Armor-like chronic actinic dermatitis

Xinrong Chen, Jie Chen

PAMJ. 2025; 50:114. Published 28 Apr 2025 | doi:10.11604/pamj.2025.50.114.39129

The pathogenesis of chronic actinic dermatitis is not well understood, which is speculated to be a delayed hypersensitivity caused by light induction. It is found that immunological basis is involved, and the infiltrating cells in the dermis are mainly CD8+ cytotoxic inhibitory T cells. They tend to occur in areas exposed to sunlight. A 68-year-old male presented with erythema infiltrating plaques on the frontal face for more than 5 years with pruritus. The skin is shaped like armor was diagnosed with armor-like chronic actinic dermatitis. The differential diagnoses may include seborrheic dermatitis, dermatomyositis, contact dermatitis. Topical use of a strong hormone cream may relieve symptoms, but the lesions are not completely resolved.
Corresponding author
Xinrong Chen, Zhuji People´s Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Shaoxing 311800, China (1037460786@qq.com)


The Pan African Medical Journal (ISSN: 1937-8688) is a subsidiary of the Pan African Medical Journal. The contents of this journal is intended exclusively for professionals in the medical, paramedical and public health and other health sectors.

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