Improvement of lichen nitidus after topical dinitrochlorobenzene application

Recently, a relationship between immunologic alterations and the development of lichen nitidus (LN) lesions has been described. We treated LN lesions with topical dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) application in a patient with peripheral CD4+ T lymphocytopenia. After 4 months, the eruption cleared. We investigated histologically and immunohistochemically biopsy specimens obtained before and after treatment. Our result suggests that local alterations of the pattern of cells and cytokines by topical DNCB application could have contributed to the resolution of the LN lesions.