Annular atrophic plaques of the face. A variety of atrophic discoid lupus erythematosus?

In a patient whose condition was diagnosed clinically and pathologically as annular atrophic plaques, the lesions bore some resemblance to morphea, lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, and discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). In a lesion that appeared recently, which was not DLE clinically, the histological characteristics were consistent with DLE, and immunofluorescence examination disclosed an immunofluorescent band at the epidermal-dermal zone. We suggest that annular atrophic plaques may be an atypical variant of DLE, with a tendency to sclerosing.