A 69-year-old man presented with annular lichen planus involving both forearms, hand dorsa, wrists, inner sides of the thighs, knees and ankles. He was treated initially with systemic cortico-steroids and etretinate, but remission and recurrence
of
the
skin lesions were observed. During the follow-up, we found erythrasma on all his toewebs and both soles. After administration of erythromycin for the treatment of erythrasma, lesions of the lichen planus rapidly improved. Five months later, some
lesions
of lichen planus improved again. No recurrence was observed for the following 8 months. We suspect that eradication of the chronic focus of infection and the anti-inflammatory effect of erythromycin may lead to supression of abnormal
immunological
reactions and resolution of lichen planus. (Kor J Dermatol 1997;35(2) : 307∼311)
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