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Hailey-Hailey disease (HHD) is an autosomal dominant genodermatosis related to mutations of the ATP2C1 gene (encoding a calcium pump of Golgi apparatus).[1] It typically manifests during the second or third decade of life and is clinically characterized by erosions/fissures and scaly/macerated plaques or chronic vegetations mainly involving flexural sites.[1] These clinical manifestations are similar to those of other common intertriginous dermatoses, making the differential diagnosis particularly challenging.[1] This is even more relevant in dark-skinned patients, in which important clinical features (e.g., shade of erythema and sharpness of lesions margins) may be less evident.[2] Over the last few years, dermoscopy has been shown to improve the recognition of several inflammatory dermatoses in both light and dark phototypes.[[3]] However, data on HHD are sparse and limited to single case reports.[[5], [7]] In this multicentric retrospective observational study conducted by the "Imaging in Skin of Color" Task Force of the I International Dermoscopy Society i (IDS), we sought to characterize dermoscopic findings of HHD, as compared to those of the main clinical mimickers. Dermoscopy in general dermatology (non-neoplastic dermatoses) of skin of colour: a comparative retrospective study by the International Dermoscopy Society. Moreover, a possible overlap with flexural lesions of Darier's disease due to histological similarities should be considered, thereby clinical/anamnestic data remain of utmost importance in distinguishing these dermatoses. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: Periorbital melanosis (POM) has a significant impact on quality of life. There is a dearth of literature regarding POM, especially in Asian population. Accurate classification of POM is contributory to the choice of therapy. The aim of this study was to assess the role of dermoscopy in etiologic classification of POM. Methods: Two hundred and fifty adult patients (age > 18 years) of POM were enrolled over a period of 2 years. POM was classified clinically and re‐evaluated based on their dermoscopic findings (pattern of pigmentary and vascular involvement, surface changes). Results: Pigmented, vascular, structural, and mixed types of POM represented 6.4%, 4.8%, 0.4%, and 88.4%, respectively. Dermoscopy was found to be statistically more accurate in classifying pigmentary and vascular types of POM as compared to clinical examination with the naked eyes (p‐ value <0.05). Patchy or post‐inflammatory pigmentation was the most common pigmentary pattern on dermoscopy (53.8%) followed by pseudoreticular (37.1%) and mixed pattern (9.1%). 80.4% patients had vascular involvement of which the most common vascular pattern was telangiectasia (58.8%). Wrinkling or increased skin laxity as a cause of shadow effect was found in 52% patients. Diffuse erythema and scaling suggestive of subtle inflammation was detected in 47.6% patients on dermoscopy. Conclusion: Dermoscopy as a diagnostic modality is more accurate in detecting pigmentary and vascular causes of POM and subtle signs of active inflammation in the form of erythema and scaling which is difficult to detect clinically. The major limitations of this study were lack of correlation of dermoscopic findings with the histological findings and the absence of any control group for comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dear Editor, Alopecia areata is a commonly encountered clinical problem. The treatment of choice for localized disease is intralesional steroid injection, which, though usually effective, is an invasive, painful procedure and may require repeated sessions, affecting patient compliance. [Extracted from the article]