"Lockdown Dermatoses" during COVID-19-A Series of 127 Patients from the Indian Subcontinent.

ABSTRACT

Lockdown was enforced in many countries across the globe to flatten the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) curve. In these difficult times, people with skin diseases faced unique challenge, as major clinical facilities came to a standstill. Teledermatology helped to an extent to bridge this provider-seeker gap to an extent. We compiled data of patients seeking dermatology services during this period in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. Most of the patients were middle-aged (70%) and had good access to teledermatology. Dermatoses were primarily due to frequent handwashing, use of alcohol-based sanitizers, excessive use of water (12.6%), improper skin care (43.3%), sun exposure (20.5%), lockdown-induced stress (22.04%), infections (15.75%), flare of preexisting diseases (8.66%), and hair disorders (11%). Many dermatoses had a causal overlap. Teledermatology proved to be useful for patients with skin diseases who were unable to access direct face-to-face consultations.