Cutaneous manifestations in an Italian military COVID hub.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of the pandemic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel coronavirus named Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), affecting a high number of patients in Italy, forced a great number of doctors, even dermatologists, to work in the first lines in the dedicated departments. We analyzed the features and the incidence of dermatological issues emerged during the hospitalization due to COVID-19 and absent before. METHODS: All the SARS-CoV-2 positive patients hospitalized in Celio Military Hospital - COVID hub no-intensive care wards from March 16, 2020 until May 4, 2020 were evaluated by dermatologists several times during the hospital stay. RESULTS: Ninety-six patients (15 civilians and 81 Italian servicepeople) were enrolled: 34 (35.4%) patients developed cutaneous manifestations; 15 (16.0%) suffered from skin dryness; 5 (5.2%) irritant contact dermatitis; 4 (4.2%) seborrheic dermatitis; 4 (4.2%) morbilliform rashes; 3 (3.1%) petechial rashes and 3 (3.1%) widespread hives. CONCLUSIONS: A deeper knowledge of cutaneous manifestations in military and civilian hospitalized COVID-19 patients could suggest more effective treatments to win the battle against SARS-CoV-2.

Italian Guidelines in diagnosis and treatment of alopecia areata.

Alopecia areata (AA) is an organ-specific autoimmune disorder that targets anagen phase hair follicles. The course is unpredictable and current available treatments have variable efficacy. Nowadays, there is relatively little evidence on treatment of AA from well-designed clinical trials. Moreover, none of the treatments or devices commonly used to treat AA are specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The Italian Study Group for Cutaneous Annexial Disease of the Italian Society of dermatology proposes these Italian guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of Alopecia Areata deeming useful for the daily management of the disease. This article summarizes evidence-based treatment associated with expert-based recommendations.

Facial skin rejuvenation by autologous dermal microfat transfer in photoaged patients: Clinical evaluation and skin surface digital profilometry analysis.

Cumulative long-term exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation promotes premature skin aging characterized by wrinkle formation and reduced skin elasticity. In this study, we assessed whether microfat transfer could improve dermal and subcutaneous tissue thickness loss associated with photoaging. Twenty-one patients affected by facial photoaging (photodamage grade II-IV; age range 35-62 years; 19 females, 2 males; all of Caucasian origin) were treated using minimally invasive autologous dermal white fat transfer harvested with a recently designed microcannula. The results were determined by clinical assessment and patient self-evaluation and quantified by the Antera 3D® dermal digital device for noninvasive, objective, reliable, and accurate assessment of facial skin texture, color, and wrinkle characteristics. Compared with the pretreatment condition, the increment in soft tissue volume and improvement in skin quality and texture were assessed by a dermatologist after treatment. In addition, instrumental evaluation by digital skin profilometry of the treated areas revealed a 41% reduction in average wrinkle depth (7.29 ± 1.04 × 10-2 mm pretreatment vs. 4.31 ± 1.16 × 10-2 mm at 90 days posttreatment; p < 0.001), improved skin texture, more homogeneous and uniform skin color, and declined facial hemoglobin and melanin concentrations. The majority of patients (above 90%) reported improvements in self-perception. No significant complications were reported throughout the study. In conclusion, by using digital profilometry analysis as an objective and innovative tool to determine the outcome of treatment, we demonstrated that autologous microfat transfer is a safe and well-tolerated procedure with measurable beneficial effects on facial skin aging.

Clinical, Histological and Trichoscopic Correlations in Scalp Disorders.

Trichoscopy is the term coined for the dermoscopic imaging of scalp and hair. This diagnostic technique, simple and noninvasive, can be used as a handy bedside tool for the diagnosis and follow-up of hair and scalp disorders. It allows the recognition of morphologic structures not visible by the naked eye and provides the clinician with a range of dermoscopic findings necessary for differential diagnosis. Trichoscopy observation can be broadly grouped as interfollicular patterns and follicular patterns. Recently, a third mixed class, called the follicular plus interfollicular pattern, has been introduced. Some of these features are specific to a certain scalp disease, while others can be found in many hair disorders. Although studies suggest that the use of trichoscopy can improve clinical accuracy, further investigation is needed. This review provides update information on the trichoscopic features of the most common scalp disorders, striving to show a histopathological and clinical correlation.