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Halo naevi are considered benign. They occur in children and adolescents. Eruptive multiple halo naevi are infrequently seen in adults. The first patient in this case series had previously had melanoma. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PETCT) showed a papillary thyroid carcinoma. Subsequent adult patients underwent an examination programme similar to melanoma patients with unknown primary, including PET scanning. Sixteen patients were followed over a 6-year period. In total there were 2 papillary thyroid cancers, 1 neuroendocrine lung tumour, 1 patient had had lung metastases from a thin melanoma 7 years previously, 3 patients had primary cutaneous melanoma (1 had had halo naevi since excision of 2 melanomas 15 years previously) and 1 had melanoma metastasis with unknown primary. The incidence of melanoma was 955 times higher than expected (standardized incidence rate). The benefits of PET scanning must be validated in a controlled trial prior to implementation into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dermatoscopic asymmetry of melanocytic skin lesion is pivotal in most algorithms assessing the probability of melanoma. Larger lesions cannot be assessed by dermatoscopy and the Dermaphot in a single field of vision, but this can be performed using the acrylic globe magnifier. We examined the diagnostic accuracy of the acrylic globe magnifier and compared it with classical dermatoscopy. A total of 119 patients successively referred to our naevus clinics had Dermaphot and acrylic globe magnifier pictures taken. Lesions were excised and assessed by histopathology. Observers blinded to histopathology diagnoses, assessed dermatoscopic and acrylic globe magnifier photo-slides according to the dermoscopic risk stratification. The observed agreement over all categories between acrylic globe magnifier dermatoscopy and classical dermatoscopy was 94% and Cohen's kappa coefficient was 90% (95% confidence interval 83-97%). Sensitivity for melanoma, benign melanocytic naevi and basal cell carcinoma was 100%, 98% and 85%, respectively. Specificity was 95%, 94% and 100% for melanoma, naevi and basal cell carcinoma. Acrylic globe dermatoscopy enables a diagnostic accuracy similar to epiluminescence microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dermatoscopy increases the accuracy of diagnosis of melanoma. An atypical vascular pattern may be an indicator of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). During dermatoscopy of certain CMMs numerous ruby droplets of blood appear when the dermatoscope is pressed firmly against the lesion. The aim of this paper was to examine the histopathological background for this observation. CMMs from 8 patients showing the poppyfield sign, i.e. squirts of ruby blood droplets, were paired with 8 CMMs of equal Breslow thickness not showing this sign. The 16 CMMs were placed in an unsystematic sequence and presented to two dermato-pathologists who assessed the lesions independently for confirmation of Breslow thickness, Clark level, ulceration and presence of dilated tumour vessels. There was no disagreement between the pathologists' assessments. Age of the patients and Breslow thickness of the cutaneous malignant melanoma were similar in the two groups. All 8 poppyfield CMMs had dilated tumour vessels compared with 25% (2/8) of the non-poppyfield CMMs (p< 0.007). Histological ulceration was observed in all poppyfield CMMs and none of the non-poppyfield CMMs (p< 0.001). The poppyfield bleeding sign is a dermatoscopic clue to dilated tumour vessels. It may be a dermatoscopic reflection of increased vascular density described in primary CMMs compared with adjacent skin and may also reflect the presence of primitive vessels in CMMs displaying increased fragility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Hirsutism is a widespread condition affecting 5%-15% of females. Laser treatment of hirsutism has the best long-term effect. Patients with nonpigmented or nonterminal hairs are not eligible for laser treatment, and the current patient journey needed to establish eligibility for laser hair removal is problematic in many health-care systems., Methods: In this study, we compared the ability to assess eligibility for laser hair removal of health-care professionals and convolutional neural network (CNN)-based models., Results: The CNN ensemble model, synthesized from the outputs of five individual CNN models, reached an eligibility assessment accuracy of 0.52 (95% CI: 0.42-0.60) and a κ of 0.20 (95% CI: 0.13-0.27), taking a consensus expert label as reference. For comparison, board-certified dermatologists achieved a mean accuracy of 0.48 (95% CI: 0.44-0.52) and a mean κ of 0.26 (95% CI: 0.22-0.31). Intra-rater analysis of board-certified dermatologists yielded κ in the 0.32 (95% CI: 0.24-0.40) and 0.65 (95% CI: 0.56-0.74) range., Conclusion: Current assessment of eligibility for laser hair removal is challenging. Developing a laser hair removal eligibility assessment tool based on deep learning that performs on a par with trained dermatologists is feasible. Such a model may potentially reduce workload, increase quality and effectiveness, and facilitate equal health-care access. However, to achieve true clinical generalizability, prospective randomized clinical intervention studies are needed., (© 2024 The Author(s). Lasers in Surgery and Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

