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Objective To assess the effectiveness of Chemical reconstruction of skin scars (CROSS) with 50% TCA peel and Microneedling in acne scars in the treatment of acne scars. Methods This trial was carried out from 15th March to 14th September 2022, at Outpatient Department of Dermatology, Services Hospital, Lahore. Patients of both genders and 18 to 50 years of age, who had grade 2 to 4 acne scars were enrolled. Their acne scars were graded by Goodman's Qualitative Acne Scarring Grading System. Paper lottery method was used to randomly divide them into 2 groups. Group A patients received 50% TCA peel whereas in Group B, patients were treated with microneedling with dermapen. Follow-up was done one month after the last treatment session and the response was recorded. Excellent response was labelled if patient's acne scars reduced by two grades, good response if one grade was reduced and a poor response was no improvement. Efficacy was considered as good or excellent response. Results A total of 84 patients were enrolled. The mean of the ages of patients in group A was 33.21±7.22 years and in group B was 32.12±6.59 years. Majority of the patients 60 (71.43%) were between 18 to 35 years of age. Out of 84 patients, 73 (86.90%) were females and 11 (13.10%) were males with female to male ratio of 6.6:1. Efficacy of Group A (50% TCA peel) was noted in 31 (73.81%) patients while in Group B (microneedling with dermapen) was seen in 39 (92.86%) patients (p-value = 0.019). Conclusion We concluded that microneedling with dermapen was more efficacious in the treatment of post acne facial scars than chemical reconstruction of scars (CROSS) with 50% TCA peel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To determine the frequency of nail changes in patients of psoriasis to Dermatology Department of Services Hospital, Lahore. Methods It was a cross-sectional survey conducted in the Department of Dermatology, SIMS/Services Hospital, from September 2022 to March 2023. 80 patients of psoriasis were enrolled. Detailed history and examination for psoriasis was done. All patients underwent evaluation for nail changes (as per operational definition). The presence/absence of nail changes was recorded on a pre-designed proforma (annexure). Results In this study, mean age of patients was 27.24±4.57 years, 59 (73.8%) were male whereas 21 (26.3%) were females, 55 (68.8%), moderate in 17 (21.3%) and severe in 8 (10%) of the cases. Descriptive statistics of nail changes of patients in psoriasis shows 72 (90%) had pitting, 64 (80%) had Onycholysis, 24 (30%) had Splinter Haemorrhage, Oil Drop Discoloration in 71 (88.8%) and Subungual hyperkeratosis in 64 (80%) of the cases. Conclusion We found pitting as the leading nail change in psoriatic disease followed by Oil Drop Discoloration and Onycholysis. Psoriasis can significantly impair a patient's quality of life. Nail changes can significantly affect cosmetic concerns of the patients and need to be addressed adequately and timely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of platelet rich plasma in patients of androgenic alopecia attending the dermatology department of a tertiary care hospital in Lahore. Methods This descriptive case series was conducted at the Department of Dermatology, Services Hospital, Lahore over six months. 77 patients of both genders, aged between 18-45 years who presented with androgenic alopecia were enrolled and treated with injection of platelet rich plasma. Outcome was assessed in terms of improvement in hair quality and thickness by patient selfassessment questionnaire on a linear analogue 2 scale of 5-26 scores. Treatment was labelled effective if the score was less than 12, four weeks after the completion of all 4 sessions. A written informed consent was taken from each patient. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results The mean age of patients was 29.2±9.2 years. Majority (n=51, 66.2%) of the patients were aged under 30 years. There were 52 (67.5%) male and 25 (32.5%) female patients with a male to female ratio of 2.1:1. 31 (40.3%) patients had Grade-II while 38 (49.4%) patients had Grade-III alopecia. Only 8 (10.3%) patients had Grade-IV alopecia. Platelet-rich plasma treatment was effective in 65 (84.4%) patients as per operational definition. There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of efficacy across various age (p-value=0.972) and gender (pvalue= 0.944) groups. However, it decreased insignificantly with increasing grade of alopecia; Grade-II vs. Grade-III vs. Grade-IV (87.1% vs. 84.2% vs. 75.0%; p-value=0.701). Conclusion Platelet-rich plasma therapy was found extremely effective in patients of mild to moderate androgenic alopecia which along with cost-effectiveness, simplicity and safety of procedure advocate its preferred use in future practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]