Surgical Treatment of Burn Scars

The relationship between a burns patient and a reconstructive surgeon is normally long lasting and continues lifelong. Patients not only require a surgeon’s professional expertise, but also time, optimism and compassion. Scar management relates to the physical and aesthetic components as well as the psychosocial implications of scarring. Hypertrophic scar formation which can cause debilitating deficiencies and poor aesthetic outcomes might be a result of burn injuries. Although nonsurgical treatment modalities in the early phase of scar maturation are critical to decrease hypertrophic scar formation, surgical management is often indicated to restore function. Operative scar management releases the tension and can often be achieved through local tissue arrangement

Herbal Therapy for Burns and Burn Scars

Burn wound healing is a complex process including inflammation, epithelialization, granulation, neovascularization, and wound contraction. Modern therapies present a large number of options, while traditional therapies are promising effective choices. Plant-based products have been used in the treatment of wounds for centuries worldwide. Recently, the mechanisms behind many of these traditional therapies could be explained in detail. The most commonly found mechanisms behind the herbal source products supporting wound healing are mostly their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cell proliferative, and angiogenic effects. However there is not much more studies demonstrated in patients except Aloe vera and Avena sp., herbal treatment still show a lot of promise in the future. It is important not to ignore possible toxic and allergic effects of plants and phytochemical agents, but the studies mostly resulted with antitoxic effects. Several herbs show efficient results with therapies of wounds also in burn wounds, which may be considered as an option for treatment. On the other hand, herbal treatment in burn wounds still needs to have more clinical and pharmaceutical studies to place in modern therapies safely

Urticaria and Angioedema Treatment

Chronic urticaria (CU), one of the most frequent skin disorders, is defined as the repeated occurrence of red, swollen, itchy and sometimes painful hives (wheals), and/or angioedema (swellings in the deeper layers of the skin), for more than 6 weeks [1, 2]. CU has an estimated worldwide prevalence of approximately 1% [3], which includes spontaneous and inducible types. In chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), the most common type of CU, symptoms occur without a specific trigger [1, 3]. In contrast, in chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU), symptoms occur in response to specific stimuli, such as exposure to cold, heat or pressure [4]. Patients may suffer from CSU and CIndU in parallel [2]. Chronic urticaria (CU) is defined as the repeated occurrence of red, swollen, itchy and sometimes painful wheals, and/or angioedema, for more than 6 weeks. CU includes spontaneous and inducible types. In chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), the most common type of CU, symptoms occur without a specific trigger. Treatment of urticaria and/or angioedema mainly consist of antihistamines, short courses of corticosteroids, other immunosuppressive, and anti‐inflammatory agents. Angioedema is a deeper expression of urticaria which is classified by allergic, hereditary, acquired, and angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)‐induced forms

Evaluation of the relationship between rosacea cutaneous subtype and meibography findings

Acne rosacea (AR) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that can cause serious ocular complications. This study was designed to evaluate dry eye disease (DED) and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) in AR patients and to investigate the relationship between the cutaneous subtype of AR and ocular involvement. Materials and Methods: This study included 67 participants with AR and 50 healthy individuals. Patients diagnosed with 3 cutaneous subtypes were examined: erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (ETR), papulopustular rosacea (PPR), and phymatous rosacea (PR). An ophthalmatological examination was performed that included an evaluation of lid margin alterations due to meibomian gland (MG) obstruction, Ocular Surface Disease Index assessment, tear film break-up time testing, Schirmer testing, and a corneal conjunctival fluorescein staining assessment. Meibography was used to evaluate the upper and lower lids for MG loss. Results: Findings in the AR group revealed MGD in 45.5% and DED in 28.1%. The meibomian gland loss rate (MGLR) was 38.7±16.9% and the meibomian gland loss grade (MGLG) was 1.57±0.82%. The rate of MGLR and MGLG was significantly greater in the AR group than in the control group (p<0.001). PPR was seen in 59.7% of the 67 patients, ETR in 29.9%, and PR in 13.4%. A comparison of the MGD, MGLR, MGLG, and presence of DED in the 3 cutaneous subtype groups yielded statistically insignificant results. Conclusion: AR can affect MG morphology, which may result in MGD or DED. Though we did not find a significant difference in the ocular findings by subgroup, ocular involvement is a recognized risk in AR. Ophthalmologists and dermatologists should cooperate in the evaluation of AR patients. Additional studies to further examine the effects in subtype groups are recommended

