Treatment of Localized Scleroderma and Lichen Sclerosus with Etretinate
March 1984
in “
Acta dermato-venereologica
”
Studysummary This study concluded that etretinate showed only moderate effects in treating lichen sclerosus and localized scleroderma, with some patients experiencing clearing but others having no resolution or lesion progression. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
Eight patients with lichen sclerosus and 8 patients with localized scleroderma were treated with etretinate at doses of 0.5 mg/kg body weight for 3 to 12 months. In the lichen sclerosus group, 2 of 3 juvenile cases cleared, but 5 cases of other types showed no improvement or worsened. In the localized scleroderma group, 2 patients cleared with slight atrophy, while 5 patients' conditions stabilized but did not resolve, and lesions resumed progression in 2 patients after stopping the drug. The study concluded that etretinate had only moderate therapeutic effects for both conditions.
