Anonychia congenita in different generations of a single Saudi family.

Anonychia refers to the absence of nail plates owing to an autosomal dominant or recessive inheritance. Congenital anonychia is a rare condition that may be associated with other ectodermal or mesodermal malformations like epidermolysis bullosa, (deafness, onychodystrophy, osteodystrophy, and mental retardation) syndrome and Iso-Kikuchi syndrome. Here, we report 3 cases with anonychia congenita appearing in different generations of a single family in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Acne neonatorum in the eastern Saudi Arabia.

Background: Acne neonatorum (AN) is characterized by a facial eruption of inflammatory and noninflammatory acne lesions in a neonate. Hyperactivity of sebaceous glands, stimulated by neonatal androgens, is implicated in its pathogenesis.

Aim: To elucidate the clinical profile of AN in eastern Saudi Arabia.

Herpes zoster in eastern Saudi Arabia: clinical presentation and management.

Background: Herpes zoster (HZ), caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV), initially produces chicken-pox, then the virus lies dormant in the dorsal root ganglia. The virus can reactivate after many years and results in HZ along ganglion's distribution. Old age, trauma, stress, diabetes mellitus, and immune suppression are important risk factors for the reactivation.

Patients' attitude towards medical students rotating in the dermatology clinic.

Objective: To study the attitudes of the patients towards medical students rotating in the dermatology clinic in the King Fahad Hospital of the University (KFHU).

Materials And Methods: One hundred and two adult outpatients attending the KFHU in Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia during the period March to June 2004 completed a questionnaire to evaluate their receptiveness towards medical students attending with the dermatologist.

Results: Almost 57% preferred physician and medical student participation in their care and 46% welcomed their presence during physical examination.

Multiple side effects of Efalizumab in a Saudi female with chronic persistent psoriasis followed by severe rebound after Efalizumab discontinuation.

We are reporting a case of 23-year-old Saudi female with persistent chronic plaque psoriasis who was given subcutaneous Efalizumab 0.8 mg/kg/week for 14 weeks. During that period the patient developed multiple adverse reactions followed by severe rebound.

Pili bigemini and terminal hair growth induced by low-fluence alexandrite laser hair removal.

Background: Different types of lasers are used in the removal of undesirable hair by targeting the hair follicles, with the melanin pigment acting as the chromophore, and through the mechanism of selective photothermolysis.

Objectives: This report documents an unusual increase in terminal hair growth after alexandrite laser hair removal in three female patients.

Conclusion: Excessive hair growth after alexandrite laser hair removal must be listed as one of the complications resulting from the use of a laser with a fluence that is too low and can possibly be prevented if we use higher energy to fully destroy the hair follicles, with consideration given to the skin type and an effective cooling system.

Removal of amateur blue-black tattoos in Arabic women of skin type (III-IV) with Q-switched alexandrite laser.

Background And Objectives: Tattoos in Arabic society used to have a cosmetic importance on the face of females. These were usually amateur tattoos done by non-professional women in the tribe. Because Islam as a religion prohibited its practice and its application, people became concerned about removing the old tattoos by any means.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of the skin: case report.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are rare tumors derived from Schwann cells or pluripotent cells of the neural crest. In this report, we describe a 21-year-old Saudi woman who presented with an asymptomatic, solid, round, protruding tumor on the right upper back which was diagnosed as an MPNST with no stigmata of neurofibromatosis. It was completely excised with a wide surgical margin.

Dermatoses in obese female schoolchildren in the Al-khobar area, eastern saudi arabia.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the most frequent skin disorders in obese female schoolchildren in primary and intermediate schools in the Al-Khobar area, Eastern Saudi Arabia.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Al-Khobar area. It involved 2239 female schoolchildren randomly selected from 30 regular public and private primary and preparatory schools.

Childhood solitary collagenoma.

Familial cutaneous collagenoma is an inherited connective tissue nevus, which presents with asymptomatic symmetrically distributed skin nodules on the trunk or upper limbs. Here, we describe a case of a 12-year-old girl with collagenoma affecting the lower back.

Poiklodermatous variant of mycosis fungoides.

Mycosis Fungoides (MF) is a T-cell lymphoma initially presenting in the skin. Many clinical variants exist including follicular, vesicular, poikilodermic, hypo- and hyperpigmented, ichthyosiform and pigmented purpura-like lesions. We present an unusual variant in a case of poikilodermic MF.

Vulvar basal cell carcinoma misdiagnosed for 4 years.

Vulvar basal cell carcinoma is a rare cutaneous neoplasm occurring mainly in white postmenopausal females. It can be misdiagnosed due to its nonspecific physical appearance. Here, we report a 59-year-old white female who had vulvar basal cell carcinoma misdiagnosed for 4 years.

Successful treatment of chronic persistent vesicular hand dermatitis with topical pimecrolimus.

Hand dermatitis is a common chronic skin condition that has many clinical forms including contact, hyperkeratotic, frictional, nummular, atopic, pompholyx and chronic vesicular hand dermatitis. Topical steroids are the first line agents used. Here, we report the successful response to topical pimecrolimus 1% cream in a patient with steroid resistant chronic vesicular hand dermatitis.

Transient intra-epidermal bullous dermatosis.

Transient acantholytic dermatosis is an acquired, mildly pruritic, papulovesicular disease affecting the trunk and extremities. In this report a case of the bullous variant of this disease is described, with a brief review of the literature.

Cutaneous hyperpigmentation following nonpermanent henna tattoo.

Decorative henna skin painting can provoke severe reactions in the skin. We report 3 cases of unusual and persistent hyperpigmentation following nonpermanent henna tattoo, which alerted us to identify an additional side effect.