THE CONCEPT of lichen nitidus has gone through several phases of evolution. The first cases were reported by F. Pinkus (1907),1 who described the condition as a harmless localized and asymptomatic eruption on the shaft of the penis. The granulomatous character of the infiltrate in lichen nitidus stimulated discussion about possible relationship to tuberculosis, particularly after cases had been described in which there was more or less generalized involvement of the skin. Other cases were presented which suggested that lichen nitidus may be a variety of lichen planus (Civatte,2 Ellis and Hill3).
In classic cases, three characteristics of lichen nitidus are outstanding in differentiating it clinically from lichen planus. The first of these is the subjective lack of pruritus as contrasted with the severe itching of most lesions of lichen planus. The second difference is the fact that the eruption of lichen nitidus consists