Rates of skincare product and cosmetic procedure use in patients with acne vulgaris and the effective factors: A multicenter study with 1,755 patients.

BACKGROUND: Skincare products and cosmetic procedures are used as an adjunct or complementary to conventional drug therapy for acne vulgaris (AV). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of skincare products and the frequency of cosmetic procedures in AV treatment. METHODS: A total of 1,755 patients with AV completed the survey prepared by the researchers and the Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) questionnaire. The clinical findings and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) severity scores were recorded by the dermatologists. RESULTS: For AV, 66.7% of the patients stated that they used skincare products and 26.7% had undergone cosmetic procedures. The use of skincare products was statistically significantly higher in women (female: 74.5%, male: 57.7%, p < 0.0001); older people (users: 22 ± 7.6years, non-users: 21.2 ± 5.7 years, p < 0.0001); patients with a higher CADI score (users: 7 ± 3.7, non-users: 6.9 ± 4.3, p = 0.010); FDA severity score 2 and 3 (FDA-1: 58.1%; FDA-2: 72.4%, FDA-3: 73%, FDA-4: 67%, p < 0.0001); long-term disease (users: 57 ± 43 months; non-users: 47.7 ± 42.3 months, p < 0.0001); facial involvement (present: 70.2%, absent: 51.4%, p = 0.017); high income levels (users: 73.5%; non-users: 26.5%, p = 0.001); and graduate or post-graduate degrees (undergraduate≤%62.8, graduate≥%76.8, p < 0.0001). The rate of cosmetic procedures was higher in those with higher CADI scores (users: 7.8 ± 3.8; non-users: 7.1 ± 3.96, p < 0.0001); older patients (users: 22.7 ± 10.7 years; non-users: 21.3 ± 5 years, p < 0.0001); high school (25.6%); and graduate (28.9%) education (p = 0.043), those with lower disease severity (FDA-1: 31.1%; FDA-2: 28.5%, FDA-3: 27.1%, FDA-4: 20.4%, p = 0.022); smokers (smokers: 32.5%; non-smokers: 25.5%, p = 0.020), and those with AV in the family (present: 29.8%; absent: 24.2%, p = 0.009). The patients most frequently used cleansers (85.2%) as cosmetic products, and most commonly underwent skincare treatment (71%) as an interventional procedure. They mostly learned about such products and methods from the Internet, and 33.3% of the participants had undergone procedures performed by non-physicians. CONCLUSION: The patients generally choose skincare products as a result of their Internet search and sometimes have these procedures performed by non-physicians. Dermatologists should be aware of this situation and inform their patients about appropriate products and procedures.

Social media use in patients with acne vulgaris: What do patients expect from social media?

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris (AV) may affect external appearance and significantly deteriorate the quality of life of patients. Therefore, patients make various inquiries about their disease and seek treatment options. AIMS: To investigate the social media usage habits of patients with AV concerning their diseases, and their recommendations for dermatologists related to social media use. METHODS: A total of 1609 patients with AV completed the survey prepared by the authors and the Cardiff Acne Disability Index questionnaire. The Food and Drug Administration severity scores and clinical information of the patients were noted by their physicians. RESULTS: Of the 1,489 patients who stated that they used social media, 46.31% regularly and 28.77% sometimes referred to these sources to make inquiries about AV. Social media usage for AV was statistically significantly higher in women, participants with short term and severe disease, those with a moderate income level, and those using topical treatment and cosmetics. They mostly used Google (67%), Instagram (54%), and YouTube (49%). While 76% of the participants stated that they did not share what they saw on the Internet with their doctor. Of the respondents, 18.5% were trying to contact their dermatologists through the Internet, and 69.73% would prefer experts such as dermatologists to post-AV-related content. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that patients frequently resort to social media to seek information about AV. In the changing digital world order, it is observed that there is a need for dermatologists to use social media more actively to share accurate information about AV.

Determinants of high-risk human papillomavirus infection in anogenital warts.

INTRODUCTION: Genital warts are benign epithelial tumours caused by human papilloma viruses (HPV), and are sexually transmitted. Genotyping of genital HPV bears great clinical significance in terms of treatment planning, follow-up, and prevention strategies. AIM: To evaluate the distribution of high-risk HPV infection types in patients diagnosed with anogenital warts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 66 patients with anogenital warts were enrolled. Punch biopsy samples were obtained from the lesions of each patient. After nucleic acid purification and DNA extraction, the presence of HPV DNA was ascertained using the PCR method, followed by HPV DNA genotyping. The relationship between HPV type distribution and age, gender, clinical location, and number of sexual partners was investigated. RESULTS: Genotyping was performed and HPV genome was detected in 50 tissue samples (75.8%). Low-risk genotypes predominated with a prevalence of 62.1% (42/66). The most prevalent genotypes were HPV-6 (47%), and HPV-11 (13.6%). Other types detected included HPV-18 and HPV-3. CONCLUSIONS: Genotyping of HPV provides significant clinical information regarding this family of viruses that play a role in the aetiology of a variety of genital cancers, as some of these malignancies are now considered preventable due to recent development of vaccines. We believe that our results may provide guidance on future vaccination programs in our country.