Lichen spinulosus explained

Synonym:	Keratosis spinulosa^[1]
Specialty:	Dermatology

Lichen spinulosus is a rare skin disorder characterized by follicular keratotic papules that are grouped into large patches.^[2] It is a variant of keratosis pilaris named for its resemblance to a patch of lichen.

Signs and symptoms

It appears as a cluster of keratotic spines that resemble sandpaper and 2–5 cm hypopigmented or skin-colored follicular papules. The lesions typically appear on different parts of the skin and last for a few weeks or months.^[3]

Causes

It could be inherited or linked to substances like gold, arsphenamine, thallium, vitamin A deficiency, diphtheria toxin, atopy, lithium medication, Hodgkin's disease, Crohn's disease, HIV, or alcoholism.^[3]

Diagnosis

The histologic observations reveal a dermal lymphohistiocytic infiltration focused around hair follicles.^[3]

Treatment

Treatments include topical keratolytics and emollients such as urea, adapalene, salicylic acid, vitamin A, tretinoin, and tacalcitol.^[3]

See also

• Hook nail
• List of cutaneous conditions

Further reading

• SJ . Friedman . Lichen spinulosus. Clinicopathologic review of thirty-five cases . Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology . 1990 . J Am Acad Dermatol . 22 . 2 Pt 1 . 261–264 . 0190-9622 . 2179296 . 2024-03-19 . none.
• Kabashima . R . Sugita . K . Kabashima . K . Nakamura . M . Tokura . Y . Lichen Spinulosus in an Alcoholic Patient . Acta Dermato Venereologica . Medical Journals Sweden AB . 89 . 3 . 2009 . 0001-5555 . 10.2340/00015555-0600 . 311–312 . 19479136 . none.

External links

• DermNet
• Cleveland clinic

Notes and References

1. James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005). Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology. (10th ed.). Saunders. .
2. Book: Rapini, Ronald P. . Bolognia, Jean L. . Jorizzo, Joseph L. . Dermatology: 2-Volume Set . Mosby . St. Louis . 2007 . 978-1-4160-2999-1 .
3. Aghighi . Maryam . Pukhalskaya . Tatsiana . Brickley . Sylvana . Smoller . Bruce . An Uncommon Case of Lichen Spinulosus in an Adult Patient Clinically Mmimicking Folliculotropic Mycosis Fungoides . Cureus . Springer Science and Business Media LLC . 2020-06-12 . 12 . 6 . e8572 . 2168-8184 . 10.7759/cureus.8572 . free . 32670708 . 7358940 .