Clinical, epidemiological characteristics and associated factors of hair greying in Lagos, Nigeria.

Objective: To document the epidemiological, clinical characteristics, believed triggers and associated behaviour in hair greying. Design: A community based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in February 2020 following ethical approval and written informed consent from participants. All participants were clinically evaluated for hair greying, its pattern and location on the scalp. Socio-demographic data were documented. Data was entered and analyzed using the IBM statistics software version 22. Numerical and categorical variables are presented. Setting: The study was conducted at an urban market in Lagos, Nigeria. Participants: The study participants comprised 307 adult traders. Results: The mean age of the 307 participants studied was 42.7±12.8 years. The prevalence of hair greying was 47.6% (51% in males and 45.9% in females). The median (IQR) age of those with grey hair was 52 (44, 59) years. The prevalence of hair greying was 14.8% in those aged 30-34 years and 97.2% in those aged 60 years and above. The prevalence of premature greying was 17.7% and greying before friends and family members was reported at 19.9% and 13%, respectively. Grey hair was diffuse in 81.5%; localized to the frontal area of the scalp in 55.5%. Use of hair dye was noted in 15.8%. Conclusion: Hair greying is common in the study population. The age at onset is 30 years. Premature hair greying is uncommon in Nigeria. More epidemiological studies of hair greying especially of premature hair greying are needed. Funding: Funding for this study was provided by the L'Oreal African Hair & Skin Research Grant.

Assessment of the effect of treatment on the quality of life of adult Keloid

Background: Documentations of the effect of treatment on the quality of life of keloid patients are few. This study assessedimprovement in quality-of-lifefollowing keloid treatment. In addition, to assess which of the offered four modalities of treatment improved quality of life more.Methods:Thisquasi-experimentalstudy was conducted on 32 adults who had treatment for keloid disease in the clinic from February 2019 to January 2020. This was part of a comparative study of four different modalities of keloid treatment. The quality of life was assessed before and after treatment using the Dermatology Life Quality Index questionnaire (DLQI). Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23.0Results:Quality of life significantly improved after treatment with the mean ± SD DLQI score improving from 7.75 ± 6.15 to 4.16 ± 4.93, p=0.001. Quality of life before treatment was impaired in 93.7% and improved to 65.6%. Before treatment, 2 patients had no QOLimpairment but this improved to 11 patients after treatment. Prior to treatment, severely impaired QOLwas in recorded 28.1% of thepatient's and in 9.4% after treatment. Quality of life improved more in patients who had the combined intralesional triamcinolone acetonide and 5-flourouracil treatment. Significant improvement in the DLQI items of symptomatology, embarrassment, social activity and choice of clothing was noted.Conclusion:Treatment of keloid improves quality of life and this is dependent on the modality of treatment. The items of quality of life improved include; embarrassment, choice of clothing, interference with socialactivities, symptoms of pain and pruritus.

Adult female acne: A cross-sectional study of diet, family history, body mass index, and premenstrual flare as risk factors and contributors to severity.

BACKGROUND: The risk factors for adult female acne (AFA) and their influence on severity are unclear. The aim of this study was to document the role of diet, body mass index (BMI), premenstrual flare, and family history of acne as risk factors and cause of severity of AFA. METHODS: This was a prospective, cross-sectional, case-control study of 112 women age ≥25 years. The women were clinically evaluated. Sociodemographic data (age, family history of acne, premenstrual flare, weight, and height) and dietary habits were documented. Age, weight, height, and dietary habits of controls were also documented. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 22. RESULTS: The mean age of the 56 patients with AFA was 33.4 ±â€¯8.2 years (controls: 24.5 ±â€¯4.4 years). Premenstrual flare of acne was noted in 58.9% of patients, a family history of acne was present in 51.8% of patients, and the mean BMI was 25.2 ±â€¯4.9 (32.1%). A risk factor for AFA was a family history of acne (p ≤ 0.001). Dietary habits (chicken, p = 0.457; beef, p = 0.845; cakes and sweets, p = 0.956; starchy food, p = 0.361; and type of milk, p = 0.919) and BMI (p = 0.486) were not risk factors for AFA. Premenstrual flare (p = 0.178), BMI (p = 0.206), family history of acne (p = 0.592), and diet did not contribute to the severity of AFA. CONCLUSION: Diet and BMI are not risk factors for AFA, but a family history of acne is. Severity of AFA is independent of premenstrual flares, diet, BMI, and a family history of acne.

Comparative study of cutaneous melanoma and its associated issues between people of African decent and Caucasians.

Cutaneous melanoma is uncommon in people of African descent unlike their Caucasian counterparts. This rarity of cutaneous melanoma in people of African descent makes studies in this group difficult. In the few studies that are available, several differences exist in the incidence, disease severity, course of the disease, treatment modalities and survival rates between these two groups. Observed difference in cutaneous melanoma between people of African descent and Caucasians include; a higher incidence and better prognosis in Caucasians, a low awareness of melanoma, no definite risk factors, presentation with advanced disease, poor melanoma specific survival in people of African descent. Other differences are a better UV-induced DNA damage recovery, acral as opposed to truncal melanoma, female preponderance and lack of preventive measures in people of African descent.

Prevalence, pattern, source of drug information, and reasons for self-medication among dermatology patients.

Self-medication is common with dermatology patients. Yet, studies on this phenomenon are few. The pattern and reasons for self-medication are not clear. The objective of this study was to document the prevalence, pattern, source of drug information, and reasons for self-medication among dermatology patients. This was a prospective cross-sectional study of 468 adult dermatology patients over a 9-month period. A self-administered questionnaire was administered to all new patients to the dermatology outpatient clinic. The questionnaire had questions on sociodemographic data, self-medication, what specifically was used by the patients, source of information, and reasons for self-medication. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0. Statistics such as means, medians, and frequencies. t test and chi-square test are presented. The mean age of the patients was 37.9 ± 16.3. The prevalence of self-medication was 63.7%. The pattern of self-medication was herbal only in 11.7%, western medication only in 45.6%, and western and herbal in 42.6%. Reason for self-medication was easy accessibility in 54%, difficulty seeing a doctor in 16.8%, and difficulty accessing medical care in 13.8%. Source of drug information was Pharmacist in 46.3% and friend in 26.5%. Self-medication was significant in males and in those with inflammatory diseases. Self-medication was common and this was due to ready accessibility of drugs and poor access to doctors. Self-medication was common in males and in those who have inflammatory diseases. The pattern of self-medication was dependent on age and the level of education. Source of information on drugs was pharmacists, friends, and family.

Indigenous therapies for skin diseases in sub-Saharan Africa.

Typically, most patients in Nigeria would have tried both oral and topical remedies before visiting a dermatology clinic. There are no documentations of what these remedies are. The aim of this study is to determine what remedies patients use and the influence of age, gender, level of education, and marital status on the choice of herbal remedies. This was a retrospective cross-sectional chart review over a 3-year period. Records of all new patients attended to at the dermatology clinic between October 2015 and October 2018 were retrieved and relevant information extracted. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. A total of 835 new patients were seen during the study period, 56.9% females and 43.1% males. Prior to attending the dermatology clinic, 52.8% had used a remedy which was herbal in 9.1% and Western in 90.9%. Out of those that had used herbal medications, 65% was oral, 27.5% was topical and 7.5% was topical and oral. Out of those that had used Western medications, 63.1% was topical 23.9% was oral and 13% was oral and topical. Herbal and western medications were used in 11 persons. Most Nigerian patients use a Western remedy before dermatology clinic attendance. In the few patients who use herbal remedies, this is independent of age, gender, level of education, diagnosis, and marital status.