Maskne: A New Entity in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The term “maskne” has been coined during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, designating acne associated with prolonged protective mask-wearing. Maskne is a variant of acne mechanica caused by mask-induced mechanical injury (pressure, friction, and rubbing) and occlusion. The additional factors influencing the onset of maskne include genetics, environmental factors, duration of maskwearing, the type of mask, and previous facial skin disease. The prevalence of maskne is increasing since masks are the most commonly used personal protective equipment in the general population. Furthermore, wearing masks in public tends to become the “new normal” even in the post-pandemic period. Hence, the problem of maskne could become even more significant. This review aims to provide a comprehensive view of current knowledge on prevalence, pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of maskne

Maskne: A New Entity in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The term “maskne” has been coined during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, designating acne associated with prolonged protective mask-wearing. Maskne is a variant of acne mechanica caused by mask-induced mechanical injury (pressure, friction, and rubbing) and occlusion. The additional factors influencing the onset of maskne include genetics, environmental factors, duration of maskwearing, the type of mask, and previous facial skin disease. The prevalence of maskne is increasing since masks are the most commonly used personal protective equipment in the general population. Furthermore, wearing masks in public tends to become the “new normal” even in the post-pandemic period. Hence, the problem of maskne could become even more significant. This review aims to provide a comprehensive view of current knowledge on prevalence, pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of maskne

Features of newly diagnosed malignant skin tumors in the COVID-19 pandemic era

U ožujku 2020. god. Svjetska zdravstvena organizacija proglasila je pandemiju bolesti COVID- 19 te je u središtu aktivnosti svih zdravstvenih sustava postala skrb za oboljele i borba protiv širenja ove, do tada nepoznate bolesti. Tijekom prvih nekoliko mjeseci uvedene su brojne javnozdravstvene mjere među kojima je socijalno distanciranje bilo jedno od najbitnijih. Sve navedeno nerijetko je rezultiralo odgađanjem planiranih pregleda, što je moglo dovesti do odgode u postavljanju dijagnoze zloćudnih bolesti, uključujući i zloćudne tumore kože. Stoga je cilj ovog istraživanja bio u našoj populaciji ispitati utjecaj COVID-19 pandemije na broj novodijagnosticiranih zloćudnih tumora kože te promjene u njihovim obilježjima. U istraživanje su uključeni bolesnici kojima je u Klinici za dermatovenerologiju KBC Zagreb i Medicinskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu u vremenskim razdobljima 01.04.–01.10.2019. i 01.04-01.10.2020. dijagnosticiran nemelanomski zloćudni tumor kože (uključujući bazocelularni (BCC) i planocelularni karcinom kože (SCC) ili melanom (MM). U navedenom razdoblju 2019. god. navedene dijagnoze postavljene su u ukupno 132 bolesnika, a 2020. god. u 53 bolesnika. S obzirom na to da je u pojedinih bolesnika istovremeno dijagnosticirano više zloćudnih tumora kože, 2019. god. je dijagnosticirano 160 (107 BCC, 32 SCC i 21 MM), a 2020. god. 64 (38 BCC, 10 SCC i 16 MM) zloćudna tumora kože, što ukazuje na jasan trend smanjenja broja zloćudnih umora kože u 2020. god. Niti u jednoj vrsti tumora nije dokazana statistički značajna razlika između 2019. i 2020. god. u distribuciji oboljelih prema spolu i dobi. U 2020. god. zabilježen je značajno veći promjer BCC (P=0,031) i MM (P=0,011) u odnosu na 2019. god. Stadij MM prema Breslowu također je bio veći u 2020. god. (P=0,029). Nadalje, u bolesnika s NMSC razdoblje od primjećivanja kožne lezije do posjeta liječnika bilo je dulje u 2020. god. (P=0,030). Iako rezultati ovog istraživanja mogu ukazivati na rizik kasnijeg postavljanja dijagnoze i lošije prognoze novodijagnosticiranih zloćudnih tumora u pandemijskom razdoblju, potrebne su daljnje studije koje bi uključile veći broj ispitanika i dulje ispitivano razdoblje kako bi se cjelovito istražio utjecaj pandemije COVID-19 na obilježja i prognozu zloćudnih tumora kože.In March 2020 the World Health Organization declared a pandemic of COVID-19; consequently, the care for COVID-19 patients and the fight against the spread of this previously unknown disease became the focus of activity of all health systems. During the first few months, numerous public health measures were introduced, among which social distancing was one of the most important. All of the above often resulted in the postponement of planned medical examinations, which could delay the diagnosis of malignant diseases, including malignant skin tumors. Therefore, our study aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of newly diagnosed malignant skin tumors and changes in their characteristics in our population. The study included patients who were diagnosed with a non-melanoma malignant skin tumor (including basal cell (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)) or melanoma (MM) at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital Center Zagreb and School of Medicine University of Zagreb, in the periods 01.04.-01.10.2019. and 01.04-01.10.2020. In the investigated period of 2019, the above-mentioned diagnoses were made in a total of 132 patients, and in 2020. in 53 patients. Considering that several malignant skin tumors were diagnosed in one patient at the same time, 160 malignant skin tumors were diagnosed in 2019 (107 BCC, 32 SCC, and 21 MM), and 64 (38 BCC, 10 SCC, and 16 MM) in 2020, which indicates a clear trend of reduction in the number of malignant skin tumors in 2020. Considering the distribution of patients according to gender and age, no statistically significant difference between 2019 and 2020 was proven in all types of tumors. In 2020. a significantly larger diameter of BCC (P=0.031) and MM (P=0.011) was recorded compared to 2019. The MM stage, according to Breslow, was also higher in 2020 (P=0.029). Furthermore, in patients with NMSC, the period from noticing a skin lesion to visiting a doctor was longer in 2020 (P=0.030). Although the results of this study may indicate the risk of diagnostic delay and worse prognosis of newly diagnosed malignant tumors in the pandemic period, further studies that would include a larger number of subjects and a more extended investigated period are needed to wholly investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the characteristics and prognosis of malignant tumors

