Postherpetic neuralgia and recalcitrant cystic lesions following herpes zoster: A case report and review of treatment options.

Acute herpes zoster lesions in most cases are self-limited except in older and immunocompromised patients, wherein the pain can cause significant suffering. Postherpetic neuralgia is a painful situation for patients that can compromise the quality of life. Here, we report a 30-year-old healthy young man who developed treatment-resistant postherpetic neuralgia after herpes zoster (fourth/fifth thoracic segment) without any underlying immunocompromised state. He also developed some cystic lesions, which were removed by aspiration and surgery. The skin lesions improved 2 weeks after the surgery and postherpetic neuralgia was completely cured after 5 months, however cystic lesions recurred multiple times and were excised completely during each visit. Postherpetic neuralgia has a significant impact on the health-care cost borne by the society and affected individual, hence, it is essential to select appropriate treatment to manage the pain of postherpetic neuralgia.

Anterior, frontal congenital triangular alopecia, redundancy in therapy without improvement.

Congenital triangular alopecia (CTA) is a benign noncicatricial localized pattern of hair loss with unknown etiology. Although referred to as "congenital," CTA may develop in adulthood. It is believed that many cases of CTA are never diagnosed or are misdiagnosed; causing the incidence to be underestimated. The present study evaluates a case of 20-year-old woman presenting with a single circular to oval area of hair-loss in the mid-frontal region of her scalp. To date, about 170 cases of CTA have been reported and we present the first case in which the alopecic patch is located in the mid-frontal region of the scalp. We present this case not only to challenge the preconceived notion that all CTAs are frontotemporal, but also to inform other practitioners about this rare condition and prevent redundant medical treatment.