Impact of Cosmetic Camouflage on the Quality of Life of Children With Skin Disease and Their Families.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Cosmetic camouflage is known to improve quality of life in adults. Few data are available regarding cosmetic camouflage in children, and thus it is not often selected as a mode of treatment. We sought to determine whether cosmetic camouflage leads to improved quality of life of pediatric patients with visible dermatoses and their parent or primary caregiver. METHODS: Patients aged 5 to 17 years with visible skin disease and their parent were assessed with the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) and the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI) before and after consultation regarding cosmetic camouflage. RESULTS: Twenty-two children with skin conditions were included in the study. The mean CDLQI decreased from 6.82 (SD = 1.28) to 3.05 (SD = 0.65; P = .0014), while the mean FDLQI decreased from 7.68 (SD = 1.15) to 4.68 (SD = 0.92; P = .0012). CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlighted improvement in quality of life in patients with skin disorders who were managed with cosmetic camouflage.

Vitiligo is more than skin deep: a survey of members of the Vitiligo Society.

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is a common, largely acquired skin disease of unknown aetiology, which causes a variable amount of skin and hair depigmentation in affected people. It affects over half a million people in the UK alone, and a massive 50 million people worldwide. AIM: To quantify the psychosocial burden of vitiligo in the UK, by estimating its effect on daily life. METHODS: All members (n = 1790) of the Vitiligo Society, a UK national patient support group, were sent a questionnaire. Survey questions included demographics, disease-related characteristics, effect of vitiligo on daily life, and psychosocial support measures for patients with vitiligo. Results. In total, 520 (29% of members) responded, of which 354 (68%) were women. Vitiligo affected the hands in 414 (80%) and the face in 394 (76%) of the respondents. Over half (56.6%) of respondents indicated that vitiligo moderately or severely affects their quality of life (QOL). Finding a cure or effective lasting treatment was the main priority for most affected respondents. Most respondents obtain information about their disease from nonmedical sources: 431 (83%) from the Vitiligo Society and 129 (25%) from the internet, compared with 61 (12.5%) from dermatologists. CONCLUSION: Vitiligo is a skin condition that moderately or severely affects the QOL of most patients. Although most patients look for a cure or long-lasting treatment, only 12.5% of respondents to our survey had obtained information from a dermatologist. Vitiligo is a common condition that affects more than the skin, and has profound psychosocial implications for affected patients.

Camouflage for vitiligo.

Cosmetic camouflage is indispensable for patients with vitiligo and can result in an improvement of their quality of life. Recent cosmetic advances enabled camouflage to obtain a suitable color match and keep it waterproof. However, camouflage needs some techniques. Therefore, patient education through a camouflage lesson is required to enjoy camouflage. Here the authors introduced a few tips for suitable camouflage, which were devised through camouflage lessons.

Identification of categories at risk for high quality of life impairment in patients with vitiligo.

BACKGROUND: Quality of life (QoL) in patients with vitiligo is strongly impaired. Therefore, it seems inadequate to describe the severity of the disease using only physical indicators. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the QoL of patients with vitiligo, identifying categories at risk for high impairment, also analysing single questions from a QoL instrument. METHODS: The Skindex-29 questionnaire, a QoL dermatology-specific instrument, was completed by 181 consecutive patients with vitiligo. Answers to the Skindex-29 items were given on a five-point scale, from 'never' to 'all the time'. Results The QoL problems more frequently experienced 'often' or 'all the time' were: worry of the disease getting worse (60%), anger (37%), embarrassment (34%), depression (31%), having social life affected (28%), and shame (28%). The prevalence of patients with probable depression or anxiety, evaluated using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, was 39%, and the prevalence of patients with alexithymia, evaluated using the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, was 24%. The association of QoL impairment with psychological problems was very strong for all the items, and remained significant also when taking into account simultaneously gender, age, clinical severity, family history, and localization of vitiligo. CONCLUSIONS: Detailed information on QoL in patients with vitiligo may lead dermatologists to pay particular attention to patient categories at risk for a high QoL impairment.

Corrective camouflage in pediatric dermatology.

Many dermatologic diseases, including vitiligo and other pigmentary disorders, vascular malformations, acne, and disfiguring scars from surgery or trauma, can be distressing to pediatric patients and can cause psychological alterations such as depression, loss of self-esteem, deterioration of quality of life, emotional distress, and, in some cases, body dysmorphic disorder. Corrective camouflage can help cover cutaneous unaesthetic disorders using a variety of water-resistant and light to very opaque products that provide effective and natural coverage. These products also can serve as concealers during medical treatment or after surgical procedures before healing is complete. Between May 2001 and July 2003. corrective camouflage was used on 15 children and adolescents (age range, 7-16 years; mean age, 14 years). The majority of patients were girls. Six patients had acne vulgaris; 4 had vitiligo; 2 had Becker nevus; and 1 each had striae distensae, allergic contact dermatitis. and postsurgical scarring. Parents of all patients were satisfied with the cosmetic cover results. We consider corrective makeup to be a well-received and valid adjunctive therapy for use during traditional long-term treatment and as a therapeutic alternative in patients in whom conventional therapy is ineffective.