We report a severe scalding case with an affected skin area of 30-40% of the body surface. The patient suffered from severe itching and pain in the hypertrophic scar parts even 1.5 years after the accident. Treatment with acoustic wave therapy almost daily during the first treatment cycle was able to significantly reduce the discomfort. On representation after 1 year, the skin condition showed significant improvement. The second treatment cycle brought further improvement. At the last check-up 2 years later, the patient was free of complaints.
We report the case of a 42-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing treatment with subcutaneous tocilizumab for the past 6 months. Three days after the administration, an asymptomatic inflammatory annular plaque of 4 cm with discrete whitish scales at the inner border margin developed at the injection site in the left iliac fossa. A smaller plaque in the left groin appeared soon after. The mycological exam was negative. Histology showed a lymphoplasmacytic superficial and deep perivascular, and periadnexal, dermal infiltrate, without epidermal changes. Lesions spontaneously regressed in 4 months. The diagnosis was clinically and histologically consistent with erythema annulare centrifugum, following the exclusion of other differential diagnoses. Erythema annulare centrifugum represents a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction generally considered idiopathic or otherwise related to numerous triggers, including drugs such as biologics. We describe the first reported case of tocilizumab-induced erythema annulare centrifugum. This case should alert dermatologists to this relatively rare and complex entity and should raise awareness to cutaneous biologic drug reactions.
Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is one of the causes of erythroderma; however, to date, there have been relatively few reported cases. We herein describe 6 cases of erythrodermic PF. In all 6 cases, PF was a direct cause of erythroderma because the patients had not undergone any medical treatments and neither had any other skin diseases nor were taking any drugs that typically cause erythroderma. Serum levels of IgE and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine were elevated in 5 of the 6 cases, whereas soluble interleukin-2 receptor and squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen were markedly increased in all cases, suggesting that those markers are strong indicators of skin surface damage. All patients were treated with predonisolon (PSL), of which PSL pulse was added in 4 patients and intravenous immunoglobulin was added in 4 patients. Furthermore, all patients except for one were older adults, among whom 2 cases developed Kaposi's varicelliform eruption, and died, and another 2 patients, respectively, died of gastrointestinal bleeding and sepsis. Kaposi's varicelliform eruption is a complication of erythrodermic PF associated with poor prognosis, and thus caution is necessary when considering the diagnosis. Furthermore, elderly people are more likely to have complications due to PSL, which may result in death. Inappropriate treatment and delay in treatment may cause erythroderma, so early diagnosis and treatment are necessary.
Verrucous carcinoma (VC) is a rare subtype of squamous cell carcinoma. VC is histologically a benign tumor, but it grows significantly and eventually forms a huge mass. Many different treatments are known, but the first-line treatment is surgical resection. VC has strong local infiltration and frequently recurs, making its local control very difficult in unresectable cases. We present a rare case of VC that could be treated with combined radiotherapy and Mohs' chemosurgery, as a new option for unresectable VC.
We report the case of a 38-year-old male patient who presented with blanching of the face after strenuous exercise or physical exertion. The symptoms regressed in a relaxed state. Three years before presentation, he underwent botulinum toxin injections in the affected areas of the face. Facial blanching is a rare side effect of botulinum toxin injection. The postulated pathophysiology involves different transmitters mainly acetylcholine as well as co-transmitters implicated in vasodilation. Usually, facial blanching resolves shortly after waning of the botulinum toxin. However, in our case, the symptoms persisted for a longer time. Till date, therapy options for post-botulinum facial blanching are lacking, mainly due to the temporary aspect of the disease.
Treatment of metastasized malignant melanoma still has very limited therapeutic options. After exhaustion of immuno-checkpoint inhibition (ICI) and potentially targeted therapy, no promising alternatives are currently available. We report on an 83-year-old patient suffering from disseminated metastatic melanoma who showed an almost complete response to ICI following chemotherapy, after repeated failure of different regimens including two nonresponsive regimens of ICI. The presented outcome suggests a cytotoxic immuno-priming, facilitating a response to prior nonresponsive ICI. As this concept has not been established until now for malignant melanoma, in contrast to multiple other cancer entities, our case report corroborates previous evidence and therefore suggests a new treatment option, which should be researched further.
Minocycline, a semisynthetic derivative of tetracycline that is used to treat various infectious and noninfectious conditions, can cause tissue hyperpigmentation. The skin, oral mucosa, sclera, and rarely the nails, can all be affected. The discoloration varies from blue, slate-gray, or brown, and it typically occurs in a dose-dependent fashion. The mechanism of hyperpigmentation, however, remains largely unknown. Herein, we present a case of gray-blue hyperpigmentation of the skin, sclera, and nails after long-term treatment with minocycline for acne.
Erythrodermic psoriasis (EP) is a severe, often refractory, variant of psoriasis. Due to the high morbidity and mortality rate associated with EP and other causes of erythroderma, they are often classified as dermatologic emergencies. EP is usually a therapeutic challenge, where topical and conventional systemic therapies have yielded a less than satisfactory result in several patients. Furthermore, there are a limited number of studies evaluating other therapeutic modalities, such as biologic agents, with no clear treatment guidelines. In this case report, we present a patient who was diagnosed as a case of EP and showed an impressive response to risankizumab.
Pilomatricoma is a rare benign skin adnexal tumor arising from hair matrix cells. It usually manifests as a firm-to-hard, well-circumscribed, nontender nodule often mistaken as a dermoid cyst. However, its clinical presentation has been reported to mimic keloid. In addition, although it occurs most frequently in the head and neck area, pilomatricoma is rarely reported on the auricle. Herein, we reported a case of pilomatricoma occurring on the posterior part of a 9-year-old girl's auricle. Unlike classic pilomatricoma, the tumor closely resembled a keloid. Nevertheless, histological examination following excision of the tumor revealed a dermal tumor arranged in solid nests consisting of basaloid and ghost cells along with foreign body reaction, calcification, and ossification, confirming the diagnosis of pilomatricoma. The rarity, atypical clinical presentation, and unique location of this tumor contributed to the misdiagnosis of this case. Therefore, we reviewed previous cases of pilomatricoma of the auricle reported in the literature to provide a comprehensive understanding of this rare entity.