Laser Treatment of Burn Scars. / Tratamiento láser de cicatrices por quemaduras.

Burn scars cause high morbidity in the form of contractures, body disfigurement, and itching, and they also have a high emotional impact that adversely affects patient quality of life. Laser therapy has proven effective in this setting. It is superior to topical treatments and can be used in conjunction with surgery, helping to reduce morbidity. The use of lasers in hospital dermatology departments, however, is still limited. Carbon dioxide laser resurfacing is the most widely used modality for reducing scar thickness, improving textural abnormalities, and treating contractures. Treatments improve mobility for patients with constrictions. Pulsed dye laser treatments are particularly useful for reducing erythema in recent burn scars and preventing subsequent hypertrophy. Pigment laser treatments with short pulse durations (nanoseconds or picoseconds) can improve hyperpigmentation. In this article, we review the evidence for the use of laser therapy for burn scars and propose a treatment algorithm.

Oral Lesions in Patients With Psoriasis: Prevalence and Association With Its Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics. / Manifestaciones orales en pacientes con psoriasis. Prevalencia y asociación con sus características clínicas y epidemiológicas.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Psoriasis is a multisystem disease associated with an increased prevalence of oral lesions. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of oral lesions in patients with psoriasis and examine associations with clinical and patient characteristics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients with psoriasis and healthy controls seen between December 2019 and February 2020. We recorded biometric data, comorbidities associated with psoriasis, oral examination findings, and clinical characteristics of psoriasis. RESULTS: We studied 100 patients with psoriasis and 100 controls. Oral lesions were more common in the psoriasis group (74% vs 46%, P<.001). The most common lesions were fissured tongue (39% vs 16%, P<.001) and periodontitis (28% vs 16%, P=.04). Geographic tongue was uncommon in both the study and the control group (4% vs 2%, P=.68). In the psoriasis group, patients with fissured tongue had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease (23.1% vs 4.9%), diabetes mellitus (28.2% vs 8.2%), and psoriatic arthritis (15.4% vs 1.6%) than those without this condition. Periodontitis was also associated with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease (28.6% vs 5.6%). Type of psoriasis, location, and time since onset were not significantly associated with oral lesions. Patients with oral lesions, however, had more severe disease (Psoriasis Area Severity Index [PASI], 3.9 vs 2.4; P=.05). Mean PASI was also higher in patients with fissured tongue (4.7 vs. 2.7, P=.03) and periodontitis (5.1 vs. 2.9, P=.04). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of oral lesions, especially fissured tongue and periodontitis, is higher in patients with psoriasis than in healthy controls. Oral lesions were associated with more severe psoriasis and a higher prevalence of associated comorbidities. We recommend examining the oral cavity of patients with psoriasis, especially those with more severe disease and comorbidities, irrespective of type of psoriasis, location, or time since onset.