Ashy Dermatosis or Lichen Planus Pigmentosus: What Is in a Name?

To the Editor.— I am prompted to write this letter after reading the article "Unilateral Ashy Dermatosis Occurring in a Child" by Urano-Suehisa et al1in theArchives. The authors listed several names for the condition, save perhaps the most apt one—lichen planus pigmentosus (LPP).2The authors pointed out that the histologic features of skin lesions from their patient were similar to those seen in lichen planus (LP) and that Tschen et al3and Naidorf and Cohen4had drawn attention to a histologic parallelism between ashy dermatosis and LP. When my colleagues and I first designated ashy dermatosis as LPP, we were guided by our histologic observation of a lichenoid appearance of pigmented macules and by the association with other forms of LP in about one third of our patients.2Tschen et al3concurred with our views, and Naidorf and Cohen, while agreeing with