Skin dermatologic treatment

Hypopigmented scars are challenging to treat, and the focus for successful treatment is to cause pigment cells to produce more melanin. In this study, we evaluated the repigmentation effects of 0.4 mm motorized-micropunch grafting with skin-seeding for hypopigmented scars. Twenty-one patients with hypopigmented scars on the face and neck that had been resistant to conventional treatment and who had finally undergone micropunch grafting with a skin-seeding technique (SST) were retrospectively reviewed...

BACKGROUND: Prurigo nodularis, a chronic inflammatory skin condition, adversely affects the quality of life of affected individuals. Current treatment options for prurigo nodularis in Japan are limited. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the optimal dose, efficacy, and safety of long-term treatment with nemolizumab in patients with prurigo nodularis in Japan. METHODS: In a 16-week, double-blind, phase II/III study, patients aged ≥13 years with prurigo nodularis were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to nemolizumab 30 mg, 60 mg, or placebo groups, with concomitant topical corticosteroids, every 4 weeks...

BACKGROUND: Depletion or permanent quiescence of the hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) pool underlies pathogenesis in androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Reactivation of quiescent HFSCs is considered an efficient treatment strategy for hair loss. The retinoic acid (RA) is critical to ensure stem cell homeostasis and function. However, little is known about whether RA regulates HFSC homeostasis. We aimed to investigate the impact of RA on HFSC homeostasis and the underlying mechanisms, in order to provide new potential targets for medical therapies of AGA...

Pityriasis rosea (PR) is a common inflammatory, erythematous and scaly skin condition that usually affects individuals aged from 20 to 40 years old. The disease often exhibits a self-limiting course up to 6-8 weeks. We report a 25-year-old female patient with a six-month history of red scaly rashes on the trunk and proximal limbs, accompanied by severe pruritus that has been remained ineffective conventional treatments. She was diagnosed as persistent pityriasis rosea. As abrocitinib has been proved to be effective for many inflammatory diseases, therefore in this case, we tried abrocitinib for the patient, and a good result had been achieved...

BACKGROUND: There is a dearth of effective treatments to counter retinol-induced skin irritation. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of three potential mitigants: (i) phytosteryl/octyldodecyl lauroyl glutamate (PLG), (ii) a physiologic lipid mixture (PLM) comprised of ceramide three and cholesterol, and (iii) niacinamide, in ameliorating irritation instigated by retinol. METHODS: An occlusive human patch test, spanning 5 days, was undertaken on 18 Chinese participants aged between 23 and 40...

The close interaction between skin and clothing has become an attractive cornerstone for the development of therapeutic textiles able to alleviate skin disorders, namely those correlated to microbiota dysregulation. Skin microbiota imbalance is known in several skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, rosacea, acne and hidradenitis suppurative (HS). Such microbiota dysregulation is usually correlated with inflammation, discomfort and pruritus. Although conventional treatments, that is, the administration of steroids and antibiotics, have shown some efficacy in treating and alleviating these symptoms, there are still disadvantages that need to be overcome...

Erosive oral lichen planus (OLP) is a challenging disease. This T cell driven disorder frequently shows a treatment unresponsive course and strongly limits patients' quality of life. The disease lacks FDA or EMA approved drugs for its treatment and the efficacy of the commonly administered treatments (i.e. topical and systemic steroids, steroid sparing agents) is often only partial. Although the etiopathogenesis of the disease still needs to be fully elucidated, recent advances helped to identify interferon-ɣ (IFN-ɣ) as a pivotal cytokine in OLP pathogenesis, thus making the interference with its signalling a therapeutic target...

BACKGROUND: There is a need to develop psychological interventions for depression in people with skin conditions. This study aimed to investigate the acceptability, feasibility, and effects of an online compassion-based self-help intervention for depression in people with skin conditions. METHODS: Adult participants (n = 34) with skin conditions and mild-moderate depressive symptoms were invited to undertake a six-week, compassion-based online intervention for depression with email support...

Trichothiodystrophy (TTD) is a rare congenital disorder caused by genetic mutations, leading to hair and skin abnormalities. We report successful treatment of a TTD case using dupilumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting IL-4Rα. The patient, a 7-year-old boy, exhibited significant improvement in skin and hair conditions, suggesting the potential of dupilumab as a therapeutic option for TTD. Further research is needed to elucidate its mechanism and efficacy in TTD treatment.

BACKGROUND: Systematic reviews (SRs) could offer the best evidence supporting interventions, but methodological flaws limit their trustworthiness in decision-making. This cross-sectional study appraised the methodological quality of SRs on atopic dermatitis (AD) treatments. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Database for SRs on AD treatments published in 2019-2022. We extracted SRs' bibliographical data and appraised SRs' methodological quality with AMSTAR (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews) 2...

