The treatment of lichen amyloidosis - A review and a new technique

BACKGROUND. A number of treatments for lichen amyloidosis have been described and the results are frequently unsatisfactory. OBJECTIVE. To describe a new surgical technique that uses a scalpel to scrape the upper layer of the skin. METHODS. A scalpel (No. 15) is' pressed firmly and perpendicularly against the skin and scraped exactly parallel with the surface of the skin. This can be repented until the subpapillary dermal layer. RESULTS. Scraping with the scalpel removes the epidermis and deposits of amyloid in the dermis. All nine patients healed without complications with acceptable to good aesthetic results. CONCLUSION. The technique is quick, effective, simple to perform, inexpensive, and safe. This is another option in the surgical treatment of selected cases of lichen amyloidosis. (C) 1998 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc.