Generalized lichen nitidus appearing subsequent to lichen planus

A 27-year-old man was seen with multiple, small, shiny papules on his shoulders, upper arms, and trunk, and hyperpigmented violaceous plaques on his feet. The former was diagnosed as generalized lichen nitidus and the latter, as lichen planus. It is not likely that the coexistence of the two diseases in this patient is a fortuitous one, since generalized lichen nitidus is a very rare condition. The association of lichen nitidus and lichen planus suggests that lichen nitidus is closely related to lichen planus and that the two diseases may be different manifestations of essentially the same pathogenetic process.