Features of newly diagnosed malignant skin tumors in the COVID-19 pandemic era

U ožujku 2020. god. Svjetska zdravstvena organizacija proglasila je pandemiju bolesti COVID- 19 te je u središtu aktivnosti svih zdravstvenih sustava postala skrb za oboljele i borba protiv širenja ove, do tada nepoznate bolesti. Tijekom prvih nekoliko mjeseci uvedene su brojne javnozdravstvene mjere među kojima je socijalno distanciranje bilo jedno od najbitnijih. Sve navedeno nerijetko je rezultiralo odgađanjem planiranih pregleda, što je moglo dovesti do odgode u postavljanju dijagnoze zloćudnih bolesti, uključujući i zloćudne tumore kože. Stoga je cilj ovog istraživanja bio u našoj populaciji ispitati utjecaj COVID-19 pandemije na broj novodijagnosticiranih zloćudnih tumora kože te promjene u njihovim obilježjima. U istraživanje su uključeni bolesnici kojima je u Klinici za dermatovenerologiju KBC Zagreb i Medicinskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu u vremenskim razdobljima 01.04.–01.10.2019. i 01.04-01.10.2020. dijagnosticiran nemelanomski zloćudni tumor kože (uključujući bazocelularni (BCC) i planocelularni karcinom kože (SCC) ili melanom (MM). U navedenom razdoblju 2019. god. navedene dijagnoze postavljene su u ukupno 132 bolesnika, a 2020. god. u 53 bolesnika. S obzirom na to da je u pojedinih bolesnika istovremeno dijagnosticirano više zloćudnih tumora kože, 2019. god. je dijagnosticirano 160 (107 BCC, 32 SCC i 21 MM), a 2020. god. 64 (38 BCC, 10 SCC i 16 MM) zloćudna tumora kože, što ukazuje na jasan trend smanjenja broja zloćudnih umora kože u 2020. god. Niti u jednoj vrsti tumora nije dokazana statistički značajna razlika između 2019. i 2020. god. u distribuciji oboljelih prema spolu i dobi. U 2020. god. zabilježen je značajno veći promjer BCC (P=0,031) i MM (P=0,011) u odnosu na 2019. god. Stadij MM prema Breslowu također je bio veći u 2020. god. (P=0,029). Nadalje, u bolesnika s NMSC razdoblje od primjećivanja kožne lezije do posjeta liječnika bilo je dulje u 2020. god. (P=0,030). Iako rezultati ovog istraživanja mogu ukazivati na rizik kasnijeg postavljanja dijagnoze i lošije prognoze novodijagnosticiranih zloćudnih tumora u pandemijskom razdoblju, potrebne su daljnje studije koje bi uključile veći broj ispitanika i dulje ispitivano razdoblje kako bi se cjelovito istražio utjecaj pandemije COVID-19 na obilježja i prognozu zloćudnih tumora kože.In March 2020 the World Health Organization declared a pandemic of COVID-19; consequently, the care for COVID-19 patients and the fight against the spread of this previously unknown disease became the focus of activity of all health systems. During the first few months, numerous public health measures were introduced, among which social distancing was one of the most important. All of the above often resulted in the postponement of planned medical examinations, which could delay the diagnosis of malignant diseases, including malignant skin tumors. Therefore, our study aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of newly diagnosed malignant skin tumors and changes in their characteristics in our population. The study included patients who were diagnosed with a non-melanoma malignant skin tumor (including basal cell (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)) or melanoma (MM) at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital Center Zagreb and School of Medicine University of Zagreb, in the periods 01.04.-01.10.2019. and 01.04-01.10.2020. In the investigated period of 2019, the above-mentioned diagnoses were made in a total of 132 patients, and in 2020. in 53 patients. Considering that several malignant skin tumors were diagnosed in one patient at the same time, 160 malignant skin tumors were diagnosed in 2019 (107 BCC, 32 SCC, and 21 MM), and 64 (38 BCC, 10 SCC, and 16 MM) in 2020, which indicates a clear trend of reduction in the number of malignant skin tumors in 2020. Considering the distribution of patients according to gender and age, no statistically significant difference between 2019 and 2020 was proven in all types of tumors. In 2020. a significantly larger diameter of BCC (P=0.031) and MM (P=0.011) was recorded compared to 2019. The MM stage, according to Breslow, was also higher in 2020 (P=0.029). Furthermore, in patients with NMSC, the period from noticing a skin lesion to visiting a doctor was longer in 2020 (P=0.030). Although the results of this study may indicate the risk of diagnostic delay and worse prognosis of newly diagnosed malignant tumors in the pandemic period, further studies that would include a larger number of subjects and a more extended investigated period are needed to wholly investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the characteristics and prognosis of malignant tumors