ABSTRACT
Facial hyperpigmented lesions that are unilateral are a rare and challenging dermatological anomaly since birth which can be genetic and non-genetic. This paper seeks to provide an exhaustive overview of the etiology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and management strategies for these congenital lesions. Unilateral facial hyperpigmented lesions can be caused by a number of conditions, such as congenital melanocytic nevi, Becker's nevus, nevus of Ota, linear epidermal nevi, and café-au-lait macules. Accurate diagnosis requires meticulous examination, dermoscopy, and histopathological evaluation. Observation, topical therapies, surgical excision, and laser therapy are among the available treatment options. Treatment decisions should be influenced by factors such as lesion characteristics, aesthetic concerns, and patient preferences. Long-term supervision and psychosocial support are indispensable elements of comprehensive management. We present a case of a 12-year-old patient with a progressively growing hyperpigmented lesion on the right side of the face, present since birth with an intermittent area of normal skin in between. Dermoscopy unveiled an irregular, dark brown pigment network, and histopathological evaluation showed an increased number of melanocytes in the dermis. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges of such lesions and underscores the significance of a multidisciplinary approach for accurate evaluation and management. This paper aims to cover existing knowledge gaps regarding unilateral facial hyperpigmented lesions since birth and direct future research efforts for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
ABSTRACT
Background: Nail disorders account for about 10% of all dermatological conditions. Onychoscopy is useful not only for their diagnosis but also for assessing severity/progression and monitoring the response to therapy. Aims and Objectives: Describing dermoscopic features of nail disorders in patients reporting to the dermatology OPD of our tertiary care hospital and recording the sociodemographic profiles thereof. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was carried out on 176 patients with effect from August 2019 to August 2021. Results: Males (99; 56.25%) outnumbered females (77; 43.75%); males: female: 1.28: 1; their mean age was 35.8 years. Fingernails were affected more oftener (84.09%) than toenails (38.64%). Onychomycosis, the commonest (58;32.95%) condition, revealed findings of aurora borealis pattern (75.86%), subungual hyperkeratosis (72.41%), and onycholysis with jagged edges and spikes (68.97%). The next frequent (32;18.18%) condition was nail psoriasis which revealed pits (81.25%); onycholysis (62.5%) and dilated globose nail fold vessels on capillaroscopy (25%). Limitations: The small sample size proved inadequate for the evaluation of statistical significance in the less common conditions and the correlation of disease severity of many. Ideally, confirmatory diagnostic tests should have been done in every patient, as indicated. The magnification of our dermoscopy was 10X; 20- and 40X permit better capillaroscopy. Conclusions: Onychocopy can minimize the need for biopsy by highlighting subtle changes and helps narrow down the differentials. It is potentially a diagnostic test of choice in younger children. Our study helped to grade the severity of connective tissue disorders and establish the benignity of melanonychia. Photographic documentation facilitates record-keeping.
ABSTRACT
Vitiligo, a common skin disorder, is characterized by the loss of functional melanocytes resulting in the depigmentation of skin. Previous studies have demonstrated molecular and architectural alterations in the epidermal keratinocytes upon loss of melanocytes. The physiological implications of these "altered" keratinocytes are yet not known. We investigated the wound healing efficiency of lesional vs nonlesional skin in 12 subjects with stable nonsegmental vitiligo using histological and ultrastructural evaluation of partial-thickness wounds. The wounds were examined 12 days postinjury, coinciding with the reepithelialization phase of healing marked primarily by keratinocyte migration and proliferation. This study demonstrated a significant difference in the reepithelialization potential between the lesional and nonlesional skin. While all 12 nonlesional wounds demonstrated considerable neoepidermis formation on the 12th day post wound, only four of the corresponding lesional samples showed comparable reepithelialization; the rest remaining in the inflammatory phase. Ultrastructural studies using transmission electron microscopy as well as immunohistochemical staining revealed a reduced number of desmosomes, shorter keratin tonofilaments and an increase in myofibroblast population in the dermis of lesional reepithelialized tissue compared to the nonlesional reepithelialized samples. This study implicates gross functional perturbations in the lesional skin during physiological wound healing in vitiligo, suggesting that the breakdown of keratinocyte-melanocyte network results in delayed wound repair kinetics in the lesional skin when compared to patient-matched nonlesional skin.
