Histologic Features of Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus in a Surgical Scar

Abstract

A 76-year-old woman presented with a 7-mm, hard, pink nodule at the site of an appendectomy scar of more than 70 years' duration. The clinical impression at the time of biopsy was that of a keloid. Surprisingly, light microscopic examination revealed classic histologic features of late-stage lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) overlying a scar. Elastic tissue stain highlighted the unusual presence of abundant nodules of elastin in the reticular dermis only.