This is a case report of a 15-year-old girl, who developed kerion Celsi on the vulva after contact with a pet rodent. The skin was extremely painful, highly red, severely inflamed and oozing, mimicking a bacterial abscess. The patient's general condition was barely affected. PCR identified Trichophyton mentagrophytes, successfully treated with terbinafin 250 mg for 12 weeks. The majority of incidents in 11 published cases were caused by T. mentagrophytes, sensitive to terbinafin. Knowledge of this rare inflammatory dermatophytosis may cause the surgeon to abstain from surgery and to "keep calm and kerion".

Picato (ingenol mebutate) was recently marketed for local treatment of actinic keratosis (AK). Compared to alternative creams and gels, Picato is a quick and efficient treatment, which is applied for only two to three days. A patient developed a bullous reaction to the gel after a single application. Picato 150 microg/g was applied in the evening to AK in the patient's forehead. The patient experienced a headache during the night, and the next morning big, thin-walled bullae had developed in the treated area.

Dermoscopy of early-stage melanoma can be challenging, and repeated examination at three-month intervals may disclose subtle changes. In patients with atypical nevus syndrome or more than 50 nevi, repetitive excision of benign lesions does not guarantee that melanomas will be identified at an early stage and exposes patients to potentially disfiguring surgery. We present the case of a high-risk patient where repeated dermoscopy of an in situ melanoma showed that part of the pigment network had coarsened, even though the lesion had not changed macroscopically.

Imiquimod is an immune system-modifying drug that switches the immune system to a Th1 response, enabling it to defeat virus-infected and neoplastic cells. We report on a 94-year-old woman with a large lentigo maligna (LM) on her cheek whom we treated with imiquimod 5% cream. Dermoscopy was used to identify the most suspect areas of the lesion for biopsy and in follow-up. By week 19 the lesion was cleared, and no remnants of the lesion were seen by dermoscopy or histology. Published LM cases treated with imiquimod are reviewed.

Introduction: Sun lotions have not been effective in preventing the alarming increase in the incidence of melanoma, possibly, because of incorrect use, lack of protection from UVA and increased exposure times caused by reduced penetration of erythemogenic UVB. Seeking shade prevents deleterious effects from the sun's ultraviolet rays., Material and Methods: We examined the association between UV intensity and the ratio of shadow length to object height. A linear model fitted the data (R = 0.95). With an astronomical navigation equation for the calculation of altitude of the sun and substituting altitude with UV intensity we developed a model predicting the UV load from the point of observation, the time of the year (declination) and the time of day (hour angle). Accumulated UV doses can be calculated by integration., Results: When the shadow to object ratio is 0.5, skin types I and II will experience erythema after a few minutes, when the ratio is 1 erythema appears after 20-30 minutes, and when the ratio is 2 erythema appears after about one hour. In the Mediterranean, accumulated UV exposure from sunrise to sunset in late summer will be 30-50 times the minimal erythema dose (skin types I + II) of which more than 60% is in the interval where the shadow is shorter than its object., Discussion: The shadow rule (short shadows--seek shade) is simple and universal and children can be taught it. A rule of thumb is: when shadows are shorter than objects throwing them, avoid direct sunlight, when shadow and object are of equal length restrict sun exposure to half an hour, and when shadows are twice the length of objects an hour in the sun is permissible.