Deoxycholic Acid for Dercum Disease: Repurposing a Cosmetic Agent to Treat a Rare Disease.

Dercum disease is a rare condition characterized by multiple painful fatty tumors distributed throughout the body. There currently are no US Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for Dercum disease, and the treatments tried have shown little to no efficacy, leaving many patients with a profoundly negative impact on quality of life. We present a case series of 3 patients who were diagnosed with Dercum disease and were treated with deoxycholic acid (DCA), a therapy approved for adipolysis of submental fat. The patients experienced a reduction in tumor size with radiographic evidence as well as a notable reduction in symptoms.

Lower Extremity Salvage in the Setting of Bullous Pemphigoid Exacerbation: A Case Report.

Bullous pemphigoid is an autoimmune blistering disease where patients suffer from painful bullae, often covering large portions of the skin and requiring management with immune-suppression. Our case report of recurring bullous pemphigoid illustrates the importance of considering immunosuppressive perioperative management in patients with a history of autoimmune blistering even when the disease has been quiescent for some time. With multidisciplinary care and immune suppressive therapies in the perioperative period, a free flap complicated by recurrent bullous pemphigoid can be salvaged.

Eruptive inflamed seborrheic keratoses in the setting of endometrial adenocarcinoma.

Eruptive seborrheic keratoses have been reported as a rare paraneoplastic dermatosis in the setting of internal malignancy, particularly that of the digestive tract. This case illustrates a patient with a family history of gastric cancer who presented with an acute eruption of inflamed pruritic seborrheic keratoses with annular and gyrate erythema, and was found to have endometrial adenocarcinoma. The inflammatory cutaneous eruption resolved shortly after surgical removal of the dysplastic uterine tissue. This case demonstrates an example of a common gynecological malignancy presenting in an uncommon way; in the absence of uterine bleeding, the patient's skin manifestations in the form of a paraneoplastic dermatosis prompted timely diagnosis. Thus this case serves to raise awareness of cutaneous manifestations of a women's health issue, in which early detection can impact health outcomes.

Corrigendum to "Eruptive inflamed seborrheic keratoses in the setting of endometrial adenocarcinoma" [International Journal of Women's Dermatology 1 (2015) 155-156].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ijwd.2015.07.003.].

Tanning as a behavioral addiction.

BACKGROUND: Persistent tanning despite potentially fatal consequences suggests a compulsive behavior similar to other addictive disorders. OBJECTIVES: To review the literature supporting tanning addiction from an epidemiological, behavioral, and neurobiological perspective. METHODS: A comprehensive review of the medical literature was conducted to assess the health consequences of tanning, behaviors and other psychiatric disorders associated with tanning, and central rewarding effects of ultraviolet light. RESULTS: Many frequent tanners endorse signs and symptoms adapted from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV (DSM IV) substance abuse or dependence criteria. Recent studies suggest biochemical mechanisms may reinforce ultraviolet light seeking behavior. CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Frequent and persistent tanning may reveal itself to be a dermatologic-psychiatric disorder with carcinogenic sequelae. Multidisciplinary studies are required to determine the validity of an addiction diagnosis and to explore pharmacologic and cognitive therapeutic options for affected persons.