A case of lipomembranous panniculitis with a dramatic response to the treatment of venous insufficiency

Lipomembranous panniculitis (LP) is a peculiar type of fat necrosis and is reported with various clinical conditions, mostly with peripheral vascular diseases. Here, a case of a 57-year-old woman with a painful erythematous swelling of the right leg in association with venous insufficiency has been reported. Although LP is frequently associated with venous insufficiency, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the beneficial effect of venous insufficiency treatment in LP

Investigation of skin self-examination and sunscreen use in adolescents in northern Cyprus

Introduction: Regular skin self-examination (SSE) is very important for the early diagnosis of malignant melanoma MM . Since sun exposure is the most important trigger factor for the development of skin cancers effective and regular sun protection is the main preventive method. Aim: To investigate the awareness of SSE, risky nevus and sun protection of the adolescents in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Material and methods: The data used within this research were obtained from questionnaires administered to volunteer high school students in the TRNC. Results: 39.8% of the participants included in the study stated that they conducted SSE. All the participants who said they conducted SSE reported that they performed a face exam. The body regions that the participants did not examine were the scalp (47.7%), foot (36.9%), back (35.4%) and genital area (35.4%). The features of the nevus perceived by the participants as risk factors included rapid growth, bleeding and itching. While 74% of respondents said they used sunscreen products, only 9% of users reported using them every day. Conclusions: In the TRNC where the exposure to the sun is high, young people perform skin examinations at high rates in order to monitor their nevi. Nevertheless, the results of this research show that hard-to-reach areas are neglected

Views and experiences of dermatologists in Turkey about teledermatology during the COVID-19 pandemic

Erdal Çalıkoğlu, Emel ( Aksaray, Yazar )Background: Teledermatology is an alternative medical science that allows evaluation of patient's clinical information over a distance without requiring face-to-face examination. Due to COVID-19, social distancing has become important these days, and teledermatology can help physicians and patients in overcoming the barriers of accessing health care. Aim: In this study, we aim to evaluate how dermatologists in our country have viewed and experienced teledermatology during the pandemic through surveys. Patients/Methods: The study was carried out by using an online survey for evaluating the teledermatology experiences of dermatologists in Turkey and how they have viewed teledermatology during the 2-month pandemic period and the 2-month prepandemic period. Results: The number of patients evaluated with teledermatology methods was found to be significantly higher in the pandemic period when compared with the prepandemic period. The rates of using video calls with mobile phone and online video calls were found to be significantly higher in the pandemic period when compared with the prepandemic period. Conclusion: Our study results show that the teledermatology method had a higher rate of usage compared to before the pandemic

Follicular unit extraction as a valuable method for the restoration of beard: Retrospective case series study

Erdal Çalıkoğlu, Emel ( Aksaray, Yazar )Background: Beard and mustache are important components of body image. Beard transplantation is the procedure to restore congenital absence or inefficient growth of beard and mustache. Objectives: The aim of the study is to report our results and experience in beard transplantation. Methods: Patients with a demand for beard restoration who were treated with follicular unit extraction (FUE) hair transplantation method were included in this retrospective, case series study. Patients’ birth date, race, presence of eunuchoidism, hair color, type and shaft thickness, and treatment details were retrieved from medical records. Patients were evaluated at least one year after the operation, and defect closure rates were calculated. At the follow-up examination, patients were asked to evaluate their satisfaction from the procedure. Results: Ten patients were consecutively treated between May 2007 and June 2016. The mean age of the patients was 29.6 years. Three of our patients were eunuchoid and the others wanted beard transplantation to have a more masculine look. Follow-up period was median of 39 months. Four patients were satisfied and four patients were very satisfied with the procedure with a mean 53% closure rate. Better closure rates were associated with brown and red hair color, medium and fine hair thickness, and absence of eunuchoidism. Patients with straight hair were satisfied with the procedure significantly. Conclusion: Beard reconstruction by using the FUE method is a safe and effective method with high patient satisfaction rates