Treatment of localized scleroderma and lichen sclerosus with etretinate

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.