In the last few decades, autoimmune diseases have become a major clinical burden. The reasons for this are manifold, including (i) increasing incidence; (ii) the lack of therapies that target the underlying cause of the specific disease in question and (iii) the high rate of adverse events due to prolonged, unspecific immunosuppression. The skin is one of the largest organs of the human body and several autoimmune diseases manifest at the skin. These include skin-specific autoimmune diseases and cutaneous manifestations of systemic autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, with the recent success of immune checkpoint therapy in cancer, immune-mediated adverse effects on the skin following immune checkpoint inhibitor blockade treatment are becoming an additional challenge.

Diseases that have been clearly defined as autoimmune diseases of the skin include vitiligo, scleroderma, pemphigus and pemphigoid diseases. Interestingly, recent evidence also indicates that other chronic inflammatory skin diseases and autoinflammatory syndromes, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, lichen planus and localized scleroderma, are also (at least partially) caused by underlying autoimmunity. In addition, many systemic autoimmune diseases present with skin manifestations, such as all forms of lupus, systemic scleroderma and vasculitis. While in these disorders the underlying pathological mechanisms involved are directly linked with the skin, other autoimmune diseases, e.g. thyroiditis, cause skin symptoms indirectly: i.e. via the effects of hormones on the skin. Hence, skin autoimmunity will continue to provide a challenge for both basic scientist and clinicians alike.

Within this Research Topic, we aim to foster insights into skin autoimmune diseases and to provoke further basic and translational research in this area to ultimately improve the so far unsatisfactory treatment options for patients suffering from autoimmune skin diseases.

We welcome the submission of insightful Case Reports, state-of-the art Reviews and Mini-Reviews as well as Original Research articles dealing with basic, translational or clinical studies on the following sub-topics:

1. Pemphigus & pemphigoid diseases.
2. Vitiligo.
3. Localized and systemic scleroderma.
4. Autoimmune aspects of chronic skin inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and lichen planus.
5. Systemic lupus erythematosus.
6. Autoinflammatory conditions of the skin.
7. Drug-induced skin autoimmunity, for example checkpoint-inhibitor-induced pemphigoid.
8. Other autoimmune diseases with skin manifestations.

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Frontiers in Immunology

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