Esthetic and reconstructive options for earlobe deformities.

Background: The earlobe plays a significant role in framing the face and complementing the appearance of earrings, hairstyles, and other facial features. In addition to the growth of the earlobes with the aging process, other changes can compromise the shape, size, and overall youthful appearance of this region. The main changes are evidenced by the elongation and ptosis of the earlobes, loss, atrophy of soft tissues, and formation of wrinkles in addition to deformities produced by surgical procedures, placement of earrings, and piercings or earlobe gauging.

A dermatologic view on claws and nails in fine arts.

Claws and nails belong to the epidermal skin appendages, with nails developing later than claws during primate development. Both have also been depicted in fine arts. Claws can be found in illustrations of the cavemen and the devil.

Leprosy in the Middle Ages: A European perspective.

Leprosy is one of the major mycobacterial diseases caused by Mycobacterium (M.) leprae or M. lepromatosis.

A cracked lip and a broken heart: Anna Constantia Countess Cosel.

Anna Constantia von Brockdorff (1689-1765), once considered the most beautiful woman in the whole of Europe, was an extremely accentuated personality. Shortly after her divorce from Adolph Magnus von Hoym, her rise in the Dresden court began in 1705. She became the most famous mistress of Augustus II (the Strong), Elector of Saxony, King of Poland, and Grand Duke of Lithuania.