Ife J. Rodney

Hypopigmented mycosis fungoides: a retrospective clinicohistopathologic study.

Hypopigmented mycosis fungoides is a rare variant of mycosis fungoides with limited published clinicohistopathologic data available.

Updates in the understanding and treatments of skin & hair disorders in women of color☆☆☆★

Skin of color comprises a diverse and expanding population of individuals. In particular, women of color represent an increasing subset of patients who frequently seek dermatologic care. Acne, melasma, and alopecia are among the most common skin disorders seen in this patient population. Understanding the differences in the basic science of skin and hair is imperative in addressing their unique needs. Despite the paucity of conclusive data on racial and ethnic differences in skin of color, certain biologic differences do exist, which affect the disease presentations of several cutaneous disorders in pigmented skin. While the overall pathogenesis and treatments for acne in women of color are similar to Caucasian men and women, individuals with darker skin types present more frequently with dyschromias from acne, which can be difficult to manage. Melasma is an acquired pigmentary disorder seen commonly in women with darker skin types and is strongly associated with ultraviolet (UV) radiation, genetic factors, and hormonal influences. Lastly, certain hair care practices and hairstyles are unique among women of African descent, which may contribute to specific types of hair loss seen in this population, such as traction alopecia, trichorrhexis nodosa and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA).

Disorders of Hypopigmentation and Depigmentation

Disorders of hypopigmentation and depigmentation are of great concern to patients of skin of color because of the marked contrast between the affected skin and normal skin. These disorders can be psychologically devastating in this patient group. There are a number of disorders of hypopigmentation and depigmentation that are clinically relevant. Those that will be discussed in this chapter are idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis, pityriasis alba, progressive macular hypomelanosis, postinflammatory hypopigmentation, oculocutaneous albinism 2B, piebaldism, and vitiligo.

Aquagenic palmoplantar keratoderma with dorsal hand involvement in an adolescent female

Aquagenic palmoplantar keratoderma (APK) is a rare, acquired condition that presents as papules on the palms, and rarely the soles, upon immersion in water.1 We describe a patient who presented with the unusual finding of dorsal involvement of the hands.

Lymphomatoid papulosis in a young adult of African descent

Lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) is an indolent skin disease characterized by chronic, recurrent, self-healing papules and nodules with histologic findings suggestive of malignant lymphoma. LyP is classified as a CD30+ cutaneous lymphoproliferative disorder according to the 2005 World Health Organization/European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer classification and has 5 histologic subtypes (A-E).1 Differential diagnoses of LyP includes other CD30+ cutaneous lymphomas, systemic T-cell or B-cell lymphomas, and reactive processes that exhibit CD30 expression.1 LyP rarely affects black skin, with only 2 previously reported cases.2, 3 We present a case of LyP in a male of African descent.