Retinoid therapy and autoimmune skin disease

Autoimmunity, defined as immunity against self, is a factor in the etiopathogenesis of a wide variety of skin disorders. While many diseases that have an autoimmune component, such as psoriasis, are reviewed in other chapters of this book, the following chapter will focus on lichen planus, lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) as well as lupus erythematosus. Retinoids have shown some beneficial effects in these conditions and may be a reasonable therapeutic option in the right circumstance. Other autoimmune disorders, such as autoimmune bullous diseases, have not been reported to respond to retinoids in any large, controlled trials.