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Alexander Kreuter, MD; Thilo Gambichler, MD

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

In the January issue of the Archives, Colbert and colleagues¹ report on the successful use of narrowband (NB) UV-B phototherapy in a patient with widespread extragenital lichen sclerosus (LS). We fully agree that NB UV-B is an attractive alternative for patients with extragenital LS if UV-A1 devices are not available. After having treated several patients with NB UV-B, we believe that at least 30 irradiation sessions (similar to NB UV-B treatment for localized scleroderma) are necessary to produce significant changes in the clinical status.² Importantly, patients must be advised that their skin disease might appear "deteriorated" during phototherapy because the healthy surrounding skin tans more strongly than LS lesions.

Colbert and colleagues¹ have speculated that the main mechanism of action of NB UV-B in LS might be the increase of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) levels, finally resulting in a reduction of skin sclerosis. This . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Progressive Extragenital Lichen Sclerosus Successfully Treated With Narrowband UV-B Phototherapy
Rand L. Colbert, Melissa P. Chiang, Christopher S. Carlin, and Matthew Fleming
Arch Dermatol. 2007;143(1):19-20.
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