ABSTRACT
This is just a mini form of lichen planus. It gets better on its own over a period of months and no treatment is needed. If lesions
Body liC0 are present on the penis the man can be reassured that it is not Body lice live in the clothes rather than on the skin, so treatment contagious, has to be directed at them rather than at the patient himself. Malathion powder can be sprinkled along the seams of the clothes but is not usually needed since ordinary washing and ironing will LICHEN PLANUS kill the lice. The main thing is to think about the possibility of the diagnosis in anyone who has been sleeping rough and remember Lichen planus on the skin to look along the seams of the patient's clothes for the lice and The rash usually lasts between 9 and 18 months and then gets the eggs. better spontaneously. No one knows why it occurs and the patient
should be reassured that it is not serious or contagious. It is a very itchy condition and the patient cannot be expected to put up with the itching for a year or more. A moderately potent topical steroid cream such as 0.025% betamethasone valerate (Betnovate RD), can be applied twice a day to give relief from the itching (for alternative steroids, see page 8). Rarely one of the more potent steroid creams will be needed, but these should be avoided if possible because they will need to be continued until the rash gets better on its own. The steroids will not make the rash go away and you should make this clear to the patient from the beginning. They are very effective in stopping the itching, more so than oral antihistamines, which on the whole are not a lot of help.
