Polarized light microscopy of hair shafts aids in the differential diagnosis of Chédiak-Higashi and Griscelli-Prunieras syndromes.

Purpose: To study and compare the appearance of hairs from patients with Chédiak-Higashi and Griscelli-Prunieras syndromes under light and polarized light microscopy.

Method: Hairs from 2 Chédiak-Higashi and 2 Griscelli-Prunieras patients were obtained and examined under normal and polarized light microscopy.

Results: Under light microscopy, hairs from Chédiak-Higashi patients presented evenly distributed, regular melanin granules, larger than those seen in normal hairs.

Olmsted syndrome: the clinical spectrum of mutilating palmoplantar keratoderma.

Olmsted syndrome is a rare variety of transgredient palmoplantar keratoderma with an undefined inheritance pattern. It starts in the neonatal period or in childhood and has a progressive and extremely disabling course. We report two new, unrelated patients with Olmsted syndrome, one with the early signs and symptoms of the disorder, the other showing the full-blown spectrum of the syndrome during a 30-year follow-up period.

Miliary osteoma of the face: a report of 4 cases and review of the literature.

Osteoma cutis (OC) is a rare disorder characterized by compact bone formation in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue. It is classified in primary and secondary forms according to the presence or absence of previous cutaneous lesions. Miliary osteoma of the face (MOF) is a form of primary OC that generally occurs in middle-aged and older adult women.