Nine formalin-fixed paraffin sections of skin biopsy specimens of patients with clinically and histologically proven dermatomyositis were studied using the avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase technique. No evidence of dermoepi-dermal junction or perivascular IgG, IgA, or IgM deposits were noted. These findings may be related to loss of antigenicity during the fixation process or to the small amount of immunoglobulin deposit previously reported in dermatomyositis. The negative findings demonstrate an inability to use this technique to find immmunoglobulin deposition retrospectively in dermatomyositis.