[Skin immunofluorescence technics].

Immunofluorescence is a simple and very sensitive method routinely used for diagnostic purposes in immune cutaneous diseases. The direct technique aims at detecting immunoglobulin deposits and complement in the patient's skin; finding specific antibodies helps classify bullous dermatitis and contributes to the diagnosis and prognosis of systemic lupus erythematosus. The indirect technique applies to the serum and detects monoclonal antibodies or antibodies directed against tissue antigens; it is used in such lines of dermatological research as characterization of epidermal antigens, study of the dermal-epidermal junction (the true functionnal unit of the skin), analysis of cellular infiltration in the dermis and detection of exogenous infectious antigens.