Use of skin-lightening products among outpatient attendees in a North Indian Hospital.

In India, fair skin is a highly valued physical attribute. Skin lightener products comprise 60% of the dermatological market. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the general medical outpatient clinics of Champa Christian Hospital to elucidate the perceptions of fair skin and determinants/pattern of skin lighter use.

Melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer chemoprevention: A role for nicotinamide?

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) causes DNA damage in melanocytes by producing photolesions such as cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and 8-oxo-7-hydrodeoxyguanosine. The production of reactive oxygen species by UVR also induces inflammatory cytokines that, together with the inherent immunosuppressive properties of UVR, propagate carcinogenesis. Nicotinamide (Vitamin B ) enhances DNA repair, modulates the inflammatory environment produced by UVR, and reduces UV-induced immunosuppression.

Cutaneous embolism of an atrial myxoma.

Cardiac myxoma often presents with heterogeneous symptoms and signs and represents a challenging diagnosis. The cutaneous manifestations, if present, are often transient and non-specific and the clinician must possess a high degree of suspicion to secure the diagnosis. We present the case of a 36-year-old woman with a 6-month history of intermittent, painful, violaceous, non-blanching macules on the thumb and fingertips of the left hand and right ankle.

Diffuse melanosis cutis in the setting of BRAF(V600E) mutant melanoma and treatment with targeted therapies.

Diffuse melanosis cutis (DMC) is a rare presentation of metastatic melanoma associated with a particularly guarded prognosis. We report a case of a 35-year-old man with BRAF(V600E) metastatic melanoma treated with dabrafenib (as well as ipilimumab and whole brain radiotherapy), who is alive, 25 months after the onset of his DMC. This is significantly longer than the reported mean survival of 4 months, highlighting the importance of BRAF mutation testing and the promising survival advantage of using targeted therapies compared with conventional chemotherapeutic regimens.

Sweet's syndrome following surgery: cutaneous trauma as a possible aetiological co-factor in neutrophilic dermatoses.

A 47-year-old man presented with an acute, cutaneous eruption of exquisitely painful papules at the operative site 4 weeks after a right tibial osteotomy. Initially this was managed as a postoperative wound infection; however the exacerbation and spread of the cutaneous eruption prompted further investigation. Histopathology and clinical findings were consistent with the development of Sweet's syndrome and resolution was obtained after the initiation of dapsone.