Erythema elevatum diutinum in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

Erythema elevatum diutinum (EED) is a rare cutaneous neutrophilic vasculitis with many associated diseases reported in the literature. We report a 65-year-old woman with painful and itchy lesions on her elbows, hands, knees, and foot for a year. Histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of erythema elevatum diutinum and treatment with dapsone produced significant clinical improvement within few weeks. Erythema elevatum diutinum is a rare disease that should be considered in patients with violaceous nodular plaques located over the extensor regions of the limbs. Knowledge of this unusual pathology and its association helps to avoid misdiagnosis and late treatment.

Epidemiological, Clinical, Trichoscopic, and Histopathological Features of Lupus Erythematous Mimicking Alopecia Areata: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Introduction: All types of lupus erythematosus (LE) may cause hair loss. Nonscarring alopecia was correlated with systemic LE, based on its high specificity. Discoid LE can also appear as nonscarring patches in early stages. Patchy alopecia LE-specific may also mimic alopecia areata (AA) - which can co-occur with LE. The distinction is fundamental to early diagnosis and effective treatment. This study aims to analyze clinical, epidemiological, trichoscopic, and histopathological features of patients with patchy LE-specific alopecia, nonscarring type, mimicking AA. Methods: This is a multicentric retrospective study. We reviewed the medical records of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of LE mimicking AA. Results: Ten patients were included (90% female) with a mean age of 45.9 years. Clinically, 60% showed erythema and 70% presented incomplete hair loss. The most common trichoscopic findings were interfollicular arborizing vessels (90%) and scattered brown discoloration (80%). On histopathology, perivascular inflammation (85.7%), peribulbar lymphocytes (85.7%), and dermal pigment incontinence (71.4%) were present in most cases. Discussion/Conclusion: Trichoscopy was found as an essential first step for the patchy alopecia diagnosis, enabling to differentiate LE from AA. Putting it mildly, trichoscopy raises the suspicion that leads to a biopsy, increasing the diagnostic accuracy with better outcome for patients.

Trichotillomania: What Do We Know So Far?

Trichotillomania is defined as an obsessive-compulsive or related disorder in which patients recurrently pull out hair from any region of their body. The disease affects mainly female patients, who often deny the habit, and it usually presents with a bizarre pattern nonscarring patchy alopecia with short hair and a negative pull test. Trichoscopy can reveal the abnormalities resulting from the stretching and fracture of hair shafts, and biopsy can be necessary if the patient or parents have difficulties in accepting the self-inflicted nature of a trichotillomania diagnosis. Trichotillomania requires a comprehensive treatment plan and interdisciplinary approach. Physicians should always have a nonjudgmental, empathic, and inviting attitude toward the patient. Behavioral therapy has been used with success in the treatment of trichotillomania, but not all patients are willing or able to comply with this treatment strategy. Pharmacotherapy can be necessary, especially in adolescents and adult patients. Options include tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and glutamate-modulating agents. Glutamate-modulating agents such as N-acetylcysteine are a good first-line option due to significant benefits and low risk of side effects. Physicians must emphasize that the role of psychiatry-dermatology liaison is extremely necessary with concurrent support services for the patient and parents, in case of pediatric patients. In pediatric cases, parents should be advised and thoroughly educated that negative feedback and punishment for hair pulling are not going to produce positive results. Social support is a significant pillar to successful habit reversal training; therefore, physicians must convey the importance of familial support to achieving remission. This is a review article that aims to discuss the literature on trichotillomania, addressing etiology, historical aspects, clinical and trichoscopic features, main variants, differential diagnosis, diagnostic clues, and psychological and pharmacological management.

Trichotillomania Incognito: Two Case Reports and Literature Review.

Trichotillomania is a compulsive disorder characterized by repetitive hairpulling. It is an important cause of patchy alopecia, especially in children between 9 and 13 years of age. The aim of this paper is to report 2 pediatric cases presenting with trichotillomania without patches. This condition may be extremely distressful, impacting psychosocial development of children. In these case reports, we reinforce the relevance of trichoscopy in hair disorder evaluation, which allowed early recognition to better advise and conduct these unique pediatric cases.

Pressure-Induced Alopecia: Presence of Thin Hairs as a Trichoscopic Clue for the Diagnosis.

Pressure-induced alopecia (PA) is an unusual pattern of circumscribed hair loss that occurs after ischemic changes on the scalp. Trichoscopic findings described in the literature are scarce, nonspecific, and include black dots, broken hairs, circle hairs, and erythema. However, we report 3 cases of PA in which trichoscopy also showed many vellus and thin hairs. Possibly, the maintenance of these hair shafts may be explained by the more superficial insertion of their bulbs on the skin and/or their lower metabolic rates, making them suffer less from local hypoxia. Therefore, the authors suggest that these relevant signs should be added as a clue for the diagnosis of PA in doubtful cases.

Merkel cell carcinoma in an immunosuppressed patient.

Merkel cell carcinoma is an uncommon neuroendocrine carcinoma with a rising incidence and an aggressive behavior. It predominantly occurs in older patients, with onset occurring at a mean age of 75-80 years. Recognized risk factors are ultraviolet sunlight exposure, immunosuppression, and, more recently, Merkel cell polyomavirus. We report a case of Merkel cell carcinoma in a young HIV positive patient with Merkel Cell polyomavirus detected in the tumor.

Nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis.

Nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis is a rare benign hamartomatous skin tumor characterized by dermal deposition of mature adipose tissue. Two clinical forms have been described (classical and solitary types). We describe a case of nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis with a 13-year history of growth in a young woman who had a solitary skin-colored tumoral mass on the right buttock. Histopathological findings were typical and confirmed the diagnosis. In this case, the lesion was a skin-colored isolated mass, as described in the solitary type, but its localization and age of appearance were compatible with the classical type. The combination of simultaneous clinical findings of both types had not been published before.

Yellow dots in trichoscopy: relevance, clinical significance and peculiarities.

Yellow dots are follicular ostium filled with keratin and/or sebum. Initially, they were exclusively associated with alopecia areata. Currently they have also been described in androgenetic alopecia, chronic cutaneous (discoid) lupus erythematosus, and dissecting cellulitis. Due to the growing importance of trichoscopy and its findings in the evaluation of the scalp, this article describes the main diseases in which yellow dots are a common trichoscopic finding, highlighting its characteristics in each dermatosis.

Nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis

Abstract: Nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis is a rare benign hamartomatous skin tumor characterized by dermal deposition of mature adipose tissue. Two clinical forms have been described (classical and solitary types). We describe a case of nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis with a 13-year history of growth in a young woman who had a solitary skin-colored tumoral mass on the right buttock. Histopathological findings were typical and confirmed the diagnosis. In this case, the lesion was a skin-colored isolated mass, as described in the solitary type, but its localization and age of appearance were compatible with the classical type. The combination of simultaneous clinical findings of both types had not been published before.

Yellow dots in trichoscopy: relevance, clinical significance and peculiarities

Abstract: Yellow dots are follicular ostium filled with keratin and/or sebum. Initially, they were exclusively associated with alopecia areata. Currently they have also been described in androgenetic alopecia, chronic cutaneous (discoid) lupus erythematosus, and dissecting cellulitis. Due to the growing importance of trichoscopy and its findings in the evaluation of the scalp, this article describes the main diseases in which yellow dots are a common trichoscopic finding, highlighting its characteristics in each dermatosis.

Lichen planopilaris developed during childhood.

Lichen planopilaris is a disease that appears with lymphocytic cicatricial alopecia. It is considered a follicular variant of lichen planus. The examination of affected areas shows alopecia with perifollicular erythema and scaling, revealing a predilection for hair follicles. The involvement of children is uncommon, with few reports in this population in the literature. This study presents a clinical case of a male patient of 15 years of age with characteristic lesions of lichen planopilaris.

Lichen planopilaris developed during childhood

Abstract: Lichen planopilaris is a disease that appears with lymphocytic cicatricial alopecia. It is considered a follicular variant of lichen planus. The examination of affected areas shows alopecia with perifollicular erythema and scaling, revealing a predilection for hair follicles. The involvement of children is uncommon, with few reports in this population in the literature. This study presents a clinical case of a male patient of 15 years of age with characteristic lesions of lichen planopilaris.

Herpes-zóster oftálmico apos injeção de onabotulinotoxina para tratamento cosmético - Relato de caso / Herpes zoster ophthalmicus after onabotulinumtoxin for cosmetic treatment: a case report

Episódios de herpes-zóster após procedimentos têm sido documentados recentemente na literatura. Uma vez que o uso da toxina botulínica atualmente se faz presente em diversas especialidades médicas, é crucial o estudo de seus efeitos colaterais e complicações. Uma revisão da literatura mostrou 65 casos de reativação de zóster após procedimentos, sendo três relacionados a injeções de toxina botulínica tipo A (dois para tratamento de rítides faciais e um para migrânea crônica). Em nosso caso, uma mulher de 43 anos previamente hígida apresentou herpe-zóster na face e couro cabeludo após injeções de toxina botulínica tipo A com fins estéticos, tendo recuperação completa após tratamento antiviral.

Herpes zoster outbreaks following minor procedures have been documented recently in literature. Since the use of botulinum toxin is nowadays spread in several medical areas for different purposes, it is crucial to study its side effects and complications. Literature review revealed 65 cases of zoster reactivation following minor procedures, and three cases related to BTA injections (two for facial lines treatment and one for chronic migraine). In our case, a 43 year old healthy woman had herpes zoster on the face and scalp after receiving BTA injections for cosmetic purpose, with complete recovery after anti-viral treatment.

Merkel cell carcinoma in an immunosuppressed patient

Abstract Merkel cell carcinoma is an uncommon neuroendocrine carcinoma with a rising incidence and an aggressive behavior. It predominantly occurs in older patients, with onset occurring at a mean age of 75-80 years. Recognized risk factors are ultraviolet sunlight exposure, immunosuppression, and, more recently, Merkel cell polyomavirus. We report a case of Merkel cell carcinoma in a young HIV positive patient with Merkel Cell polyomavirus detected in the tumor.

Sweet's syndrome associated with Crohn's disease.

Sweet's syndrome is an uncommon benign skin disorder, whose pathogenesis remains unknown. Its classic form is more common in women and presents itself as papular-nodular, painful and erythematous or violaceous lesions. It mainly affects the face, neck, and upper limbs. Fever and neutrophilic leukocytosis are also common features. Although it is considered a systemic disease marker in more than half of patients, the association of this condition with Crohn's disease is rare, with few cases reported in the literature, of which, none in Brazil. We report the case of a patient with Crohn's disease who developed the classical features of Sweet's syndrome.