Therapeutic results in actinic prurigo cheilitis

This case describes the clinicopathologic features and therapeutic results of a patient with actinic prurigo cheilitis. A 61-year-old Black female patient attended the stomatology clinic presenting a severe ulcerated cheilitis persisting for 5 years. Pruritus, tingling, and pain of the vermilion were recorded. Clinical examination revealed an inflammatory edema whit desquamation and ulceration with serohematic crust as the only manifestation of this condition. Typical histopathologic findings included the presence of acanthosis, spongiosis, basal cell vacuolation, formation, edema of the lamina propria, lymphocytic inflammatory infiltrate with well-defined lymphoid follicles, and variable numbers of eosinophils and melanophages. Initial management was with the combination of topical steroids and propionic tacrolimus 0.1% with no satisfactory results, followed by topical injection of dipropionate of betamethasone. Our report confirms that lip lesions may appear as the only manifestation of this photodermatosis that is considered a specific form of cheilitis.