Treatment of Laser-Responsive Dermal Pigmentary Conditions in Type III-IV Asian Skin With a 755-nm Picosecond Pulse Duration Laser: A Retrospective Review of Its Efficacy and Safety.

BACKGROUND: Picosecond lasers have become very popular in the treatment of hyperpigmentation. OBJECTIVE: Evaluating the efficacy and safety of picosecond 755-nm laser in treatment of nevi of Ota (NO) and Hori's nevi (HN) in Asians with Fitzpatrick skin Types III/IV. METHODS: A retrospective review of patient records at the National Skin Center, Singapore, from 2015 to 2017. Three independent blinded dermatologists assessed pre-and-post treatment photographs using the physician's global assessment (PGA) score (0-clear, 1-almost clear, 2-mild, 3-moderate, and 4-severe). RESULTS: There were 18 cases of NO and 11 cases of HN. Mean treatment sessions were 2.22 (NO; range 1-6) and 3.82 (HN; range 1-6). In the NO group, mean pre-and-post treatment PGA scores were 3.1 and 1.3, respectively (1.8 point change, p-value 0.0002), and average fluence used was 2.02 J/cm (range: 1.02-2.38). In the HN group, mean pre-and-post treatment PGA scores were 2.6 and 1.1, respectively (1.5 point change, p-value 0.004), and average fluence was 2.08 J/cm (range: 1.98-3.40). Eleven patients (37.9%) experienced postlaser erythema, and 1 (3.4%) patient developed transient postlaser hypopigmentation. No permanent hyper/hypopigmentation was seen. CONCLUSION: The picosecond 755-nm laser is effective in the treatment of dermal pigmentary conditions in Asians with Fitzpatrick skin Types III/IV, with minimal risk of postlaser complications, and compared with the center's past experience with the Q-switched nanosecond 1064-nm laser, results in faster and more effective pigment clearance.

Oral tranexamic acid lightens refractory melasma.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Melasma is a common acquired hyperpigmentary disorder, particularly among Asians and Hispanics, but its exact pathomechanism is poorly understood. Tranexamic acid has been found to lighten melasma by interfering with the interaction of melanocytes and keratinocytes by inhibiting the plasminogen/plasmin system. The aim was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of oral tranexamic acid in the treatment of melasma refractory to topical skin-lightening agents. METHODS: This retrospective study analyses patients with melasma recruited from a tertiary dermatological centre in Singapore between 1 August 2009 and 31 March 2011. The patients chosen had refractory melasma treated with oral tranexamic acid 250 mg twice daily in addition to pre-existing combination topical therapy. Objective assessment using the physician's global assessment and melasma area and severity index (MASI) scores were performed based on a post-hoc analysis of photographic records by three independent physicians. A paired t-test was used to evaluate the changes in the MASI scores pre-therapy and post-treatment. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05. RESULTS: Altogether 25 patients were treated with tranexamic acid for a mean period of 3.7 ± 0.33 months, in addition to combination topical therapy. Their mean age was 47.2 ± 1.61 years. The mean MASI scores after tranexamic acid treatment (2.7 ± 1.6) were significantly lower (P < 0.01) than those prior to treatment (8.8 ± 4.2). The mean improvement in scores was 69%. The follow-up period was up to 6 months. CONCLUSION: Low-dose oral tranexamic acid can serve as a safe and useful adjunct in the treatment of refractory melasma.

Benign Eccrine Tumors Presenting on the Penis: Common Tumors at an Uncommon Site.

Case 1 A 60-year-old Chinese man presented to the dermatology clinic with an asymptomatic, 0.5 × 0.5-cm erythematous papule on the penile shaft for a 2-year duration (Figure 1a). His medical problems consisted only of well-controlled hypothyroidism and hypertension. The initial clinical diagnoses considered were pyogenic granuloma or condyloma accuminatum. The excisional biopsy revealed a polypoidal lesion entirely covered by epidermis, with a proliferation of cuboidal, basaloid cells, consistent with an eccrine poroma (Figure 1b). Case 2 A 28-year-old Chinese man presented with an asymptomatic fusiform, 1.4 × 0.4-cm nodule over the ventral aspect of the prepuce, for a 10-year duration (Figure 2a). His medical history was otherwise unremarkable. Lymphangioma was the initial clinical diagnosis but biopsy results revealed large collapsed cystic spaces within the superficial dermis lined by a double layer of epithelial cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm, without evidence of decapitation secretion, consistent with an eccrine hidrocystoma (Figure 2b).

Chronic actinic dermatitis in Asian skin: a Singaporean experience.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: To study the characteristics of chronic actinic dermatitis (CAD) in a heterogeneous group of Singaporean patients. METHODS: The photobiologicial features of all patients phototested and diagnosed with CAD from January 2005 to December 2009 were examined retrospectively. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients were diagnosed as having CAD. The mean age at diagnosis was 62 years (range 35-83). Forty-one were (70.7%) Chinese, six (10.3%) Indians, eight (13.8%) Malays, and three (5.2%) Others. Forty-seven were (81.0%) male and 11 (19.0%) were female. Forty-nine (84.5%) had Fitzpatrick skin phototype IV and nine (15.5%) had phototype V. Three of 26 (11.5%) tested for human immunodeficiency virus were positive. The face, neck, and forearms were most commonly affected. Thirty-two patients (55.2%) had reduced minimal erythema dose (MED) to both ultraviolet B (UVB)and ultraviolet A (UVA), 23 patients (39.7%) had lowered MED to UVB only, while three (5.1%) had reduced MED to UVA only. Patients were followed up for a mean of 16.8 months. All were treated with photoprotection and topical steroids; however, a few required oral immunosuppression with partial improvement. CONCLUSION: In Singapore, CAD was seen more commonly in elderly Chinese males of Fitzpatrick skin phototype IV. Reduced MED to both UVB and UVA was the most common phototest finding.