Sensitive skin syndrome (SSS) is a common and challenging condition, yet little is known about its underlying pathophysiology. Patients with SSS often present with subjective complaints of severe facial irritation, burning, and/or stinging after application of cosmetic products. These complaints are out of proportion to the objective clinical findings. Defined as a self-diagnosed condition lacking any specific objective findings, SSS is by definition difficult to quantify and, therefore, the scientific community has yet to identify an acceptable objective screening test. In this overview we review recent epidemiological studies, present current thinking on the pathophysiology leading to SSS, discuss the challenges SSS presents, and recommend a commonsense approach to management.

Patch-stage/early mycosis fungoides (MF) is difficult to differentiate from benign dermatoses, despite several robust histologic criteria. Most studies include advanced lesions and data about early disease is limited. Objectives: (1) To compare the CD4:CD8 ratio in patch-stage MF versus inflammatory mimics. (2) To study patterns of CD1a expression in the epidermis and dermis in the two groups. Materials and Methods: Twenty cases each of early MF and inflammatory dermatoses were selected. The diagnoses were established after clinicopathologic correlation, repeat biopsies, and follow-up. The inflammatory group included pityriasis lichenoides chronica, actinic reticuloid, lichenoid purpura, and various psoriasiform dermatoses. Immunohistochemistry was done for CD4, CD8, and CD1a. Epidermal CD4, CD8 cells were quantified and CD1a was graded semi-quantitatively in the epidermis and dermis. Results: The average CD4:CD8 ratio was 4.2 in MF (range: 1-16.8), and 0.9 in inflammatory diseases (range: 0.43-5), which was statistically significant (P < 0.0001). None of the MF cases had a ratio <1. Four cases of pityriasis lichenoides chronica had a ratio >1. CD1a cells had a continuous or confluent epidermal pattern in almost all cases of MF, while they occurred as small or large groups in the dermis. In inflammatory dermatoses, there were either isolated or scattered CD1a+ cells in both epidermis and dermis. Conclusions: Elevated CD4:CD8 ratio favors MF. But there is an overlap in the lower range with pityriasis lichenoides chronica. These cases require good clinicopathologic correlation and follow-up. Patterns of CD1a expression are more reliable. Immunostains buttress morphology and are a valuable addition.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of a diagnostic hypoallergenic diet on the severity of atopic dermatitis in patients over 14 years of age. Materials and Methods: The diagnostic hypoallergenic diet was recommended to patients suffering from atopic dermatitis for a period of 3 weeks. The severity of atopic dermatitis was evaluated at the beginning and at the end of this diet (SCORAD I, SCORAD II) and the difference in the SCORAD over this period was statistically evaluated. Results: One hundred and forty-nine patients suffering from atopic dermatitis were included in the study: 108 women and 41 men. The average age of the subjects was 26.03 (SD: 9.6 years), with the ages ranging from a minimum of 14 years to a maximum of 63 years. The mean SCORAD at the beginning of the study (SCORAD I) was 32.9 points (SD: 14.1) and the mean SCORAD at the end of the diet (SCORAD II) was 25.2 points (SD: 9.99). The difference between SCORAD I and SCORAD II was evaluated with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The average decrease of SCORAD was 7.7 points, which was statistically significant (P=.00000). Conclusion: Introduction of the diagnostic hypoallergenic diet may serve as a temporary medical solution" in patients suffering from moderate or severe forms of atopic dermatitis. It is recommended that this diet be used in the diagnostic workup of food allergy.

