Atrophic Striae After Occlusive Corticosteroid Therapy

Two young girls treated with occlusive corticosteroid dressings developed atrophic striae at the sites of occlusion. Histopathologic examination revealed that the most significant changes occurred in the dermis with the most striking feature being a loss of elastic tissue. Although striae normally develop in 35% of 10- to 16-year-olds, girls are 2½ times more striae-prone than boys. The report of these two cases, added to similar reports by other investigators, suggests that occlusive corticosteroid therapy be used sparingly and judiciously in the striae-prone female adolescent.