Localized Infrared Hyperthermia as an Adjunctive Therapy for Long-Standing Hailey-Hailey Disease: A Case Report

Hailey-Hailey disease (familial benign chronic pemphigus, HHD) is a rare, relapsing genodermatosis characterized by painful erosions in intertriginous areas. Management can be challenging in patients with long-standing, frequently relapsing disease, particularly when conventional therapies provide only partial or transient benefit. We describe a 45-year-old man with a 20-year history of HHD who was treated with localized infrared hyperthermia as an adjunctive therapy. Prior to presentation at our department, he had received multiple topical and systemic treatments with limited and temporary benefit, and continued to experience frequent relapses with substantial impairment in quality of life. A biphasic treatment regimen combining standard topical supportive care with localized infrared irradiation (1.0-2.4 μm, 43 ± 1°C) was administered. Initial treatment of the right axilla achieved complete local clearance and was accompanied by improvement in untreated distant lesions. Subsequent treatment of the remaining involved sites resulted in sustained overall disease control, with the Physician Global Assessment score improving from 4 to 1 and the Dermatology Life Quality Index from 23 to 2. No thermal adverse events were observed, and the patient remained recurrence-free at 11 months. This case suggests that localized infrared hyperthermia may be a safe, well-tolerated, non-invasive adjunctive option for selected patients with long-standing, frequently relapsing Hailey-Hailey disease.