouth, nose, ears, vagina and anus. It may start at a point where the skin has been injured, or may be triggered by some drugs, but the actual cause is unknown. One theory is that it may be a chronic viral infection of the skin, but this is as yet unproven.
The only way to be certain of the diagnosis is to cut out a part of the skin affected by the rash (a biopsy) and have a pathologist examine this under a microscope.
Mild cases are usually not treated, but more serious cases are treated with steroid creams and then covering the area with a plastic dressing. Further treatments include steroid pastes in the mouth, taking steroid tablets, injecting steroids into the affected skin, exposing the rash to ultraviolet light, and using potent prescription medications such as Tigason, Retin A and Dapsone in serious cases.
The long-term course of the condition is very variable, with some patients recovering in a few months, while others may suffer for years. Virtually all patients recover from the condition completely eventually, but there may be some pigmentation of the skin left behind after the rash has cleared.
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