Macrophages are multifunctional immune cells that play important regulatory roles in the skin's response to inflammatory agents. This has led to the suggestion that elimination of these cells could be beneficial in the treatment of chronic inflammatory dermatoses of the skin. Although systemic elimination of macrophage function has been shown to have therapeutic potential, it is often associated with general immunosuppression. To avoid this problem, Thepen et al. have targeted a specific local subset of macrophages, based on their enhanced expression of an immunoglobulin receptor during the inflammatory response. By injecting a toxin linked to an antibody that binds the macrophage receptors, they were able to demonstrate local elimination of the macrophages and resolution of the inflammatory response in a mouse model system (see p. 25 and 48).