Dermatitis papulosa juvenilis

Juvenile papular dermatosis is characterized by hypopigmented lichenoid flat papules with predilection for the dorsa of the hands, the elbows and the knees. The disease affects children in the summer months. Changes observed in biopsy specimens show hyperkeratosis, a moderate degree of acanthosis and a lymphocytic perivascular infiltrate in the upper dermis. The pathogenetic influence of such rough materials as sand and wool and of photosensitivity in atopic patients is suggested. We report on a 9-year-old boy who developed lesions of juvenile papular dermatitis (especially severe on the face and the back of the knee) and extreme pruritus for the first time in summer 1994.