Background: Chronic urticaria (CU) is defined as urticaria persisting daily as or almost daily for more than 6 weeks and affecting 0.1% of the population. Mast cell degranulation and histamine release is of central importance in the pathogenesis of CU. About 40-50% of the patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria demonstrate an immediate wheal and flare response to intra-dermal injected autologous serum. This led to the concept of autoimmune urticaria. Aims: To determine the occurrence, clinical features, associated clinical conditions, comorbidities of autoimmune urticaria and to compare this with chronic spontaneous urticaria. This study aimed to find the frequency of autologous serum skin test (ASST) positive patients among patients with CU and to identify the clinical and laboratory parameters associated with positive ASST. Materials and Methods: Prospective correlation study was done on 80 chronic urticaria patients, more than 6 weeks duration, attending outpatient department of dermatology during a period of November 2007 to January 2010. Patients were subjected to ASST, complete blood count, urine routine examination, liver function tests, renal function tests, thyroid function tests, H. pylori antibody tests, C3 and C4 complement level estimation, antinuclear antibody, and urine analysis. Results: ASST was positive in 58.75% and negative in 41.25% of the patients, respectively. Out of 33 patients with history of angioedema, 9 (27.3%) patients were in ASST negative group and 24 were in positive group, this was statistically significant. Both groups showed no statistically significant difference for epidemiological details. Conclusion: ASST is considered a screening test for an autoimmune urticaria, which decreases the rate of diagnosis of "idiopathic" form of chronic urticaria. Patients with an autoimmune urticaria have more severe urticaria, more prolonged duration, more frequent attacks, and angioedema. Identification of autoimmune urticaria may permit the use of an immunotherapy in severe disease unresponsive to anti-histamine therapy.

Background: The incidence of tattoos has been increased markedly during the last 20 years. Aims: To analyze the patient files for severe adverse medical reactions related to tattooing. Settings: Academic Teaching Hospital in South-East Germany. Materials and Methods: Retrospective investigation from March 2001 to May 2012. Results: The incidence of severe adverse medical reactions has been estimated as 0.02%. Infectious and non-infectious severe reactions have been observed. The consequences were medical drug therapies and surgery. Conclusions: Tattooing may be associated with severe adverse medical reactions with significant morbidity. Regulations, education and at least hygienic controls are tools to increase consumer safety.

Background: Lifa disease (frictional dermal melanosis) is a common dermatological problem. Full strength lactic acid has been proved to be effective and safe peeling agent in the treatment of melasma. Objective: To assess the effectiveness and the safety of lactic acid chemical peeling in the treatment of lifa disease. Materials and Methods: This open label therapeutic trial was conducted in Department of Dermatology in Najaf and Baghdad Teaching Hospitals, from March 2007-October 2008. Full strength lactic acid (92%, pH 3.5) was used as a peeling agent. The treatment sessions were done every 2 weeks until the desired response was achieved (but not more than 6 sessions). The response to therapy was evaluated by objective and subjective methods. All patients were followed monthly for 3 months after the last treatment session. Results: 52 patients with typical clinical features of lifa disease were included. All patients were slim with prominent bones and low body mass index, and gave history of using the lifa (washing agent) during bathing. The number of sessions ranged from 2-6 sessions. The pigmentation was improved in all patients as revealed by objective and subjective methods, and this response was statistically highly significant. No significant side effects were recorded in all treated patients. The improvement has been sustained without any obvious relapse throughout the follow-up period. Conclusion: Lactic acid peel is a new, non-costly mode of therapy in treating dermal melanosis in patients with lifa disease.

Of the various collagen vascular diseases seen in pediatric age group, discoid lupus erythematosus, systemic lupus erythematosus, neonatal lupus erythematosus, juvenile dermatomyositis and childhood scleroderma are common and of practical importance to clinicians. Various treatment modalities of these conditions have been discussed at length. Of these, some are conventional and routine,while others are used in challenging situations of these diseases. Autologous stem cell transplant, biological therapies, intravenous immunoglobulin and narrow band ultraviolet B are among the latest therapeutic options for these difficult-to-treat conditions in children.

Alopecia areata (AA) is a non-scarring autoimmune disease of the hair follicle that can present at any age. Pediatric cases are commonly seen in a dermatology clinic, and management can potentially be challenging, with a small proportion of cases experiencing a chronic relapsing course marked by distressing hair loss that can bring about significant psychosocial morbidity. We review the established treatments for pediatric alopecia areata, alongside second and third line therapies that have shown to be efficacious. We also offer a treatment algorithm as a guide to the treatment of pediatric AA.

