Cutaneous lupus erythematosus: Reflecting on practice-changing observations over the past 50 years.

Several historical observations have led to the current understanding of the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Seminal advances in the management of this disease include the development of a classification system for cutaneous lupus, the use of a validated scoring system to assess patient disease activity, and expansion of knowledge of the action spectrum of this disease; further, observations regarding certain medications as potential causes of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, the risk of progression from "pure" cutaneous disease to systemic disease, and traditional versus newer therapies are reviewed with closer inspection.