Publications by authors named "Andrew Krakowski"

Pediatric procedure-related pain management is often incompletely understood, inadequately addressed, and critical in influencing a child's lifelong relationship with the larger healthcare community. We present a comprehensive review of infiltrative anesthetics, including a comparison of their mechanisms of action and relative safety and efficacy data to help guide clinical selection. We also describe the multimodal utilization of adjunct therapies-in series and in parallel-to support the optimization of pediatric periprocedural pain management, enhance the patient experience, and provide alternatives to sedation medication and general anesthesia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Adult populations have traditionally been the primary recipients of cosmetic treatments, but a growing trend shows an increase in such procedures among pediatric patients.

Objective: The objective of the authors' study was to investigate types of procedures currently being performed by pediatric and cosmetic dermatologists and factors that may influence their choice of treatments in a pediatric population.

Methods: The authors conducted an anonymous online survey targeting healthcare practitioners who frequently use lasers for pediatric cutaneous conditions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We live in an electronic world with near-ubiquitous access to smartphones and social media. One consequence of this new reality is that children and teenagers may be unduly swayed by social media influencers who promote skincare products and practices, colloquially referred to as "skinfluencers," and enjoy unfettered access to emerging trends-not all of which lead to positive results. Herein, we describe two cases of adolescents presenting to a pediatric dermatology department after trying different beauty trends endorsed by social media influencers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pediatric procedure-related pain management is often incompletely understood, inadequately addressed, and critical in influencing a child's lifelong relationship with the larger health care community. We highlight the evolution of ethics and expectations around optimizing periprocedural pain management as a fundamental human right. We investigate the state-of-the-art of topical anesthetics, reviewing their mechanisms of action and providing comparisons of their relative safety and efficacy data to help guide clinical selection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A 9-year-old premenarchal female presented to pediatric dermatology with a 6-month history of periodically tender, bilateral and symmetric axillary masses. Magnetic resonance imaging and subsequent surgical excision confirmed the diagnosis of bilateral accessory axillary breast tissue. Accessory axillary breast tissue is a rare condition seen most in pubertal, pregnant and breastfeeding women.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Laser-assisted drug delivery (LADD) is a technique used for medical and cosmetic purposes, but there's a need for better guidelines to help clinicians use it safely and effectively.
  • A comprehensive review of existing studies identified 54 relevant publications that informed new recommendations, which were developed through consensus among a panel of experts.
  • Key findings include that LADD is generally safe for use on various skin types, effective for treating certain skin conditions, and that drug delivery can be optimized through specific techniques, although prophylactic antibiotics are only necessary in certain cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) often requires therapies beyond local surgical excision or radiation due to the invasiveness of the tumor. Historically, cytotoxic chemotherapy was used to treat advanced BCC, but with limited data, no standard regimens were established. The discovery of cyclopamine, a natural inhibitor in the Hedgehog pathway, led to the development of the 2 currently approved Hedgehog inhibitors, vismodegib and sonidegib.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common human cancer, with approximately 3.6 million cases diagnosed each year. About 2000 deaths annually in the United States are attributed to basal and squamous cell skin cancers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This procedural report details the case of a 10-year-old boy with oral Crohn's disease successfully treated with intralesional corticosteroid injections. The intervention used topical anesthesia with a eutectic mixture of lidocaine 2.5%/prilocaine 2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: Acne scars are one of the most distressing and long-term consequences of acne vulgaris, with damaging effect on a person's physical, mental, and social well-being. Numerous treatment options are available including surgical and nonsurgical techniques, depending on the clinical presentation. Although considerable advances in the development of new treatment technologies and applications have been made in the last decade, international treatment guidelines and reimbursement schemes have not yet caught up with current knowledge and practice in many centers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Superficial angiomyxomas are cutaneous mesenchymal tumours that typically present clinically as slow-growing, solitary, asymptomatic nodules that can occur at any age. Histopathologically, these dermal and subcutaneous tumours are characterized by abundant myxoid stroma, numerous thin-walled and often arbourising blood vessels, and spindled to stellate fibroblast-like cells. While usually sporadic, superficial angiomyxomas can occasionally be associated with Carney complex (CNC), an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by inactivating germline mutations in the 1-alpha regulatory subunit of protein kinase A (PRKAR1A) and various clinical manifestations, including cardiac myxomas, facial lentigines, epithelioid blue naevi, endocrinopathies and psammomatous melanotic schwannomas.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Two adolescent boys presented with acute acneiform eruptions in the setting of recent dupilumab administration. Subsequent investigation via direct scraping of pustules revealed live Demodex mite colonization of the face. These adolescent patients represent a population not commonly associated with Demodex folliculitis, and we theorize their baseline commensal Demodex mite population may have increased as a consequence of dupilumab-induced, focused immunomodulation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Port-wine birthmarks (PWBs) are progressive vascular malformations with significant disfigurement and psychosocial morbidity; early light-based treatment has shown improved outcomes in the pediatric population. Somatic mosaic mutations underly the progressive nature of PWBs and explain the significant differences in response and heterogeneity of vessel architecture in the pediatric population when compared to the adult cohort. Here, we summarize a review of pediatric specific literature on the various light-based treatment modalities, including pulsed dye laser, near-infrared lasers, and intense pulsed light, providing the various indications, tips, advantages, and disadvantages for the pediatric dermatologist.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a condition affecting the skin, brain, and eyes, and there is a need for clear treatment guidelines, especially for patients with port-wine birthmarks (PWBs).
  • - A group of 12 dermatology experts reviewed literature and discussed key issues such as risk assessment, treatment methods, and light-based therapies to create a consensus on managing SWS and PWBs.
  • - Early treatment of PWBs, mainly using pulsed dye lasers, can help reduce psychosocial issues and improve outcomes; the decision to use anesthesia in young patients should be tailored individually.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: There is currently intense multidisciplinary interest and a maturing body of literature regarding laser treatments for traumatic scars, but international treatment guidelines and reimbursement schemes have not yet caught up with current knowledge and practice in many centers. The authors intend to highlight the tremendous potential of laser techniques, offer recommendations for safe and efficacious treatment, and promote wider patient access guided by future high-quality research.