Childhood vitiligo differs from the adults by showing a higher incidence in females, segmental vitiligo being more common and less frequent association with other systemic autoimmune and endocrine disorders.Childhood vitiligo is often associated with a marked psychosocial and long lasting effect on the self-esteem of the affected children and their parents, hence an adequate treatment is very essential. Treatment of vitiligo is indeed a tough challenge for the dermatologists' more so in the background of childhood vitiligo. Although multiple therapeutic modalities are available in the therapeutic armamentarium, not all can be used in children. This brief report updates regarding various therapies available in the treatment of childhood vitiligo.

Erythroderma a life-threatening entity during the fi rst one month, and many a time, a manifestation of genodermatosis, immune defi ciency, psoriasis, metabolic diseases, and infections. Atopic dermatitis presenting as erythroderma is usually observed later, after this one-month period, and hence not a common differential for neonatal exfoliative dermatitis. Although a rare entity, there is a paucity of studies on this and in contrast to adults, some may manifest as cardinal signs of primary disease conditions.

We describe five cases of verruciform xanthoma (VX). The patients, all males, presented with single warty verrucous lesions of 0.5-2 cm size that had been diagnosed clinically as viral warts (four cases) and leukoplakia (one case). Two patients had the lesion in the oral cavity, two on the genital mucosa, and one on the scrotal skin. Histopathology was diagnostic, with verrucous and papillomatous epidermal hyperplasia with the silhouette of a viral wart but with numerous foamy histiocytes packed in the elongated dermal papillae. Columns of deep parakeratosis and neutrophils in the upper spinous layers, with a dermal plasma cell infiltrate were the other histopathologic findings. Excision of the lesions was curative, without recurrences, in the two patients who had lesions in the oral cavity; follow-up was not available in the cases with genital lesions. VX is an uncommon but distinctive clinicopathologic entity affecting the oral and genital mucosa that may be mistaken for benign, premalignant, and malignant conditions. VX can be diagnosed with certainty only on histopathologic examination.

A rare presentation of Sweet's syndrome (SS) (acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis) is being reported in a 28-year-old man from India. I report a rare presentation of SS that consisted of bilaterally symmetrical, bullous lesions on both forearms with a seasonal recurrence. A thorough work-up for the usual conditions predisposing to or leading to SS did not throw any light on the etiology. After failing treatment with prednisolone alone we added indomethacin, and he responded to the combination in a matter of days with complete clearance of lesions.

A 25-year-old woman patient presented with shortening of fingers with racket nails and numerous yellowish papules over the hands and forearms for 21 years. X-ray of the hands revealed destructive osteolytic changes in all the terminal phalanges. Skin biopsy from the yellowish papules showed epidermal proliferation, perivascular mononuclear infiltrate, thickening of dermal collagen, septal fibrosis and loss of adipocytes mimicking sclerodermatous changes in the dermis and hypodermis. The patient did not have any history of similar illness in the family or occupational exposure to vinyl chloride. After excluding all other possibilities of acral-osteolysis, we diagnosed the case as idiopathic non-familial variety of acro-osteolysis. This is a rare entity characterized by terminal resorption of fingers, sometimes associated with Raynaud's phenomena and yellowish cutaneous papules.

The true existence of naevoid psoriasis and inflammatory linear verrucous naevus as distinct entities has been a debatable issue. Each has been opined to be a variant of the other. Considerable clinical and histological resemblance is seen between the two conditions. We describe three cases which attempt to throw more light on this issue.

Acrodermatitis enteropathica is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder of zinc absorption. Acquired cases are reported occasionally in patients with eating disorders or Crohn's disease. We report a 24-year-old housewife with acquired isolated severe zinc deficiency with no other comorbidities to highlight the rare occurrence of isolated nutritional zinc deficiency in an otherwise normal patient.

A 14-year-old male presented with seven years history of recurrent episodes of fluid filled, itchy and eroded lesions over the body not responding to oral corticosteroids and azathioprine. Dermatological examination revealed crusted plaques and erosions in a seborrheic distribution. Histopathology of skin lesions and direct immunofluorescence were characteristic of pemphigus foliaceus. He was treated with dexamethasone pulse therapy with inadequate response. However, relapsing skin lesions revealed a circinate arrangement with a predilection to trunk and flexures. In view of clinical features suggestive of IgA pemphigus, he was started on dapsone, to which he responded dramatically in four weeks. However, repeat biopsy continued to reveal features of pemphigus foliaceus and ELISA for anti- desmoglein 1 antibodies was positive.

Varicella zoster virus causes varicella which is a common disease. Generally it is self-limiting, and treatment is often unnecessary, but severe or life-threatening complications are rarely seen. We report a case of fulminant varicella complicating with purpura fulminans, hepatitis, and probable rhabdomyolysis in a previously healthy child.

Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis, also known as hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type IV, is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by the congenital lack of pain sensation, inability to sweat, episodes of recurrent hyperpyrexia, mental retardation, and self-mutilating behavior. It is an extremely rare disorder with only a handful of reports from India. A five- year- old boy, born to second-degree consanguineous parents after uneventful antenatal period, presented to us with history of recurrent unexplained fever, recurrent ulcers in the lower limbs, insensitivity to painful stimuli (like injections, vaccination) and self-mutilating behavior from early childhood. Cutaneous examination showed multiple ulcers, loss of teeth, loss of tip of the tongue (due to biting), scarring of finger tips, xerosis and lichenification. Sensory examination showed complete loss of pain and temperature sensations, but fine touch and vibration were preserved. Deep tendon reflexes were normal. Evaluation for Hansen's disease was non-contributory. An intradermal injection of histamine did not show any flare response. Based on clinical as well as compatible histological features a diagnosis of congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis was made. The ulcers were treated with appropriate antibiotics and daily dressings. The parents were counseled about appropriate care of the child.

Hereditary angioedema is a genetic disorder due to a deficiency or malfunction of C1 esterase inhibitor. We herein describe a case of 25-year-old male who presented with swelling over face since one day. There was history of similar episodes since two years with gradual subsidence of swelling without any treatment. Investigations revealed grossly reduced complement C4 and C1 esterase inhibitor level. Patient was diagnosed to have hereditary angioedema type 1 and started on stanozolol 2 mg three times a day with no recurrence in one year of follow-up. Hereditary angioedema resembles angioedema of an allergic reaction. However, the cause is different.

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a severe cutaneous adverse reaction to drugs, characterized by extensive detachment of epidermis and mucous membranes with a mortality of 30-40%. An increased occurrence of cutaneous drug reactions is seen in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We present this case of TEN caused by ondansetron in an HIV-infected patient. A 24-year-old HIV-1-infected man on antitubercular therapy and cotrimoxazole, presented with extensive and confluent erosions involving the face, trunk, extremities and mucous membranes following the intake of oral ondansetron, ofloxacin and ornidazole. All the drugs were withdrawn and he was treated with intravenous dexamethasone and antibiotics with consequent healing of the erosions. However, the lesions recurred on inadvertent intake of oral ondansetron. He was treated with intravenous antibiotics, fluid resuscitation and supportive care. The skin lesions healed completely over 2 months with postinflammatory depigmentation and scarring, and the eye lesions healed with corneal opacities. We would like to emphasize that the drug most frequently associated with adverse drug reactions may be innocent in a given patient and the physician dealing with a suspected drug reaction must always remain unbiased regarding the causative drug.

Angina bullosa hemorrhagic (ABH) describes the acute and sometimes painful onset of oral blood-filled vesicles and bullae, not attributable to blood dyscrasia, vesiculobullous disorders, systemic diseases or other known causes. The haemorrhagic bullae spontaneously burst after a short time resulting in ragged, often painless, superficial erosions that heal spontaneously within 1 week without scarring. Trauma appears to be the most common identifiable precipitating factor, but the essential tissue defect is yet unidentified. This paper presents two cases of ABH with the aim to create awareness regarding occurrence of this lesion, thus avoiding any misdiagnosis.

A 45-year-old female patient known case of sarcoidosis presented in skin department with chief complaint of skin-colored papulonodular lesions over face with exacerbation in summer season since last 4 years. On examination lesions were multiple, firm and skin colored. Biopsy was done showing features of eccrine hidrocystoma. Patient was treated with electrocautery and showed improvement.

Lupus erythematosus (LE) is a disease with a wide spectrum of cutaneous and systemic manifestations. Clinical features of patients with LE show a great variation, and for this reason it is difficult to develop a unifying concept of this disease. Our objective is to present a case of hypertrophic LE with atypical morphology and extensive involvement, who responded favorably to isotretinoin. Diagnosis of hypertrophic lupus erythematosus (HLE) was confirmed by characteristic histopathological findings. Combination therapy with isotretinoin and hydroxychloroquine resulted in flattening and repression of previously refractory skin lesions. Sometimes, HLE lesions may present a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma. In long standing lesions, squamous cell carcinoma may arise. Therefore, HLE requires adequate therapy with clinical and histopathological follow up.

Leukemia cutis is the infiltration of neoplastic leukocytes or their precursors into the epidermis, the dermis, or the subcutis, resulting in clinically identifiable cutaneous lesions. Leukemia cutis may follow, precede or occur concomitantly with the diagnosis of systemic leukemia. A 50-year-old woman presented with asymptomatic multiple cutaneous nodules all over the body of 4 months duration. Cutaneous examination showed multiple hyperpigmented nodules and plaques involving face, trunk, and extremities. Peripheral smear showed abnormally elevated leucocyte count (TLC-70,000) with abnormal cells: myeloblasts 40%, promyelocytes 8% and myelocytes 39%. Auer rods were present in few myeloblasts. Bone marrow aspiration showed increased cellularity, erythroid hyperplasia with megaloblastic change, increased myeloblasts with maturation arrest. Immunohistochemistry showed strongly positive myeloperoxidase infiltrating cells and negative for CD20 and CD3 consistent with the diagnosis of AML-M 2 with leukemia cutis. This case is reported for its rarity.

We report a case of a 26 year old woman with rash, lymphadenopathy, liver enzyme abnormalities and spiking fever. She was diagnosed with drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DHS) to lamotrigine. Spiking fever in relation to drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome has not earlier been described in adults. Spiking fever is an important symptom of the wide spectrum of disease presentation. The syndrome is commonly referred to as either Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) or DHS. In accord with previous authors we see both syndromes as two ends of a spectrum, with a wide range of symptoms and presentations. Therefore we plea for unity in nomenclature.

Lupus vulgaris is the most common morphological variant of cutaneous tuberculosis. Classical lupus lesions are often seen in the head and neck region. Turkey ear is a clinically descriptive term, previously being used for the earlobe with reddish indurated plaque lesions, which recently can be a sign for lupus vulgaris. A 65-year-old man presented with lupus vulgaris of the earlobe. The diagnosis was confirmed by conventional laboratory investigations and the patient showed well response to antituberculous therapy. This is the second reported case of "turkey ear" as a manifestation of cutaneous tuberculosis.

A case of chronic disseminated cutaneous histoplasmosis with unusual skin manifestations in an immunocompetent host is reported. Presence of cutaneous ulcers, linear erythematous plaques, skin coloured atrophic plaques and recurrent self-limiting oral ulcers in a single patient has not been documented in literature so far. Diagnosis was established by identifying small intracellular yeast-like cells of Histoplasma in tissue smear and skin biopsy. Leishman stained tissue smear proves to be an easy and simple procedure for diagnosis of histoplasmosis.