A Narrative Review on the Usage of Surgical Skin Grafting, Acitretin, and Tacrolimus in the Treatment of Hailey-Hailey Disease

Hailey-Hailey disease is a rare genetic disease that causes irregular blistering. The irregular blistering is also usually accompanied by skin lesions in the affected skin area. The symptoms and signs of Hailey-Hailey disease differ from one case to another. There is no one standard treatment method for Hailey-Hailey disease. However, there are certain treatment methods that do show some promise. This review will analyze the use and fruitfulness of surgical skin grafting, tacrolimus, and acitretin in multiple settings to treat Hailey-Hailey disease. Surgical skin grafting is done by removing the epidermis and a portion of the dermis, if not all of the dermis, healthy skin from a different part of the body, and transplanting it to the damaged area of the body. Acitretin is a retinoid that is a derivative of vitamin A that reduces abnormal differentiation of keratinocytes and inflammation which prove useful for helping skin diseases. Tacrolimus is an immunosuppressive drug that works by limiting the activity of the immune system to prevent it from producing substances that contribute to the redness and dryness of the skin, making it a candidate to be used for Hailey-Hailey disease treatment. The understood results of tacrolimus, acitretin, and surgical skin grafting on Hailey-Hailey disease are very limited and should be given more attention by healthcare leaders to the potential outcomes of these treatments on patients who have Hailey-Hailey disease.