Laser hair removal complications and the associated risk factors at a tertiary dermatology center: a case-control study.

Laser hair removal (LHR) has been established as a safe and efficient method for eliminating unwanted hair. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of LHR complications and assess the contributing factors. During one year, 16,900 patients undergoing LHR therapy were evaluated for complications. For each case, two external controls were selected (matched based on age, sex, Fitzpatrick skin type (FST) III-IV, and the treated anatomical region). To assess the impact of anatomical region on complication occurrence, each patient was used as their internal control if another area was treated during the same session. GEE analysis was used for statistical analysis.The incidence of LHR complications was calculated to be 0.69%. The most common complications were petechia, purpura, and ecchymosis (31.66%) followed by pigmentation changes (20.0%). LHR complications were most commonly observed in the lower limbs (32.0%), face and neck (23.3%), and genitalia and thighs (22.3%), respectively. Possible risk factors were younger age (OR = 0.74, P-value ≤ 0.001), operating LHR in the head and neck (OR = 5.8, P-value = 0.022), utilization of the alexandrite laser (OR = 2.32, P-value = 0.011), and fluence in the Alexandrite laser (OR = 3.47, P-value = 0.003).Overall, the results of this study indicate that LHR is generally a safe method for removing unwanted hair. However, factors such as younger age, treatment of the facial area, and use of the alexandrite laser especially with higher fluence levels in patients with FST III-IV were identified as potential risk factors.

Demographic aspects, clinical characteristics, and therapeutic approaches in geriatric psoriasis: A study from a tertiary center.

Geriatric psoriasis, due to its unusual clinical manifestations and higher rates of systemic complications in this age group, is a challenging issue for dermatologists. Therefore, we aimed to provide an overview of the epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic consequences among patients aged over 60 years with psoriasis in a referral center in Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 156 patients over 60 years with the definitive diagnosis of psoriasis that were referred to our center between 2015 and 2019. By reviewing the recorded files of the patients, baseline characteristics including demographics, underlying comorbidities, age of disease onset, clinical type of the disease, clinical manifestations, and therapeutic approaches were extracted. The most common clinical feature was plaque type (73.1%) followed by pustular type (10.9%). The most frequent involved zone was the lower extremities (84.6%). Most of the patients were treated topically (87.1%), while as the most frequent systemic approaches, methotrexate and acitretin were considered for 74.4% and 60.3%, respectively. A significantly higher mean age at disease onset was found in female patients compared to male patients. The plaque type was more prevalent in men than in women. Also, the chance of nail involvement was 2.43 times higher in men than in women (p = 0.011, 95%CI: 1.22-4.84). The disease duration was significantly longer in patients suffering from plaque compared to those without this feature. Conversely, those with palmoplantar type experienced shorter disease duration. Psoriatic arthritis was also revealed in patients of lower ages. As in other societies, in our society, clinical characteristics, disease involvement patterns, as well as considered treatment approaches, can be influenced by demographic characteristics.

Cutaneous manifestations following COVID-19 vaccination: A report of 25 cases.

Various adverse effects particularly cutaneous manifestations associated with different COVID-19 vaccines have been observed in practice. The aim of our study was to evaluate all patients who presented to our tertiary center with skin manifestations following COVID-19 vaccines injection from September to December 2021. All patients with skin manifestation within 30 days or less following COVID-19 vaccination were enrolled in our case-series. All cases included in our study were diagnosed based on clinical and/or histopathological evaluation and all other possible differential diagnoses were ruled out. Twenty-five individuals including 16 (64%) males and 9 (36%) females with the mean age of 47 ± 17.62 years (range 18-91) were enrolled in our study. Twenty-two (88%) patients developed lesions after Sinopharm vaccine injection and 3 (12%) cases manifested lesions after the AstraZeneca vaccine. Six (24%) patients developed new-onset lichen planus (LP) and 1 (4%) patient manifested LP flare-up. Two (8%) individuals developed psoriasis and 1 (4%) case showed psoriasis exacerbation. One (4%) patient developed new-onset pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and 1 (4%) case experienced a flare of PV lesions. One (4%) patient manifested pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA) flare-up. Other new-onset cases were as follows: toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) (n = 1, 4%), bullous pemphigoid (BP) (n = 2, 8%), alopecia areata (AA) (n = 2, 8%), pytriasis rosea (n = 1, 4%), herpes zoster (n = 1, 4%), cutaneous small vessel vasculitis (n = 1, 4%), erythema multiform (EM) and urticaria (n = 3, 12%), and morphea (n = 1, 4%). Physicians should be aware of the possible side effects especially cutaneous manifestations associated with COVID-19 vaccines.

