Fox-Fordyce Disease: An under-diagnosed adverse event of laser hair removal?

BACKGROUND: Fox-Fordyce Disease (FFD) is a rare chronic inflammatory skin disease of the apocrine glands, mainly affecting post-pubertal women. It involves apocrine gland-bearing areas including the axilla, areola, anogenital area and umbilicus. FFD induced by laser hair removal is a newly reported entity of unknown pathogenesis. To the best of our knowledge, there are only four reported cases in the literature describing a total of four patients. OBJECTIVES: We are reporting the first case series of laser-induced FFD with a histopathological and clinical evaluation of the reported cases. METHODS: A review of the available literature to date about laser-induced FFD was performed. Clinical and histopathological features were reviewed. RESULTS: In our case series, the clinical and histological appearance of FFD following laser hair removal is similar to that of classic FFD. Exacerbating factors were present in two patients, and were similar to that of classic FFD. The main histopathological features included dilatation of the follicular infundibulum, follicular hyperkeratosis, dyskeratosis in the follicular infundibulum, periductal lymphohistiocytic infiltrate and perifollicular fibrosis. Two of the four reported cases as well as one of our patients had no perifollicular xanthomatous inflammation, a hallmark feature of classic FFD. Mast cells were absent in all reported cases, as well as in our patients. CONCLUSION: We believe that laser-induced FFD is under-diagnosed as a newly reported adverse event of laser hair removal. It is clinically and histopathologically similar to classic FFD.

Clinical remission of xeroderma pigmentosum-associated squamous cell carcinoma with isotretinoin and chemotherapy: case report.

We report the case of a 7-year old boy with xeroderma pigmentosum and a large squamous cell carcinoma of the cheek. He received a combination of isotretinoin (1 mg/kg/day) and chemotherapy for a period of 3 months and showed complete remission of the tumor. Treatment modalities of malignancies in xeroderma pigmentosum are reviewed and discussed in relation to the literature. The advantages of our protocol were emphasized because of the rapid improvement in a short time with minimal side effects.

Transfusion associated graft versus host disease in immunocompetent patients. Report of two cases.

Transfusion graft versus host disease (TGVHD) in immunocompetent patients is a recently recognized disease, reported mainly after open heart surgery, and almost always fatal. We report two cases of TGVHD in immunocompetent patients after open-heart surgery. The disease is characterized by the occurrence of fever, skin rash, liver failure and pancytopenia. Preventive measures include exclusion of first- and second-degree relatives as blood donors, and/or irradiation of blood to be transfused.

Unusual skin pigmentation in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Diffuse addisonian hyperpigmentation in a male patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome related complex (ARC) is described. The etiology of pigmentation in this patient remains obscure but is most probably related to the H.I.V. infection. Other causes of addisonian hyperpigmentation are considered less likely.