The Efficacy of Topical Calcineurin Inhibitors for Treating Lichen Striatus

Kim, Gun Wook; Kim, Su Han; Chin, Hyun Woo; Seo, Sang Hee; Jung, Do Sang; Ko, Hyun Chang; Kim, Moon Bum; Kwon, Kyung Sool

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Lichen striatus is a well-known, acquired, self-healing, linear inflammatory dermatosis. The therapeutic approach that is usually adopted is topical steroid, even though the prolonged use of this may lead to several side-effects, and particularly cutaneous atrophy.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of topical calcineurin inhibitors for the treatment of lichen striatus.
METHODS
Twenty nine patients received topical application of calcineurin inhibitors twice a day up to the marked disappearance of the cutaneous lesions.
RESULTS
Six (20.7%) of 29 patients achieved a complete response after a mean treatment period of 2.5 months. A good response was observed in 8 patients (27.6%) and a partial response was seen in 8 patients (27.6%). Of the 29 patients, 22 patients (75.9%) had more than a 50% response without any severe adverse effects. No significant differences in the therapeutic responses were found with regard to the patients' ages, the duration of the disease and the length of the treatment periods.
CONCLUSION
Our results show that topical calcineurin inhibitors may well represent a useful therapeutic alternative for the treatment of lichen striatus.