Prevalence of Female Sexual Dysfunction Among Psoriatic Females: A Cross Sectional Case Controlled Study.

INTRODUCTION: Sexual relationships are an integral part of females psychological and physiological wellbeing. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to identify prevalence and impact of Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) in women affected with psoriasis. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 150 married females who were interviewed to answer Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire and were divided into two groups: the first group included 100 female patients complaining of psoriasis (50 suffering from moderate psoriasis and 50 with severe psoriasis). The disease severity was graded according to the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) while the second group included 50 age matched women who served as controls. RESULTS: Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in psoriasis female groups was higher than that in the control group (47%, 24%, P < 0.05). The mean total scores of FSFI ranged from 12.30 to 34.20 and were significantly lower in the severe PASI affected group (22.34 ± 5.35) when compared to moderate PASI group (26.24 ± 2.67) or control group (28.79 ± 2.22). In addition, total scores were significantly lower among moderate PASI affected females when compared to control group. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual dysfunction should be routinely investigated in female patients with psoriasis in the case of moderate-severe disease due to its negative impact on quality of life. Further research over the effect of certain interventional programs on FSD should be considered for patients suffering from psoriasis.

Topical timolol maleate 0.5% after fractional carbon dioxide laser versus fractional carbon dioxide laser alone in treatment of acne scars: split face comparative study.

Acne is a common inflammatory condition that mostly involves the face, chest and back. A number of different modalities had been employed for treating scars of which laser remains to be a pivotal choice. We aimed to compare the efficacy of topical timolol maleate 0.5% after fractional CO2 (AFCO2) laser versus fractional CO2 Laser alone for treatment of atrophic acne scars. A split-face comparative clinical experiment on 30 cases of atrophic post-acne scars that were treated on one side with ablative fractional CO2 laser followed by timolol application while with only ablative fractional CO2 laser on the other side. Following treatment, both sides demonstrated significant improvement with the laser + timolol treated side showing better improvement; yet not significantly higher than the laser only treated side. In conclusion, both topical timolol maleate 0.5% after fractional CO2 laser and fractional CO2 laser may achieve comparable significant improvement. The good safety profile, easy accessibility, low cost, and non-invasive nature merits the use of timolol in acne scars pending verification by larger sample reproduced and controlled trials.

Comparative study between topical application of triamcinolone acetonide after fractional carbon dioxide laser versus microneedling in the treatment of resistant alopecia areata.

Alopecia areata (AA) is a disease that affects the psychological well-being of the affected individuals. Laser-assisted drug delivery and microneedling (MN) are promising methods for the treatment of different dermatological diseases. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of topical application of triamcinolone acetonide after fractional carbon dioxide laser versus MN in the treatment of resistant AA from a clinical and dermoscopic perspective. Thirty patients were randomly divided into two groups of 15 patients each: the Laser group received fractional CO2 laser treatment followed by topical application of triamcinolone acetonide, and the MN group received dermapen treatment followed by topical application of triamcinolone acetonide. In our study, we found no statistically significant difference between the studied groups before and after treatment, except for black dot, which is higher in the MN group than in the laser group (46.7% vs. 13.3%). There is a statistically significant difference between the studied groups in terms of treatment response at the first follow-up, with 13.3% of the laser group seeing terminal hair regrowth compared to 0 in the MN group after 12 weeks. Regarding the degree of improvement, there was no statistically significant difference between the laser group and the MN group. The use of fractional CO2 laser and MN for transepidermal drug delivery (TED) allowed for more uniform drug distribution. There was no significant difference between the two treatment methods in terms of their high effectiveness in the treatment of resistant AA.