The Use of Medical Devices for Medical Skin Care and the Legal Issues / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Medical skin care is essential for the treatment of skin diseases all over the world. Medical skin care is also part of medical practice and this must be differentiated from the simple skin care that is given for normal healthy skin. OBJECTIVE: We wanted to discuss medical skin care and the related medical devices and legal issues. METHODS: We reviewed the related laws and regulations, we consulted experts and associations and we analyzed the result of the survey. RESULTS: Legally, medical skin care and simple skin care are well classified. However, many illegal procedures are still performed by non-medical personnel and many adverse effects have been reported as a result. Furthermore, there are no legal restrictions for the performer based on the grade of each medical skin care procedure. CONCLUSION: For the best results and safe procedures, medical skin care must be performed by approved medical equipment under the supervision of a physician or medical personnel. Continuous control and guidance by the government is strongly needed.

A Study of Cutaneous Manifestations in Patients with Thyroid Disorders / 대한피부과학회지

The clinical investigation was performed regarding cutaneous manifestations in 495 patients with thyroid disorders who had visited Pusan National University Hospital from January, 1979 to April, 1984. The results of this study were as follows: I. Of the 495 patients with thyroid disorders, 417 patients(84. 2%) showed various cutaneous manifestations. Among the cutaneous manifestations presented in the 176 patients with hyperthyroidism, hyperhidrosis was the most common(24. 2%), followed by pruritus (42. O%), chronic urticaria(29, 5%), bronze appearance(21. 6%), sparsity of hair (20. 5%), soft and friable nail(17. 6%). 3. Among the cutaneous manifestations presented in the 57 patients with hypothyroidism, pruritus was the most common(26. 3%), followed by sparsity of hair (21. 1%,), chronic urticaria(19. 3%), soft and friable nail(14. 0%). 4. In patients with Graves disease, cutaneous manifestations were more frequently observed than those of other thyroid disorders. 5, Autoimmune thyroid disorders such as Graves' di ease and Hashimotos thyroiditis were rarely associated with vitiligo(only 2 cases) and alopecia areata(only 1 case).

A Case of Partial Lipodystrophy / 대한피부과학회지

Partial lipodystrophy is an uncommon disorder primarily affecting women, with onset usually in childhood, characterized by slowly progressive, symrnetrical loss of aubcutaneous fat from the upper half of the body. We present a case of partial lipodystrophy in a 43-year-old woman with multiple depressed lesion on the face and reticulated atrophic lesions on the upper trunk and u]pper extremities. Typically, her face was the first part of the body so affected, giving it a characteristic cadeverous appearance, and gradu ally spreaded to the upper half of t2e body. Sirnultaneously, there was an accumulation of fat over the lower part of the body. She was generally otherwise well, although there had been an association with hyperpigmentation, hirsutism, arthralgia, thyroid disoraer, and low serum CR(45mg/dl), Riopsy specimens of iace and back showed lack of subcutaneous fat, but in the other section of the face showed hydropic degeneration of basal cells and inflammatory infiltrate in the dermis.

A Case of Progressive Idiopathic Atrophoderma / 대한피부과학회지

Progressive idiopathic atrophoderma of Pasini and Pierini is an asymptomatic atrophic disorder of the skin characterized by sharply demarcated, slightly depressed and slate-gray to brownish patches. The affected skin may be thin but of normal consistency. We herein described a 32-year-old female who showed on the trunk and extremities well-defined, brownish and atrophic areas without induration, but the central portion of the abdominal lesion was slightly thickened. Histopathologic findings showed slight thinning of the epidermis and dermis with mild perivascular infiltrate, however, the central portion of the abdominal lesion showed a focal, slightly sclerotic change of the collagen fibers.