Extragenital lichen sclerosus of the breast and silicone breast implants

Abstract

Lichen sclerosus of the breast (LSB) is an uncommon inflammatory dermatosis of an incompletely understood pathogenesis. Herein, we report the case of a 29-year-old female who developed LSB 23 years after a silicone breast implant. A diagnostic skin biopsy revealed the typical three-layered pathology of an atrophic epidermis with the loss of rete ridges and basal keratinocyte vacuolization, a subepidermal band of sclerosis, and a lichenoid infiltrate of lymphocytes beneath that band. We discuss the possible relationship between silicone breast implants and autoimmune disorders.