Acroangiodermatitis in a lower leg amputee related to suction socket use.

Acroangiodermatitis is a rare condition with numerous causes typically presenting as purple macules on the lower extremities. Although benign, it can mimic the presentation of more serious underlying conditions such as Kaposi's sarcoma. We present a case of acroangiodermatitis in the stump of an amputee related to suction socket use in order to raise awareness of an unusual setting for this vascular proliferation.

Treatment of actinic cheilitis with the Er:YAG laser.

BACKGROUND: Actinic cheilitis is a common condition with the potential to develop into squamous cell carcinoma. Current treatments have varying cure rates and complications. The role of the erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser in the treatment of actinic cheilitis has not been widely published, despite offering theoretical advantages over current treatment modalities. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of a series of patients treated with the Er:YAG laser for actinic cheilitis. METHODS: This was a retrospective, interventional, nonrandomized, sequential case series set in a tertiary referral, dermatologic surgery unit. Ninety-nine consecutive patients with actinic cheilitis treated with the Er:YAG laser between January 2001 and June 2008 underwent a case note review, of which 77 went on to a structured telephone interview. The main outcome measures were a subjective improvement in lip symptoms related to actinic cheilitis and objective improvement in the lips at routine follow-up. RESULTS: Mean time to interview follow-up was 65.7 months. Of those interviewed, 92.2% believed there had been an improvement in the cosmetic appearance of their lips; one hundred percent believed the function of their lips had improved or remained unchanged; and 84.8% remained completely disease free at the time of follow-up. The majority of patients (93.5%) were satisfied with the laser treatment. Scarring as a direct result of the laser occurred in 5.1% of patients. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective nature of data collection; inability to interview all patients who underwent treatment. CONCLUSION: The Er:YAG laser is a successful modality for the treatment of actinic cheilitis with good functional and cosmetic results and only a small risk of long-term scarring. It should be considered as a first-line treatment for the disease.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia associated with generalized hair loss.

We present six cases of frontal fibrosing alopecia, in which generalized hair loss is a feature. Although this variant of lichen planopilaris has been reported clinically in a number of patients, there is very little histological evidence that the condition exists in peripheral sites. We believe this pattern of involvement may be more common than is reported, and have provided histological evidence of lichen planopilaris being present at sites beyond the scalp and eyebrows.

Spiral flap for closure of nasal ala defects.

Despite the existence of numerous methods to close nasal ala defects, many produce distortion of the surrounding tissues and obvious scarring. The spiral flap produces little or no distortion and well-camouflaged scars. We demonstrate these benefits through the presentation of two successful case reports.