Dermatologic applications of cyclosporine.

It is evident that cyclosporine A is a potent immunosuppressive agent and may become immensely valuable in the treatment of cutaneous disease. The extent of its application and efficacy is speculative, as neither the pathogenesis of many of the diseases, nor the mechanism of action of cyclosporine is fully understood. Well-designed clinical and laboratory studies are necessary to delineate its therapeutic value in a particular disorder. It must be emphasized that the systemic use of the drug is associated with several serious side effects, including nephrotoxicity and lymphoproliferative disease. Local topical application may reduce these concerns, and make treatment of benign diseases a possibility. Therefore, until these well-designed prospective studies are performed, cyclosporine's use should be limited and closely monitored.