Linear focal elastosis or elastotic striae is a

skin condition A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is any medical condition that affects the integumentary system—the organ system that encloses the body and includes skin, nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function of this ...

that presents with

asymptomatic Asymptomatic (or clinically silent) is an adjective categorising the medical conditions (i.e., injuries or diseases) that patients carry but without experiencing their symptoms, despite an explicit diagnosis (e.g., a positive medical test). P ...

, palpable or atrophic, yellow lines of the middle and lower back, thighs, arms and breasts.James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005). ''Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology''. (10th ed.). Saunders. Page 517. .

Signs and symptoms

Linear focal elastosis manifests as

hypertrophic Hypertrophy is the increase in the volume of an organ or tissue due to the enlargement of its component cells. It is distinguished from hyperplasia, in which the cells remain approximately the same size but increase in number. Although hypertro ...

linear yellow to red plaques that are asymptomatic and typically discovered by accident in the absence of a traumatic past. Though it usually affects the lower and middle back symmetrically, it can also affect the legs or face.

Causes

Although the exact origin of linear focal elastosis is unknown, changes to elastic tissues are implicated.

Diagnosis

According to histopathology, there may be more localized wavy fibers in the

dermis The dermis or corium is a layer of skin between the epidermis (skin), epidermis (with which it makes up the cutis (anatomy), cutis) and subcutaneous tissues, that primarily consists of dense irregular connective tissue and cushions the body from s ...

, which are visible when elastic staining separates normal from hypertrophic

collagen Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix of the connective tissues of many animals. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up 25% to 35% of protein content. Amino acids are bound together to form a trip ...

bundles. There may be fragmentation or aggregation of the elastic fibers in the deep and upper dermis. Fragmented elastic tissue, microfibrillar or granular constituents, and aggregated

elastin Elastin is a protein encoded by the ''ELN'' gene in humans and several other animals. Elastin is a key component in the extracellular matrix of gnathostomes (jawed vertebrates). It is highly Elasticity (physics), elastic and present in connective ...

are visible under an electron microscope.

Gallery

File:Histopathology of linear focal elastosis.jpg, Histopathology: Accumulation of fragmented elastotic material within the papillary dermis and transcutaneous elimination of elastotic fibers.Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
license

References

External links

DermNet

VisualDx
{{Medical resources , ICD11 = {{ICD11, EM0Y , ICD10 = {{ICD10, L98.8 , ICD10CM = , ICD9 = , ICDO = , OMIM = , MeshID = , DiseasesDB = , SNOMED CT = 773697006 , Curlie = , MedlinePlus = , eMedicineSubj = , eMedicineTopic = , PatientUK = , NCI = , GeneReviewsNBK = , GeneReviewsName = , NORD = , GARDNum = , GARDName = , RP = , AO = , WO = , OrthoInfo = , Orphanet = 228236 , Scholia = Q6553446 , OB = Abnormalities of dermal fibrous and elastic tissue