Ashy dermatosis

Ashy dermatosis is a controversial entity that has received many names in the literature. It has sometimes been associated with other diseases, and sometimes considered a variant of lichen planus (LP) .

Some authors suggest that the condition is no more than a post-inflammatory pigmentary change in dark-skinned people . However, although the disease is mainly described in patients with dark skin, it has been occasionally described in light-skinned patients. The bluish-grey aspect of the lesions, which led to the name ashy dermatosis, is the result of the Tyndall effect. It may be that certain characteristics of melanosome size and distribution predispose to the development of this pigmentary anomaly