Biologics have significantly advanced the treatment of inflammatory disorders, including psoriasis. However, their use in immunosuppressed patients, such as those with solid-organ transplants, is less understood. These patients often face dermatological issues, but inflammatory skin diseases are rare due to their immunosuppressive treatments. Our study aims to assess biologics' effectiveness in such immunocompromised patients. We report a case from our institution of a 29-year-old man with a history of psoriasis, who underwent a kidney transplant and later developed erythroderma...

Acne is a multifactorial and common disorder among young people and a frequent reason for dermatology consultation. When moderate-to-severe acne is not responsive to conventional treatments, oral isotretinoin is a very effective solution. However, there are cases in which this treatment fails to produce the expected results. In this case, an 18-year-old male patient with acne, unresponsive to traditional acne therapies, experienced only a partial benefit from oral isotretinoin. Endocrinology consultation and hormonal work-up revealed androgen metabolism anomalies suggestive of a non-classical form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency...

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is a non-melanoma skin cancer whose lesions mostly arise on light-exposed sites. Patients with compromised immunity, Fitzpatrick I or II skin phototype, and previous burn scars or radiations are more at risk of developing it. The treatment of choice for cSCC is surgery; however nonsurgical options are generally reserved for patients who refuse a very invasive treatment or cannot tolerate a surgical procedure. We report a case of cSCC successfully treated with intralesional methotrexate...

The development of flares or new-onset of immune-mediated dermatologic diseases, including psoriasis, has occurred with the worldwide spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic. We report the case of a 38-year-old woman who came to our department with a severe flare of plaque psoriasis four weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Her Psoriasis Area Severity Index was 25, and her Dermatology Life Quality Index was 18. Our initial decision was to prescribe acitretin, but the patients reported adverse events. For this reason, we started risankizumab with complete skin clearance after 16 weeks...

Acute or chronic infections have been described among causes of chronic urticaria (CU). Anisakidosis is a human disease caused by the ingestion of larval nematodes of the family Anisakidae. The infestation is acquired by eating raw seafood or undercooked fish and squid. There are considerable variations in the frequency of underlying causes in the different studies and in different countries, such as differences in diets and the prevalence of infections. Anisakis simplex has been recognized as a trigger of both acute and CU manifestations...

BACKGROUND: Enoxolone, derived from licorice, possesses potent anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. However, its effectiveness in alleviating post-laser reactions has not been extensively studied. AIMS: This randomized split-face pilot study aimed to evaluate the effects of enoxolone on skin following laser treatment. PATIENTS/METHODS: Ten healthy subjects underwent non-ablative 1550 nm Er:Glass fractional laser treatment and then randomly applied a moisturizer without enoxolone on one side of the face and a dermo-cosmetic formular containing 2% enoxolone mixed with the same moisturizer on the other side...

Mucous membrane pemphigoid is a rare autoimmune disease affecting mucosal surfaces. Pediatric cases are exceptionally rare, one subtype being vulvar pemphigoid. Juvenile vulvar pemphigoid can be challenging to diagnose due to its rarity and subtle initial symptoms. We present a case of an 8-year-old girl successfully diagnosed early in the disease course via histopathology, and immunofluorescence. Detecting MMP can be complex due to variations in epitope binding typically not included in commercial ELISA assays, necessitating comprehensive workup...

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), a parasitic infection caused by Leishmania protozoa and transmitted by sandfly bites, can be classified into Old World and New World subtypes. We report a case of a 2-year-old female who developed complex CL after travel to Panama. Ultimately, successful treatment required two rounds of liposomal amphotericin B. We report this case for its challenging clinical course and management.

Introduction Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, characterized by painful and recurrent lesions in apocrine gland-bearing skin areas. It is a heterogeneous disease, which makes assessment and data collection difficult. Questionnaires with detailed items, such as the Belgian European Registry for Hidradenitis Suppurativa (ERHS-Be), are useful to study HS and its associated comorbidities. The aim of this registry is to uncover new factors associated with HS, understand HS patients' clinical profiles and efficacy of treatments...

Current drug development strategies present many challenges that can impede drug approval by regulatory agencies. Alternative study models, such as adaptive trial designs, have recently sparked interest, as they provide a flexible and more efficient approach in conducting clinical trials. Adaptive trial designs offer several potential benefits over traditional randomized controlled trials, which include decrease in costs, reduced clinical development time and limiting exposure of patients to potentially ineffective treatments allowing completion of studies with fewer patients...