Treatment of mature striae with the pulsed dye laser.

INTRODUCTION: Striae are a common cosmetic problem with no effective treatment options. A recent study has shown improvement in the appearance of mature striae following a single 585-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment at low fluence. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of treating mature striae with the 585-nm PDL. METHODS: Five patients with mature striae on the abdomen were prospectively treated with the 585-nm PDL at 2-month intervals for 1-2 years. The response of the striae to laser treatment was evaluated in each patient through sequential clinical, photographic, textural, and histologic assessment. RESULTS: All five patients reported a slight overall improvement in the appearance of the striae following multiple PDL treatments. Comparison of pre- and post-treatment photographs, however, failed to reveal improvement in any patients. Optical profilometry performed on striae impressions showed mild improvement in the surface texture of striae in three patients. Histologic comparison of pre- and post-treatment biopsy specimens failed to reveal normalization of skin architecture. CONCLUSIONS: Serial treatment of mature striae with the PDL results in mild, subjective, clinical improvement but no significant photographic, textural or histologic improvement.

Knuckle pads--a forgotten skin condition: report of a case and review of the literature.

A 12-year-old boy presented with knuckle pads, palmar keratoderma, and hand eczema. Since Morginson's description of knuckle pads associated with other dermatoses almost forty years ago, little attention has been given to this disorder. We describe a case and review some of the clinical aspects of this disorder.