Extracellular Matrix Modulation: Optimizing Skin Care and Rejuvenation Procedures.

Normal aging and photoaging of the skin are chronic processes that progress gradually. The extracellular matrix (ECM), constituting over 70% of the skin, is the central hub for repair and regeneration of the skin. As such, the ECM is the area where changes related to photodamage are most evident.

Late-onset chronic mucocutaneous and ocular candidiasis and malignant thymoma.

Late-onset chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMCC) is part of a spectrum of candidal infections. It usually develops during or after the fourth decade of life and is often associated with an underlying neoplasm, especially thymoma. A 56-year-old man with late-onset CMCC and thymoma had several unusual features.

Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis and keratitis associated with malignant thymoma.

Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis is a rare skin condition that may be associated with immunologic defects, failure of the endocrine system, or a neoplasm, especially thymoma. Ocular findings are rare. Our patients, a middle-aged man, had chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis in conjunction with an aggressive malignant thymoma.

Verruciform xanthoma in an epithelial nevus.

Verruciform xanthoma is an unusual lesion that was initially reported in 1971. Clinically, it is a verrucous, vascular, epithelial plaque or papillomatous growth commonly found on oral or mucosal tissues. Histologically, it is characterized by a verruciform epithelium with abundant parakeratosis and by foam cells occupying the vascularized dermal papillae.

Diagnosis and treatment of mycetoma.

A mycetoma is a chronic granulomatous infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue from which grains of the causative organism are eliminated through sinus tracts. In a patient with a suspected mycetoma, evaluation should include (1) elicitation of a history of trauma, (2) determination of the presence of the clinical triad of swelling, sinus tracts, and extrusion of grains, (3) roentgenographic examination, (4) examination of the grains, (5) histopathologic study, and (6) culture. Identification of the causative organism is important for guiding therapy; etiologic agents include actinomycetes, eumycetes, eubacteria, and dermatophytes.