Needling, lasers, and Meso-Botox for hypertrophic and keloidal scars: A comprehensive review study on promising procedural treatments.

Scars are among the most prevalent referral cases of dermatology clinics, including atrophic, hypertrophic, or keloidal scars. Approach to scar usually needs a holistic trend, attention to individualized characteristics, and combination therapy. Scars usually need multiple sessions of therapy and the use of combination therapeutic approaches to reach the most acceptable outcomes by safe modalities. Studies on scars are always one of the most important fields of research in medicine, especially in dermatology. For writing this review study, we searched all the databases to find the most relevant and the newest studies related to our topic, because based on expert opinion, this topic may be really practical and interesting for dermatologists and all physicians of various specialties or subspecialties who manage and treat various kinds of scars, including hypertrophic scars and keloids. Based on our results, we concluded that different procedures, which basically use needling, lasers, especially pulsed dye laser (PDL) and carbon dioxide (CO2) laser, and MesoBotox (micro-injection of botulinum toxin), are really promising therapeutic options for hypertrophic and keloidal scars and a combination of these therapies results in more efficacy and lesser side effects in the field of scar management.

Efficacy, safety, tolerability, and satisfaction of N-acetylcysteine and pentoxifylline in lichen planopilaris patients under treatment with topical clobetasol: A triple arm blinded randomized controlled trial.

Lichen planoplaris (LPP) is one of the most common causes of inflammatory cicatricial alopecias. There is no definitive cure for the disease and most of the available therapeutic options can potentially lead to serious complications following their use for extended durations. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and pentoxyfillin (PTX), as adjunctive therapies, in the management of LPP. In a randomized, assessor- and analyst-blinded controlled trial, patients with proven LPP were randomly assigned to three groups of 10. Group I (the control group) received clobetasol 0.05%lotion; Group II, a combination of clobetasol 0.05% lotion and oral PTX; Group III, a combination of clobetasol lotion 0.05% and oral NAC. Lichen planopilaris activity index (LPPAI), the possible side effects, tolerability and patients satisfaction were assessed before and two and four months after the initiation of the treatments. Thirty patients, 96.7% women, with a mean age of 46.8 ± 13.3 years old, were included in the study. Four months into the treatments, the overall LPPAI and the severity and/or frequency of most of its determinants significantly decreased in all groups. In a comparison among the groups, patients who received either of the combination therapies showed more decline in their LPPAI than those receiving only clobetasol. The decline was more noticeable and statistically significant only in the NAC group. Three patients in the PTX group developed complications that were not statistically significant when compared with the other groups. There were no substantial differences in the tolerability of the treatments among the study arms. The use of oral NAC and PTX added to the therapeutic efficacy of topical clobetasol in the treatment of LPP, suggesting that they might be beneficial and safe adjuvant therapies and add to the efficacy of topical treatment without any noticeable impact on the adverse effects experienced by patients.

A systematic review on the treatment of pediatric severe alopecia areata by topical immunotherapy or Anthralin (contact sensitization) or low-level light/laser therapy (LLLT): focus on efficacy, safety, treatment duration, recurrence, and follow-up based on clinical studies.

INTRODUCTION: Alopecia areata (AA) in its extensive and severe forms is treatment-challenging, especially in pediatrics. METHOD: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review of seven electronic databases was searched by the terms "alopecia areata," "pediatric," "topical immunotherapy," "Anthralin," and "light therapy" from inception until March 2021. All the alternative names of the disease and therapies have been included in the search terms. 790 articles went to title abstract review by two independent reviewers. In the subsequent level, a review of the full text of studies was conducted. RESULTS: Finally, 10 relevant articles in terms of content structure, subject coverage, and purpose, were selected for further review. The highest percentages of complete hair regrowth were 79.6% and 63.61% by SADBE (topical immunotherapy) and laser therapy. By Anthralin (contact sensitization), the complete response rate was below 50% (between 30 and 35%). Regarding average response, the most effective methods were local immunotherapy (with an average effectiveness of 53.8%), laser therapy (52.55%), and the use of Anthralin-induced contact dermatitis (30.86%), respectively. However, recurrence rate-after treatment with induced contact dermatitis by topical medications like Anthralin (contact sensitization)-was lower (mean 43.53%) in comparison with local immunotherapy (57%). In topical immunotherapy, light base therapy, and contact sensitization, the highest percentage of complete hair regrowth and the average response rate were (63.61% and 52.55%), (79.6% and 53.8%) and (32% and 30.8%), respectively. These methods are considered safe in children. CONCLUSION: A high and more than 50% efficacy in hair regrowth could be expected by topical immunotherapy and light/laser therapy method. No serious side effects have been observed by these methods that are well tolerated in children. Therefore, a combination of local immunotherapy and light/laser therapy could be suggested for the treatment of extensive AA in children. The use of Anthralin could be associated with a lower but more durable response. These points are important for patient selection in individualized situations.

