Efficiency of KTP laser for verrucae vulgaris and plantaris: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: Verrucae are benign proliferations caused by human papillomavirus. Treatment is needed for pain, bleeding, contagiousness, and cosmetically. AIMS: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of KTP laser treatment in verrucae, as well as side effects and recurrence rates. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who had Verrucae vulgaris (V. vulgaris) and Verrucae plantaris (V. plantaris) previously treated with KTP laser were scanned for their eligibility. Twenty-nine patients who met the inclusion criteria were included. There was complete recovery in 24 patients (82.8%) and partial recovery in two patients (6.9%). Three patients (10.3%) were unresponsive to treatment after six sessions (no recovery). Two patients had mild pain during the application, and 65.4% of the patients had complete cosmetic recovery at the 3rd month follow-up. RESULTS: As a result, we found that the standard KTP laser can be an effective option for both types of verrucae. CONCLUSIONS: We think KTP laser treatment can be preferred for verrucae treatment.

Microchimerism in alopecia areata.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmunity is the main etiopathogenetic factor in alopecia areata. Microchimerism is the existence of allogeneic DNA in a living creature. There are variable studies investigating the role of microchimerism on the etiopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. To our knowledge, no report has investigated the relationship between microchimerism and alopecia areata. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the possible role of microchimerism on alopecia areata. METHODS: We analyzed SRY gene levels as indicators of fetal microchimerism in our patient group. The patients were 29 women with alopecia areata, over 18 years old, who had visited our clinic between 2010 and 2013. Patients were divided into two groups; group 1 consisted of 14 patients having a son and group 2, 15 patients either nulliparous or having a daughter. RESULTS: Seventeen of 29 patients (58.6%) and four of 103 controls (3.9%) showed presence of an SRY gene. The difference between the patient and control groups was statistically significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: As a result of our study, microchimerism may be associated with the etiopathogenesis of alopecia areata. However, we think there is a need for a larger series of studies to support this hypothesis.