Study Design/materials And Methods: An international panel of 26 dermatologists and plastic and reconstructive surgeons from 13 different countries and a variety of practice backgrounds was self-assembled to develop updated consensus recommendations for the laser treatment of traumatic scars.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Keloid scars are non-cancerous growths of fibrous tissue that develop after skin injuries, posing treatment challenges with inconsistent outcomes.
  • Current treatment options vary in effectiveness, and there is no universal agreement on the best approach for managing them.
  • The text introduces a new outpatient technique for recurrent earlobe keloids that combines surgical removal with laser treatments and corticosteroid delivery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Lasers are becoming popular for removing melanocytic nevi (MN), but the risks involved are not well-researched and are debated among professionals.
  • Potential risks include misdiagnosing melanoma as a nevus, leaving leftover nevus cells that could become cancerous, and difficulties in tracking any changes in the remaining nevus over time.
  • To help patients and clinicians make informed decisions about laser ablation, some practical suggestions are provided to address the uncertainties and improve outcomes while managing cosmetic expectations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: Current models of Goltz syndrome cannot estimate the overall neocollagenesis and marked shift in collagen types after ablative fractional laser resurfacing (AFR) within treated areas of focal dermal hypoplasia (FDH).

Objectives: To clinically improve FDH by using AFR to characterize the specific ratio of collagen types associated with observed clinical changes.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This case report of a girl with Goltz syndrome used extensive laboratory evaluation and multiple observers blinded to the patient's clinical status.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: The notion that systemic isotretinoin taken within 6 to 12 months of cutaneous surgery contributes to abnormal scarring or delayed wound healing is widely taught and practiced; however, it is based on 3 small case series from the mid-1980s.

Objective: To evaluate the body of literature to provide evidence-based recommendations regarding the safety of procedural interventions performed either concurrently with, or immediately following the cessation of systemic isotretinoin therapy.

Evidence Review: A panel of national experts in pediatric dermatology, procedural/cosmetic dermatology, plastic surgery, scars, wound healing, acne, and isotretinoin was convened.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF