Body Image Satisfaction and Anxiety of a Turkish Sample of University Students with Skin Diseases

The aim of this study was to evaluate perception of body image and anxiety of 221 university students presenting to the dermatology outpatient clinic with a skin disease and 205 students without skin disease. Analysis of anxiety and body image scores yielded differences by sex and age in both groups. The group with skin disease had lower scores on body image. Acne vulgaris seems to be the most disturbing among the skin diseases, and this was more prominent in younger patients.

Incidence of Depression Related to Isotretinoin Treatment in 100 ACNE Vulgaris Patients

The incidence of depression in acne patients using isotretinoin was assessed in 100 patients with moderate and nodulocystic acne. All patients received 0.75–1.00 mg/kg/day of isotretinoin for 20–28 weeks after acne was assessed. All patients' acne lesions were improved at the end of the treatment period. Psychological state was evaluated at baseline, at Month 3, and Month 6 by a psychiatrist using a Turkish version of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Only one patient's score increased to the clinical level of depression at Month 3 of treatment and declined to subclinical levels at Month 6. Although Hamilton scores increased at Month 3 over baseline scores, except for one patient, others' scores remained below the subclinical level for depression. At the end of Month 6, the mean score decreased below that at Month 3. These changes in means might be related to the onset of clinical effect of isotretinoin.

Body dysmorphic disorder in university students with skin diseases compared with healthy controls

Body dysmorphic disorder appears relatively frequently in dermatological and cosmetic surgery settings; in fact, dermatologists may be the type of practitioner most often consulted by patients with body dysmorphic disorder. The aim of this study was to evaluate body dysmorphic disorder symptoms in Turkish university students with skin diseases. A total of 107 outpatients diagnosed with any skin disease and 109 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects recruited from the students of the same university were enrolled in the study. Subjects in both the patient and the control groups completed the Beck Depression Inventory and the Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale (BDSS). Groups differed on the basis of BDSS scores (t = 3.74, p = 0.001), with higher scores in the group with skin diseases compared with those for healthy controls. Subjects with skin diseases and higher BDSS scores had higher Beck Depression Inventory scores compared with those with lower BDSS scores (z = 4.13, p = 0.001). This study suggests that patients with skin disease have higher body dysmorphic disorder scores compared with healthy controls.

Anxiety and depression in patients with pityriasis rosea compared to patients with tinea versicolor

BACKGROUND

Few researchers have specifically evaluated how the quality of life of patients with pityriasis rosea (PR) and tinea versicolor (TV) are affected. There are even less studies exploring the psychological status of these patients. The objective of this study was to investigate and compare quality of life and psychological status of patients with PR and TV.

METHOD

Thirty-six patients with pityriasis rosea and 43 patients with tinea versicolor (N = 79) were selected for the study. All patients were required to complete Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD), Hospital Anxiety and Depression-Depression (HAD-D), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression-Anxiety (HAD-A) scales.

RESULTS

Both groups did not differ from each other with regard to DLQI, HAD-D, HAD-A, and total HAD scores (p > 0.05). With regard to cutoff points of HAD-A, 11 patients in the PR group and 15 patients in the TV group had anxiety. The number of patients with depression in pityriasis rosea and tinea versicolor groups were 11 and 13 respectively. Depression and anxiety scores were highly correlated with DLQI scores in both patients with PR and TV.

CONCLUSIONS

Results of the present study indicate that patients with PR and TV are at risk for psychopathology. Uncertainties about the etiology and length of recovery period in PR and location of disease to visible parts and recurrent nature of the disease in TV groups might have affected the patients' psychological status.

Topical tetracycline in the treatment of acne vulgaris

BACKGROUND

Topical tetracycline was the first topical antibiotic approved for the treatment of acne, its use has been limited because of the skin penetration problems of the active ingredient.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new formulation of topical tetracycline [Imex, tetracycline hydrochloride 3%, 20g] monotherapy in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris.

METHODS

The sample group consisted of 87 volunteer students of both sexes with grade 1 to grade 2 acne as assessed by Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) severity grading system. Subjects were instructed to apply topical tetracycline twice daily for 8 weeks. Subject were evaluated at baseline and at weeks 2, 4, and 8.

RESULTS

Of 87 subjects, 68 completed the 8-week treatment period. The mean reduction rates of opened comedones were 55.4%, closed comedones were 27.1%, papules were 24.8%, pustules were 27.3%. After 8 weeks of treatment, a statistically significant reduction was only observed in the mean counts of the papules and pustules (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Tetracycline is a well-tolerated topical agent and is particularly effective in the treatment of inflammatory lesions in acne.

The effectiveness of intermittent isotretinoin treatment in mild or moderate acne

BACKGROUND

Isotretinoin is the only drug that affects almost all factors in acne pathogenesis. Recently, its use for the treatment of chronic mild or moderate acne unresponsive to long-term antibiotic therapy, and with a tendency to cause scarring and leading to negative psychological effects, has became popular. The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of intermittent isotretinoin treatment in mild or moderate acne.

METHODS

Sixty patients with mild or moderate acne localized to the face were enrolled in the study. The treatment regimen consisted of isotretinoin, 0.5-0.75 mg/kg per day, applied for 1 week every 4 weeks for a total period of 6 months, according to the degree of acne and number of inflammatory lesions.

RESULTS

Forty-one (68.3%) of the 60 patients completed the 6-month therapy. At the end of the treatment complete improvement was observed in 34 patients (82.9%) out of 41. All adverse effects were mild and discontinuation of the treatment was not necessary.

CONCLUSION

Intermittent isotretinoin treatment was found to be a safe and effective choice for patients with mild or moderate acne.