Yogesh D

Abstract

Pilomatricoma, is an appendageal tumour of the skin usually seen in head and neck area. They are usually solitary, derived from the ectoderm and arise from the outer root sheath cells of the hair follicle. Multiple pilomatricomas are rare. We present a case of multiple pilomatricomas over the arm of a 13 year old girl.   Keywords: Pilomatricoma, Ghost cells, Appendageal tumor

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Abstract

Introduction: Alopecia areata is a common cause of patchy hair loss. It is an autoimmune disorder with unpredictable course. Total body iron store is an integral factor in the development of hair follicle. Numerous studies have been done to find the relationship between serum ferritin and alopecia areata with contradictory findings. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Dermatology Outpatient Department in a tertiary care hospital. All new cases of alopecia areata, aged 1 to 60 years were included. A detailed history was taken and clinical examination conducted. Serum Ferritin of all patients was measured. Clinical severity of alopecia areata was assessed and compared with the ferritin levels. Analysis of data was done by SPSS software, version 16.0. Results: A total of 36 patients including 23 males and 13 females were studied. Mild AA was seen in 11 patients including 6 males and 5 females. Moderate AA was seen in 25 patients including 17 males and 8 females. The mean serum ferritin in males with mild AA was 179.4 ng /ml and those with moderate AA was 125 ng /ml. In females, mean serum ferritin in mild AA was 64.27 ng /ml and in moderate AA it was 46.46 ng/ml. Conclusion: Our study showed that with increase in severity of AA, there was a decrease in mean serum ferritin both in males and females. This implies that the severity of AA is influenced by serum ferritin levels. Since our study did not include controls, no postulates can be made in this regard. Further studies with larger number of subjects are essential to know the exact role of ferritin in alopecia areata and its severity. Keywords: Alopecia areata, Serum ferritin, Autoimmunity, Non cicatricial, Severity.

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Abstract

Comedones occur in a variety of skin conditions especially on the face. Comedone extraction using an instrument called comedone extractor is a commonly employed technique to remove them. Comedones may however be present in uncommon sites such as concha of ear. Using comedone extractor in concha of the ear is difficult as it is deep and the the surface is firm. It may also cause injury to the patient. In such situations, ‘pen punching technique’, first described in 2015 may be employed to extract comedones easily. We describe a case of a 23-year-old girl with comedones on the concha of both ears which we removed using this technique.   Keywords: Comedones, Pen punching, Comedone extraction, Concha of ear

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