Autologous fat transfer in a patient with lupus erythematosus profundus

Treatments for disease damage in cutaneous lupus erythematosus: A narrative review

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is an autoimmune photosensitive disorder that affects the skin. CLE lesions can have signs of skin damage including dyspigmentation, scarring, atrophy and/or alopecia. Disease damage secondary to CLE can be cosmetically disfiguring and causes patients significant distress. While many current treatments for CLE focus primarily on reducing inflammation, there are few options for managing disease damage. Providers currently lack strong guidance on managing CLE damage due to the paucity of literature on this topic. Because of this knowledge gap, we aim to provide an overview of what is currently known about the pathogenesis and management of signs of disease damage in CLE. In this narrative review, Pubmed, Ovid Medline, and Google scholar were searched for relevant articles assessing pathogenesis and treatment of disease damage. Therapeutic options for CLE damage, including hyperpigmentation (laser and camouflage), hypopigmentation (melanocyte grafting and camouflage), scarring (laser, dermabrasion, and camouflage), atrophy (filler, fat transplantation, and flap procedures), and scarring alopecia (hair transplantation and camouflage) were identified. We found that investigations of therapeutics for CLE disease damage primarily consist of case reports and small case series. Reported adverse events due to treatment for CLE disease damage range from temporary erythema and discomfort to disease reactivation and pigmentary defects. There are various treatments for disease damage for each sign of disease damage. However, more robust investigations are needed to assess disease pathogenesis and improve treatments of disease damage due to CLE.

Cosmetic treatment in patients with autoimmune connective tissue diseases: Best practices for patients with lupus erythematosus

The cutaneous manifestations of lupus, especially chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus, are a source of significant morbidity and can negatively impact patient quality of life. While the active inflammatory component of the disease may be adequately treated, patients are frequently left with residual skin damage and disfiguring aesthetic deficits. Dermatologists lack guidelines regarding the use and safety of various reconstructive and cosmetic interventions in this patient population. Laser treatments are largely avoided in the lupus population because of the possible photodamaging effects of ultraviolet and visible light. Similarly, given the autoimmune nature of this disease, some physicians avoid injectable treatment and grafts because of the concern for disease reactivation via antigenic stimulation. In the second article in this continuing medical education series we compile available data on this topic with the goal of providing evidence-based guidance on the cosmetic treatment of patients with lupus erythematosus with a focus on chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Surgical treatment of skin lesions in lupus erythematosus

Lipodystrophies are a wide group of diseases with various etiology, mainly genetic, metabolic or autoimmune. The treatment of these diseases is chronic and not always effective. Major concerns for patients with lipodystrophies are also esthetic defects, especially deformities in the face, neck and upper limbs. There are many surgical methods that can be used to improve patient's appearance like fillers, autologous fat transfer and skin flaps. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss surgical techniques used for correction of lipoatrophy and other skin lesions present in lupus erythematosus. In the first presented patient, lipodermal grafts were performed in two stages (first - to both zygomatic areas, the second - to both nasolabial folds). Moreover, the patient was qualified for arm scar plasty. Deepithelialized skin in the affected area was covered with advanced local skin flaps. In the second patient, an extensive scarring lesion on the scalp was excised and the defect was closed with an expanded scalp flap. Patients with lipodystrophies may require aesthetic surgical procedures to improve their appearance. In patients with lupus erythematosus, autologous fat graft in the face area seems to be a safe and effective method of refilling the volume of atrophic tissues. On the basis of our experience, it is worth emphasizing that the process of fat graft resorption is typical. In patients with scalp scars, an effective method of their removal and hairline restoring is usage of the tissue expander.