Lesions on the arm of a female African-American patient with hypertrophic discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). DLE is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks connective tissue as if it were foreign tissue. DLE causes periodically-recurring inflammation and scarring in a defined area. Hypertrophic, or verrucous, DLE is a rare variant of the disease where the lesions have a scaly, wart-like form. Sunlight can start an attack, though the underlying cause is unknown and there is no cure. Symptoms may be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.