[Side effects and complications of therapy with laser and intense light sources].

The possible treatment errors and complications with the use of laser and non-laser light sources are presented along with corresponding preventive measures. Particular emphasis is laid on practice-related errors and how to avoid them. A checklist for the safe conduct of treatments using laser and non-laser light sources completes the article.

[Side effects of therapy with flashlamps and lasers].

Dermatologic flashlamp and laser therapy involves photochemical, thermal, photoablative, photoacoustic and phtoodisruptive effects, depending on the wave length, energy density and pulse duration. All of these effects when properly employed can lead to optimal dermatologic and cosmetic results. They also carry a high risk for side effects and damage when not properly used.

[Cosmetic dermatology in German dermatology departments--outcome of a national survey].

The demand for non-surgical cosmetic treatments has grown considerably in recent years. It appears German dermatology departments now also increasingly seem to offer many of these methods. In 2001 we evaluated the use of different non-surgical cosmetic techniques in German dermatology departments through means of a national questionnaire.

[Laser surgery in dermatology. Risks and chances].

With the introduction of selective photothermolysis with pulsed laser irradiation, the quality of the dermatological laser therapy was clearly improved in the past decade. Above all the high risk of scar formation was clearly reduced. To minimize the fundamental risks that laser surgery entails such as hypo- and hyper pigmentation and scar formation, the indication should be checked precisely before any treatment.

[Laser therapy in dermatology and esthetic medicine. Side effects, complications and treatment errors].

Many different laser systems are used in dermatology. To wisely choose the correct laser for a given problem, one must be aware of both the spectrum of disorders for which each laser is suited and the potential side effects. We compare the side effect and complication profiles of the common laser systems pointing out their possibilities and limitations.

[Bowenoid actinic keratosis: therapy with intralesional injection of recombinant beta-interferon].

Biopsy-proven bowenoid actinic keratosis located in the pretibial region in each of two elderly women (61 and 81 years) were treated with intralesional injections with a new recombinant beta-interferon. The treatment took the form of intralesional injections three times a week over 3 consecutive weeks. The dose per single injection was 1.

[Treatment of recurrent herpes labialis using a herpes simplex Type-I subunit vaccine. A prospective randomized double-blind multicenter study].

A herpes simplex type I subunit vaccine developed by Behring-Werke (Marburg/Lahn, FRG) was compared with placebo for therapeutic effectiveness in the treatment of recurrent orolabial herpes simplex in a multicentre study involving the major hospitals in Frankfurt/Main (n = 34), Hamburg (n = 18), Giessen (n = 17) und Kassel (n = 14). The effectiveness of the vaccine was judged on the reduction in the frequency of recurrences. Within the period of the 8-month study there was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of recurrences with vaccine or placebo.

[Herpes simplex infections].

In spite of modern, highly effective antiviral drugs, the treatment of herpes simplex infections is still unsatisfactory. Especially recurrent infections as well as the protection of immunocompromised patients remain little solved therapeutical problems. Neither is the vaccination of herpes simplex promising; this has been shown in a multicenter study on a new herpes simplex virus envelope antigen vaccine.

[Cowpox virus infection in a young girl].

An genuine cowpox virus was isolated in a 6-year-old girl with a circumscribed skin lesion between the thumb and forefinger. In the beginning, the lesion was a proliferating skin change, which later became ulcerative with central hemorrhagic necrosis (umbilicated pock). Electron microscopy as well as histological, biological (cell and host range) and serological methods were used to characterize the virus.

[Oral "hairy" leukoplakia--rapid electron optic diagnosis by negative staining procedures].

Using the electron microscopic technique of negative staining, viruses of the herpes group were detected in leukoplakic lesions on the tongue of a bisexual, HTLV-III-/LAV-infected male. Oral "hairy" leukoplakia was diagnosed, which was the first clinical symptom of on HTLV-III/LAV infection in this patient.

[Oral hairy leukoplakia--early symptom of HTLV-III/LAV infection].

Epstein-Barr virus was demonstrated electronmicroscopically in a leucoplakic area of the tongue of a man infected with HTLV-III/LAV. Oral "hairy" leucoplakia, diagnosed from the clinical findings, histology and by electronmicroscopy, in this patients is to be interpreted as the initial sign of an HTLV-III/LAV infection.

[Airborne contact dermatitis].

Two elderly individuals suffering from acute recurrent dermatitis of light-exposed skin between spring and autumn were shown to be allergic to feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) of the Compositae family. Patch tests revealed not only strong reactions to the plant and its constituent parthenolide but also a number of cross-reactions to related species. The source of this contact allergy was dried airborne plant particles that attached themselves to the skin during long periods outdoors.

[Acrodermatitis induced by zinc deficiency].

A patient with acrodermatitis as a result of zinc deficiency is reported. In spite of the characteristic signs the required substitution of zinc is often delayed, because the entity is confused with other, more common forms of dermatitis.