Seasonal variation of skin diseases in Nepal: a hospital based annual study of out-patient visits.

The aim of this study was to determine whether there was seasonal variation in skin diseases amongst dermatology out-patients in Nepal. A retrospective study was done of all new out-patients visiting a single dermatologist, at the Om Hospital and Research Center, Kathmandu, Nepal. The study population comprised all new patients visiting the dermatology out-patient department, between January and December, 1999. Data were obtained from the hospital out-patient records and analyzed. The total number of patients with skin diseases was 1746 (Males-793; Females-953). Majority (28.6%) of the visits was in spring and the three most common diagnoses included fungal infections, acne and melasma. All skin diseases showed statistically significant seasonal variation. It is clear that occurrence of certain skin diseases in Nepal show a significant seasonal trend.

Lasers in dermatology.

Laser technology, since its inception, has grown to find it's in varied fields, and medical science has been no exception. Dermatological surgery is in itself an emerging field in medical science, and the evolution of laser technology has further widened its scope, with various therapeutic well as diagnostic applications. Though the use of this technology is rapidly evolving, controlled studies to compare the efficacy of different types of lasers in specific skin conditions, or its effect on different skin types, is lacking. This study presents the observations of the response to the Carbon-di-oxide laser used to treat various skin conditions, in the Nepali skin phenotype. Lasers are being used to treat a wide variety of dermatological conditions, many of which did not have satisfactory treatment in the past. Further studies are required to study the effect of lasers in the Nepali skin phenotype, so as to standardize the wavelengths, doses and exposure times that would be suitable to treat specific skin conditions.