Actinic Lichen Planus: Significance of Dermoscopic Assessment

Actinic lichen planus (LP) is a rare variant of the already infrequent LP. LP is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder seen in 1-2% population of the world. The classical presentation is in the form of the four P's namely pruritic, purplish, polygonal, papules and plaques. On the contrary in this variant of actinic LP, although the lesions look similar in appearance they are characteristically distributed over the photo-exposed areas of the body like the face, extensors of the upper limbs, and dorsum of hands. Koebner's phenomenon which is characteristic of LP is absent. The commonest differentials that leave the clinician in a fix are usually discoid lupus erythematosus, granuloma annulare, and polymorphous light eruptions. A detailed clinical history followed by histopathological examination aids in the final diagnosis in such cases. In scenarios where the patient is not willing for a minor interventional procedure such as a punch biopsy, dermoscopic assessment comes to the rescue. Dermoscopy being an inexpensive, non-invasive, and minimal time-consuming procedure helps in the early diagnosis of a wide range of cutaneous disorders. Fine, reticulate white streaks over the surface of papules or plaques of LP known as "Wickham's striae" act as the diagnosis clincher for most cases of LP. The numerous variants of LP have consistent biopsy findings and the mainstay for treatment remains topical or systemic corticosteroids. We report this case of a 50-year-old female farmer that presented with multiple violaceous plaques on photo-exposed areas of the body owing to its rarity and use of dermoscopy in enabling a prompt diagnosis that helped improve the patient's quality of life.