Comparison of efficacy and safety of tretinoin 0.05% and glycolic acid peeling 70% in axillary and neck lesions of acanthosis nigricans: A single-blinded, randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Acanthosis nigricans is a non-inflammatory skin pigmentary disorder characterized by a dark, velvety appearance, primarily observed in the neck and axillary areas. It is commonly associated with obesity, diabetes, and insulin resistance. Although the primary treatment is correcting the underlying disorders, many aesthetic modalities have been established to improve appearance owing to cosmetic concerns. AIMS: We aimed to compare and investigate the effectiveness and side effects of tretinoin 0.05% and glycolic acid 70% in treating acanthosis nigricans lesions of the axillary and neck area. METHODS: This single-blinded, randomized trial recruited patients with neck or axillary involvement. Each patient was randomized to use cream tretinoin 0.05% every other night on one side, while the other side was treated with glycolic acid 70%, which was applied every 2 weeks at the clinic for four consecutive sessions. The study duration was 8 weeks, and patients were evaluated every 2 weeks based on their response to treatment, satisfaction, and side effects. RESULTS: Thirty patients, including 14 with neck lesions and 16 with axillary lesions, were included. Tretinoin was significantly more effective for axillary lesions in terms of treatment response and patient satisfaction (p = 0.02 and p = 0.008, respectively). It was also shown that as the severity of the lesions increased, the response to treatment and patient satisfaction decreased, specifically when treating axillary lesions with glycolic acid (p = 0.02 and p = 0.03, respectively). CONCLUSION: Neither method was significantly effective for neck lesions. However, tretinoin 0.05% was shown to be more efficacious in treating axillary lesions of acanthosis nigricans, despite causing minimal side effects.

Intralesional gene expression profile of JAK-STAT signaling pathway and associated cytokines in Leishmania tropica-infected patients.

Background: The JAK-STAT signaling pathway is a central cascade of signal transduction for the myriad of cytokines in which dysregulation has been implicated in progression of inflammatory and infectious diseases. However, the involvement of this pathway in human cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) due to Leishmania (L.) tropica warrants further investigation. Methods: This study sought to investigate differential gene expression of several cytokines and their associated jak-stat genes in the lesions of L. tropica-infected patients byquantitative Real-Time PCR. Further, the expression of five inhibitory immune checkpoint genes was evaluated. Results: Results showed that the gene expression levelsof both Th1 (ifng, il12, il23) and Th2 (il4, il10) types cytokines were increased in the lesion of studied patients. Further, elevated expression levels of il35, il21, il27 and il24 genes were detected in the lesions of CL patients. Notably, the expression of the majority of genes involved in JAK/STAT signaling pathway as well as checkpoint genes including pdl1, ctla4 and their corresponding receptors was increased. Conclusion: Our finding revealed dysregulation of cytokines and related jak-stat genes in the lesion of CL patients. These results highlight the need for further exploration of the functional importance of these genes in the pathogenesis of, and immunity to, CL.

A keratotic nodule on a cobblestone plaque: A rare case presentation.

The manuscript describes a case of a 68-year-old woman with a pruritic nodule and yellow cobblestone plaque on her abdomen. Biopsy results showed trans epidermal illumination of basophilic elastic fibres in the reticular dermis with calcium deposits. The diagnosis was perforating calcific elastosis, an acquired rare condition mostly seen in obese, multiparous, middle-aged women.

COVID outcome in pemphigus: Does rituximab make pemphigus patients susceptible to more severe COVID-19?

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has raised some concerns regarding the management of chronic skin diseases, especially in patients on immunosuppressive therapy including patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV). Literature review reveals conflicting results about the effect of monoclonal antibodies such as rituximab on clinical outcome of COVID-19. OBJECTIVES: To assess the reciprocal interaction of COVID-19 and pemphigus and the effect of rituximab on prognosis of COVID-19 in patients. METHODS: We set up a retrospective study on adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris and a history of COVID-19 with or without symptoms during 2020. RESULTS: Thirty-six adults with pemphigus vulgaris and SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. The SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed with positive RT-PCR test results in 31 cases (86.1%) and suspected in the 5 others (13.9%). Gender, total dose of rituximab, number of rituximab cycles, and involvement of head and neck were not associated to duration of COVID-19 symptoms (p values: 0.32, 0.23, 0.84, and 0.51, respectively), severity of disease (hospitalization) (p values: 0.46, 0.39, 0.23, and 0.72, respectively), or the percentage of lung involvement on CT scan (p values: 0.07, 0.36, 0.38, and 0.09, respectively). Regarding the impact of COVID-19 on pemphigus, the majority of patients did not experience any changes in their pemphigus regarding clinical phenotype (100%) or severity (83.3%), but PV was worsened in 6 (16.9%) patients which was controlled with increasing the prednisolone dosage. CONCLUSION: Rituximab appears to be safe with no increased risk of severe form of COVID-19 in patients with pemphigus vulgaris.

Dipeptidyl-Peptidase 4 Inhibitor-Induced Variants of Bullous Pemphigoid: A Case Series of Four Patients.

Bullous pemphigoid is the most common acquired bullous disease with an autoimmune basis and a tendency to involve mostly old people. By rising incidence of diabetes all over the world, consumption of antidiabetes medications has also increased. One of the most used antidiabetes drugs is gliptin family (dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitor). Recently, this class of oral antidiabetic agents showed a correlation with the occurrence of bullous pemphigoid and its subtypes, including mucous membrane pemphigoid and pemphigoid nodularis. We are reporting a case series of 4 diabetes patients that we diagnosed with bullous pemphigoid subtypes (mucous membrane pemphigoid, pemphigoid nodularis, and its rarest subtype, linear IgA bullous dermatosis) after taking different drugs of gliptin family.

Morphea in two patients after being infected to and being vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Although the presence of morphea following COVID-19 has been rarely reported, the development of its generalized form following COVID-19 vaccination has not been reported yet. Here, we reported the first case of generalized morphea following COVID-19 vaccination and another similar case following SARS-Cov-2 infection. Other etiologic factors were also dealt with.