Safety and Efficacy of Clobetasol Propionate 0.05% Emollient Foam for the Treatment of Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia.

Background: There is currently an unmet need for the treatment of women with central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA). Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of Clobetasol propionate 0.05% emollient foam for the treatment of women with CCCA. Methods: Adult women of African descent that presented with clinical evidence of early CCCA were enrolled (N=30). Clobetasol propionate 0.05% emollient foam was applied daily in an open-label fashion. Safety and efficacy assessments were performed at weeks 2, 6, 12, and 14. Results: Subjects achieved substantial improvements in pruritus, pain, tenderness, erythema and scaling. Scalp biopsies revealed considerable improvements in severe inflammation and perifollicular edema. Overall, clobetasol propionate 0.05% emollient foam was well-tolerated. Limitations: This was a nonrandomized, open-label study. Enrollment was limited to subjects with clinically mild CCCA. Conclusion: Subjects with CCCA that applied topical clobetasol propionate 0.05% emollient foam to their scalp daily demonstrated continuous clinical improvement throughout the 14-week study. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01111981 J Drugs Dermatol. 2020;19(7): doi:10.36849/JDD.2020.5201.

New-onset vitiligo during long-term, stable infliximab treatment of pityriasis rubra pilaris.

Incidents of new-onset vitiligo attributed to infliximab therapy for rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis have been reported. Reported cases share a common theme in that symptoms manifested in close proximity to the initiation or significant dose increase of the medication. This case describes the presentation of infliximab-induced vitiligo in a patient using it for long-term treatment of stable pityriasis rubra pilaris. The patient was initiated and titrated to a stable dose of infliximab totaling 27 months' duration. He was able to achieve near-complete resolution of symptoms before developing depigmented patches consistent with vitiligo. Infliximab was discontinued. Tacrolimus 0.1% ointment and narrow-band ultraviolet B light successfully repigmented the patches. The association of discontinuing infliximab and resolution of vitiligo suggests infliximab had a role in this case. Though the mechanism of involvement is undetermined, infliximab may have induced an autoimmune process by paradoxically activating lymphocytes. Alternatively, infliximab antibodies may have led to the process by disrupting the normal balance of cytokines.

Acitretin-induced poliosis with concurrent alopecia.

Acitretin, a metabolite of the aromatic retinoid etretinate, has been utilized successfully in the treatment of psoriasis since the late 1980s. Of the oral retinoids available, etretinate and acitretin are the most likely agents to induce various dose-dependent hair changes, but to our knowledge this is the first reported case of acitretin-induced poliosis. Additional cutaneous findings included skin atrophy and stickiness. Here we report a case of full body acitretin-induced poliosis with concurrent alopecia in a patient with psoriasis. A proposed mechanism for the poliosis is also presented here. Closer examination of retinoid-induced hair changes is needed in order to help physicians better counsel their patients regarding the adverse effects of acitretin and to expand the current knowledge on hair follicle biology.

Localized dyskeratotic plaque with milia associated with sorafenib.

Sorafenib, a multitargeted kinase inhibitor used for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma and advanced renal cell carcinomas, received FDA approval in 2005. Since its introduction to the market, there have been various dermatologic side effects reported in the literature, the most well known being hand-foot skin reaction. This article presents a case of an atypical localized cutaneous eruption with an unusual course and protracted resolution time associated with sorafenib therapy.

Cutaneous rosai-dorfman disease and morphea: coincidence or association?

Rosai-Dorfman disease or sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy is a rare disease. A third of patients with this disease have extranodal involvement affecting the skin. Of these individuals, only around 3% will have purely cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman disease, which is limited to skin manifestations without systemic involvement. Cutaneous (localized) scleroderma or morphea, on the other hand, is a more common disease that most often affects women of all ages. Both conditions have unknown etiologies. Presented here is a case of a 60-year-old white woman with cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman disease and coexisting morphea. Representative biopsies from both areas were performed: one showing a dermal S-100+ histiocytic infiltrate with emperipolesis and the other showing a deep perivascular and interstitial plasma cell infiltrate with dermal sclerosis and loss of perieccrine fat. A laboratory and radiologic workup revealed no evidence of systemic involvement by either entity. The diagnosis of coexisting cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman disease and morphea was established. To our knowledge, this is the first report of these 2 entities found simultaneously in 1 patient.