Corrective camouflage in pediatric dermatology.

Many dermatologic diseases, including vitiligo and other pigmentary disorders, vascular malformations, acne, and disfiguring scars from surgery or trauma, can be distressing to pediatric patients and can cause psychological alterations such as depression, loss of self-esteem, deterioration of quality of life, emotional distress, and, in some cases, body dysmorphic disorder. Corrective camouflage can help cover cutaneous unaesthetic disorders using a variety of water-resistant and light to very opaque products that provide effective and natural coverage. These products also can serve as concealers during medical treatment or after surgical procedures before healing is complete. Between May 2001 and July 2003. corrective camouflage was used on 15 children and adolescents (age range, 7-16 years; mean age, 14 years). The majority of patients were girls. Six patients had acne vulgaris; 4 had vitiligo; 2 had Becker nevus; and 1 each had striae distensae, allergic contact dermatitis. and postsurgical scarring. Parents of all patients were satisfied with the cosmetic cover results. We consider corrective makeup to be a well-received and valid adjunctive therapy for use during traditional long-term treatment and as a therapeutic alternative in patients in whom conventional therapy is ineffective.

Dermatology quality of life scales--a measure of the impact of skin diseases.

Patient-generated dermatology quality of life scales (DQOLS) were developed to assess the impact of skin conditions on patients' psychosocial state and everyday activities. The items were derived from the self-reported impacts of their skin condition by 50 dermatology out-patients. The resulting 17 psychosocial items and 12 activities items were assigned five-point scales and self-completed by 118 out-patients. Factor analyses grouped the items into four psychosocial subscales (embarrassment, despair, irritableness, distress) and four activities subscales (everyday, summer, social, sexual). Tests of the psychometric properties indicated that the internal consistency of responses was high, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.92 for the 17 psychosocial items and 0.83 for the 12 activity items. Assessment of reliability based on 41 psoriasis patients attending phototherapy treatment identified good short-term test-retest reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.84 for both the psychosocial and activities scales. Construct validity was confirmed by the ability of the scales to identify clinically expected differences and their greater sensitivity to the impacts of skin problems compared with a widely used generic health status measure. The DQOLS thus form a robust measure of patient-perceived impacts. They were quickly self-completed and provide information that complements traditional clinical indicators. These scales should assist in informing treatment decisions by identifying impacts of different skin conditions and variations in responses among social and cultural groups, as well as guiding priorities for services within the specialty.

[Use and experiences with collagen in the treatment of folds and scars]. / Die Anwendung von und Erfahrung mit Collagen bei der Behandlung von Falten und Narben.

We report on the use of xenogenous collagen (Zyderm) in treating the aging skin, scars and atrophic states. Indications and contraindications as well as the technical approach with regard to the different disorders will be discussed.

A oxitetraciclina na acne vulgar / The oxytetracycline in the acne vulgaris

Foram tratados 30 pacientes com acne vulgar exclusivamente com a oxitetraciclina oral por um periodo de 90 dias avaliados a intervalos regulares. Deu-se preferencia a pacientes virgens de tratamento.Observaram-se resultados muito bons em 16 pacientes com redução acima de 80 por cento do quadro inicial, bons em 6 e regulares em 8 pacientes. Não se observou melhora inferior a 40 por cento ou piora do quadro inicial.Nauseas, vomitos e diarreia leve foram sintomas apresentados na primeira semana de tratamento em 20 por cento dos pacientes. Nenhum cado de fotossemsibilidade do observado.