Vitiligo.

Vitiligo is an acquired depigmenting disorder that affects 0.5% to 2% of the world population. Three different forms are classified according to the distribution of lesions; namely non-segmental, segmental and mixed vitiligo.

African american women, hair care, and health barriers.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to elucidate the prevalence of hair loss among African American women; explore the psychosocial impact of hair grooming difficulties; and examine both perceptions related to physician encounters in this group and the relationship between hair grooming, physical activity, and weight maintenance.

Design: An anonymous retrospective and qualitative survey, the Hair Care Assessment Survey, is an 18-question novel survey instrument designed at the Henry Ford Hospital Department of Dermatology Multicultural Dermatology Center.

Setting: The Hair Care Assessment Survey was distributed at church-related functions at predominantly African American metropolitan Detroit churches.

Afamelanotide and narrowband UV-B phototherapy for the treatment of vitiligo: a randomized multicenter trial.

Importance: Narrowband UV-B (NB-UV-B) phototherapy is used extensively to treat vitiligo. Afamelanotide, an analogue of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, is known to induce tanning of the skin.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination therapy for generalized vitiligo consisting of afamelanotide implant and NB-UV-B phototherapy.

Skin cancer and photoprotection in people of color: a review and recommendations for physicians and the public.

Skin cancer is less prevalent in people of color than in the white population. However, when skin cancer occurs in non-whites, it often presents at a more advanced stage, and thus the prognosis is worse compared with white patients. The increased morbidity and mortality associated with skin cancer in patients of color compared with white patients may be because of the lack of awareness, diagnoses at a more advanced stage, and socioeconomic factors such as access to care barriers.

Serum miRNA expression profiles change in autoimmune vitiligo in mice.

It is widely believed that non-segmental vitiligo results from the autoimmune destruction of melanocytes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression, are involved in the immune cell development and function and regulate the development of autoimmune diseases. Recent studies demonstrate that functional miRNAs can be detected in the serum and serve as biomarkers of various diseases.

Effects of ultraviolet radiation, visible light, and infrared radiation on erythema and pigmentation: a review.

The effects of ultraviolet radiation, visible light, and infrared radiation on cutaneous erythema, immediate pigment darkening, persistent pigment darkening, and delayed tanning are affected by a variety of factors. Some of these factors include the depth of cutaneous penetration of the specific wavelength, the individual skin type, and the absorption spectra of the different chromophores in the skin. UVB is an effective spectrum to induce erythema, which is followed by delayed tanning.

Skin-of-color epidemiology: a report of the most common skin conditions by race.

To quantify and compare diagnoses according to race in pediatric Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) health plan patients seen in a general dermatology clinic over a 10-year period. Retrospective cohort of health plan pediatric patients seen in the dermatology clinic between 1997 and 2007 was established using an electronic medical record database. Diagnoses and diagnostic codes were recorded according to International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) diagnostic codes grouped on their first three digits.

Ultraviolet-based therapy for vitiligo: what's new?

Vitiligo is an ancient disease in which depigmented and hypopigmented macules appear on the skin. It is a disfiguring condition that may lead to severe psychological trauma. Among the many treatment modalities available for use in vitiligo, those using light therapy, and in particular ultraviolet (UV) light, are some of the most effective treatments.

Melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure in the treatment of vitiligo: the experience of an academic medical center in the United States.

Background: Vitiligo is a disfiguring disease with limited treatment options. Surgical treatment is underused in the United States because of perceived risk of infection, costs, and difficulty of the procedure.

Objective: We sought to determine the efficacy and safety of the melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure (MKTP) in an academic dermatology department in the United States.

Photomedicine and phototherapy considerations for patients with skin of color.

Background/purpose: Patients with skin of color present unique challenges and opportunities for dermatologists in their disease states as well as their response to treatment. There are differences in dosing for patients with skin of color using standard phototherapeutic approaches as well as unique disease states that may respond to newer phototherapeutic options. Lastly, there are optical diagnostic options that allow investigators to differentiate erythema and pigmentation in a quantitative manner for clinical research purposes.

Impact of long-wavelength UVA and visible light on melanocompetent skin.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of visible light on the immediate pigmentation and delayed tanning of melanocompetent skin; the results were compared with those induced by long-wavelength UVA (UVA1). Two electromagnetic radiation sources were used to irradiate the lower back of 20 volunteers with skin types IV-VI: UVA1 (340-400 nm) and visible light (400-700 nm). Pigmentation was assessed by visual examination, digital photography with a cross-polarized filter, and diffused reflectance spectroscopy at 7 time points over a 2-week period.

Safety and efficacy of erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet fractionated laser for treatment of acne scars in type IV to VI skin.

Background: Ablative resurfacing lasers are effective for treatment of acne scars, but they have a high risk of complications. Fractional lasers have less severe side effects but more moderate efficacy than ablative devices. Studies were performed in individuals with Fitzpatrick skin type I to VI.

Incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer in a cohort of patients with vitiligo.

Background: Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) incidence in patients with vitiligo has not been studied.

Objective: We sought to quantify the incidence of NMSC in patients with vitiligo.

Methods: A cohort of 477 patients with vitiligo and no history of NMSC seen in an outpatient academic center between January 2001 and December 2006 was established.

Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia: past, present, and future.

Clinical scarring alopecia in African American women has been recognized for years. The classification of this unique form of alopecia dates back to Lopresti, who first described the entity called "hot comb alopecia." More recently, the term "central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia" has been adopted to describe a progressive vertex-centered alopecia most common in women of African descent.

Hair grooming practices and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia.

Background: The cause of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) in African American women remains to be elucidated.

Objective: This study was designed to determine the hair-grooming practices in African American women with and without CCCA and to evaluate possible etiologic factors.

Methods: Utilizing a novel survey instrument, the Hair Grooming Assessment Survey, we performed a retrospective comparative survey of the hair-grooming practices of two populations of African American women seen and evaluated at the Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, between 2000 and 2007.

A clinical trial and molecular study of photoadaptation in vitiligo.

Background: Photoadaptation to ultraviolet (UV) B phototherapy is due to both pigmentary and nonpigmentary influences.

Objectives: To measure photoadaptation in vitiliginous skin and to compare it with normal pigmented skin.

Methods: Seventeen patients with Fitzpatrick skin phototypes III-VI with vitiligo received six to nine UVB treatments, two to three times weekly.

Effects of visible light on the skin.

Electromagnetic radiation has vast and diverse effects on human skin. Although photobiologic studies of sunlight date back to Sir Isaac Newton in 1671, most available studies focus on the UV radiation part of the spectrum. The effects of visible light and infrared radiation have not been, until recently, clearly elucidated.

Photodermatoses in African Americans: a retrospective analysis of 135 patients over a 7-year period.

Background: The frequency of photodermatoses in African Americans has not been well characterized.

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of photodermatoses in African Americans in an academic medical center during a 7-year period. This was compared with that observed in Caucasians seen during the same period.

A survey of skin disease and skin-related issues in Arab Americans.

Background: There is a paucity of knowledge relating to dermatologic conditions in Arab Americans.

Objective: To assess common skin diseases and concerns and to evaluate access to dermatologic care and perception of skin in Arab Americans.

Methods: Arab Americans from 3 Southeast Michigan locations (community health center [n = 207], mosque [n = 95], and church [n = 99]) completed a survey questionnaire.