Morphea of the eyelids.

Morphea, or localized scleroderma, of the eyelids is an uncommon disease. Morphea usually involves the thorax, trunk, lower and upper extremities, face, and genitalia. In the present report a patient with a biopsy-proven morphea of both upper eyelids is described. The salient histopathologic features included thinning of the epidermis with thickening and sclerosis of the collagen fibers in both the papillary and reticular dermis. There was a marked decrease in the fibrocytes. The eccrine sweat glands were entrapped by sclerotic collagen fibers. The pilosebaceous units were markedly decreased in number. There was a moderate lymphocytic infiltration in the dermis and a prominent lymphocytic perivasculitis. The clinical and histopathologic features of morphea are compared with those of lichen sclerosus et atrophicus.