Comparison of efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid mesotherapy versus oral tranexamic acid in patients with melasma undergoing Q-switched fractional 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser: A blinded RCT and follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Melasma is a common hyperpigmentation disorder. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of Nd-Yag fractional 1064 plus microinjection of tranexamic acid versus Nd-Yag fractional 1064 plus oral tranexamic acid in patients with melasma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective, randomized study with a sample size of 40 patients, 20 in each treatment arm, which was done six times with 2-week intervals. Twenty patients were administered localized microinjections (4 mg/ml) of tranexamic acid and Q-switched 1064 laser every 2 weeks in one arm, while in the other arm, 20 were given oral tranexamic acid 250 mg three times a day and Q-switched 1064 laser every 2 weeks per visit. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients with mean SD 40.52+-4.95 y/o were treated with oral tranexamic acid, and 20 patients with 43.3+-5.87 y/o treated with microinjection of tranexamic acid were analyzed. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics at the baseline (p > 0.05). The patients MASI score and ∆E decrease over the study period in both treatments significantly (p < 0.001). However, patient's MASI score (p = 0.99) and ∆E (p = 0.53) did not differ significant between the two group over the time. Satisfaction (p = 0.41) and complication during the study period (p = 0.09) were not significantly different between the two group. CONCLUSION: The combination treatment method can be a viable option for Middle Eastern patients having melasma disorder, and tranexamic acid appears to be an effective and safe treatment for melasma, irrespective of its route of administration. Tranexamic acid can increase the permeability locally by non-invasive methods such as microneedling which is less painful than microinjection and can also increase patient satisfaction. Although the oral method is more tolerable for the patient, it may have systemic side effects, and its combination with Q-switch laser increases its effect regardless of the type of prescription. Therefore, it is recommended to use of this drug topically (cream or lotion) by non-invasive methods like microneedling to reduce pain and laser treatment in future studies.

Revisión del papel de las plantas medicinales en el tratamiento del acné / A review on the role of medicinal plants in treatment of acne

Antecedentes: el acné vulgar es un trastorno cutáneo muy común que puede presentarse con lesiones inflamatorias y no inflamatorias principalmente en la cara, pero también puede ocurrir en la parte superior de los brazos, el tronco y la espalda. El tratamiento del acné es de gran importancia y el acné vulgar y, por lo tanto, la bacteria que causa el acné, P. acnes, se han estudiado intensamente y se han propuesto varias soluciones. Sin embargo, poca investigación se ha centrado en el uso de plantas medicinales para el tratamiento de esta enfermedad de la piel. Sin embargo, hay una serie de plantas medicinales que se utilizan tradicionalmente para tratar el acné, y esto proporciona el ímpetu para que los científicos exploren sus propiedades medicinales. Objetivo: Este trabajo tuvo como objetivo revisar los enfoques de tratamiento a base de plantas medicinales para el acné. Metodología: Se realizaron búsquedas en las bases de datos científicas en línea autorizadas, incluidas Pubmed, MEDLINE, Link of Springer, Online Library of Wiley, Science Direct of Elsevier, Cambridge Core y Cochrane, y se recopilaron, combinaron y analizaron los datos útiles asociados con el objetivo del presente estudio. luego categorizado en términos de plantas medicinales, acné, acné vulgar, hierbas. Conclusión: Actualmente existe un fuerte enfoque en las plantas medicinales a nivel de investigación y, por lo tanto, existe una fuerte motivación para el uso de estos ingredientes en productos para el cuidado cosmético que deben probarse como seguros y efectivos con la ayuda de la investigación clínica

Background: Acne Vulgaris is a very common skin disorder which can present with inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions chiefly on the face but can also occur on the upper arms, trunk, and back. Treatment of acne is of a high importance and acne vulgaris and thus the acne-causing bacterium, P. acnes, have been intensively studied and several solutions have been proposed. Nevertheless, little research has focused on the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of this skin disease. However, there are a number of medicinal plants used traditionally to treat acne, and this provides the impetus for scientists to explore their medicinal properties. Objective: This work aimed to review medicinal plants-based treatment approaches for acne. Methodology: The authoritative online scientific databases including Pubmed, MEDLINE, Link of Springer, Online Library of Wiley, Science Direct of Elsevier, Cambridge Core, and Cochrane were searched and the useful data associated with the objective of present study were gathered, combined, and then categorized in terms of medicinal plants, acne, Acne Vulgaris, herbs. Conclusion: There is currently a strong focus on medicinal plants at a research level and therefore strong motivation exists for the use of these ingredients in cosmetic care products that need to be proven safe and effective with the aid of clinical research.

Comparing the effectiveness of fractional CO2 laser and the combination therapy with micro-needling and topical 10% trichloroacetic acid to remove infra-orbital dark circles in Tehran women.

BACKGROUND: Infra orbital dark circles are now recognized as being a cosmetic problem that should be considered in treatment issue. The present study aimed to assess and compare the clinical efficiency of the combination of micro-needling and 10% trichloroacetic acid (TCA) cream as well as carbon dioxide laser in the management of infra-orbital dark circles. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was performed on women aged 28-62 years who complained of infra-orbital dark circles. The patients were randomly assigned to be treated with micro-needling combined with 10% TCA cream topically or CO2 laser. The treatment period in each group included three sessions with an interval of one month between sessions. The assessment was based on both subjective and objective methods. RESULTS: the mean of ΔE (the difference in the intensity of darkening at infra-orbital points and other points of the face) was significantly higher in the laser group than in the other group in all sessions. The patients who were treated with laser were found to have a higher level of satisfaction in the fifth visit when compared to those who received the other treatment method. CONCLUSION: Regarding clinical effectiveness and the patients' compliance, fractional CO2 laser was more preferred in the combination therapy with micro-needling and topical TCA for removing infra-orbital dark circles.