• Definition
• Symptoms
• Causes
• Risk factors
• Complications
• Preparing for your appointment
• Tests and diagnosis
• Treatments and drugs
• Lifestyle and home remedies
• Alternative medicine

Free

E-Newsletters

Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters

• Housecall
• Alzheimer's caregiving
• Living with cancer

close window

About our e-newsletters

• Free e-newsletters
• Mayo Clinic expertise
• We do not share your e-mail address

Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.

Housecall Archives

• RSS Feeds

close window

Mayo Clinic Housecall

Stay up to date on the latest health information.

What you get

• Free weekly e-newsletter
• Mayo Clinic expertise
• Recipes, tools and other helpful information
• We do not share your e-mail address

• Sign up
• View past issues

Treatments and drugs

Lichen planus affecting the skin may last from a few months to several years. It usually clears up on its own, but treatment may be necessary to suppress itching and promote healing of the skin.

Lichen planus affecting mucous membranes, genitalia, the scalp or nails generally causes more discomfort. Symptoms affecting these sites are more difficult to manage, often persist for long periods and often recur after initial healing.

Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids may reduce inflammation associated with lichen planus. The side effects vary depending on whether it's used as an ointment applied directly to the skin or mucous membrane (topical), taken as a pill (oral), or administered as an injection. The potential benefit of corticosteroids needs to be balanced with possible side effects, which include the following:

• Topical. Long-term use of topical corticosteroids can cause thinning of the skin, suppression of adrenal gland function, lessening of the treatment effect and other skin problems.
• Oral. Long-term use of oral corticosteroids can cause weakening of the bones (osteoporosis), diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other serious side effects.
• Injections. Injection may be administered directly into lesions or into muscle tissue. Repeated use of corticosteroid injections can cause some of the same side effects as oral corticosteroids.

Retinoids
Retinoids are synthetic versions of vitamin A that can be applied topically or taken orally for treatment. The topical treatment doesn't cause the side effects associated with corticosteroids, but it may irritate the skin or mucous membranes.

Because both topical and oral retinoids can cause birth defects, the drugs shouldn't be used by women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the near future. Your doctor can advise you on necessary precautions.

Nonsteroidal creams or ointments
Several reports have shown the effectiveness of topical medications, called calcineurin inhibitors, which are closely related to or identical to oral medications used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs. These treatments appear to be particularly effective for the treatment of lichen planus of mucous membranes. Examples of these topical medications include tacrolimus (Protopic ointment) and pimecrolimus (Elidel cream).

Antihistamine
Antihistamines act against a protein called histamine that is involved in inflammatory activity. An oral or topical antihistamine may relieve itching or pain associated with lichen planus.

Phototherapy
Light therapy, or phototherapy, may help clear up lichen planus affecting the skin.

UVB
The most common phototherapy for lichen planus uses ultraviolet B (UVB) light, which penetrates only the upper layer of skin (epidermis). There is some risk of "sunburn" with this treatment.

UVA
Another therapy uses ultraviolet A (UVA) light, which penetrates deep into the skin. This therapy is usually used in combination with oral or topical psoralen, a drug that makes the skin more sensitive to UVA light.

Short-term side effects of this therapy may include nausea, headache and itching. To avoid sunburns, you must be careful to avoid sun exposure for a couple of days after taking psoralen. Also, you must wear special UVA-absorbing sunglasses for a couple of days to protect your eyes.

Addressing triggers
If your doctor suspects that lichen planus may be related to a drug you take, hepatitis C infection or an allergen, he or she will recommend steps to address the trigger. These actions may include:

• Drugs. Your doctor may ask you to stop taking a drug or to try an alternative drug to the one that may be acting as a trigger. This action may require consultation with the doctor who originally prescribed your medication.
• Hepatitis C. You'll likely be referred to a specialist in infectious diseases or a specialist in liver disease (hepatologist) for further diagnostic evaluation and disease management.
• Allergen. If tests suggest that an allergen may be a potential trigger, you'll be advised to avoid the allergen, and you may need to see an allergist for additional treatment.

Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic.

• Try Mayo Clinic Health Letter FREE!
• The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook, Second Edition
• Living with chronic pain? Mayo Clinic can help
• The Mayo Clinic Diet — Eat well. Enjoy life. Lose weight.

NEW — Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life!