Lichen sclerosus is an acquired inflammatory condition characterized by whitish
fibrotic plaques, with a predilection for the genital skin. We performed scanning
electron microscopy of the dermis from a lesion of lichen sclerosus. Normal collagen
fibers could be easily found in deeper layers of the specimen, as well as the
transition to pathologic area, which seems homogenized. With higher magnifications in
this transitional area collagen fibers are adherent to each other, and with very high
magnifications a pearl chain aspect became evident along the collagen fibers. In the
superficial dermis this homogenization is even more evident, collagen fibers are
packed together and round structures are also observed. Rupture of collagen fibers
and inflammatory cells were not found. These autoimmune changes of the extracellular
matrix lead to the aggregation of immune complexes and/or changed matrix proteins
along the collagen fibers, the reason why they seem hyalinized when examined by light
microscopy.