Response to ablative carbon dioxide laser in lip epidermization

Lip epidermization is a phenomenon little reported in the literature. Earlier believed to be due to lip hyperkeratosis without associated parakeratosis or cellular atypia, it is now thought to be caused by the presence of ectopic sebaceous glands called Fordyce’s spots. There are currently no guidelines on standard treatment for this condition, and the effects of various treatment modalities on the lip lesions are unknown. We report the clinical, dermoscopic, and histopathological findings of a case of lip epidermization and document the response to ablative CO2 laser treatment on the clinical and dermoscopic appearance of lip lesions.