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This article presents the findings of a study conducted in Turkey to determine the prevalence and degree of hirsutism in women of reproductive age. The study included a total of 5,282 patients, with 15.8% of them having hirsutism. The study found that the prevalence of hirsutism varied between geographical regions, with the Mediterranean region having the highest prevalence at 22.3% and the Southeastern Anatolia region having the lowest at 5.6%. The study also determined that the most important body areas contributing to hirsutism were the lower abdomen, thighs, chin, and upper lip. The study provides valuable information on the prevalence of hirsutism in Turkey and highlights the regional differences in its occurrence. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: With the increasing use of digital medical photography in the practice and delivery of dermatologic care, concerns regarding patient privacy and ethical-legal aspects have been raised. This study aims to assess the acceptance and perception of medical photography among Turkish patients attending dermatology clinics. Material and Methods: An opinion survey was conducted in two tertiary referral hospitals in İstanbul among adult patients visiting dermatology clinics by completion of a 13-question survey from. Results: A total of 357 patients completed the questionnaire, of whom a dermatologist had recently photographed 42.3%. Patients preferred to be photographed with a hospital-owned camera (69.5%) compared to the practitioner’s personal camera (36.1%) or mobile phone (29.1%) (p<0.001). They favored hospital digital records (70%) over the practitioner’s own computer (30.5%) or the practitioner’s own mobile phone (19.9%) for the storage of the images (p<0.001). Patients accepted being photographed by their attending physician more than other healthcare workers (p<0.001). Non-identifiable photos were more acceptable than identifiable ones for all purposes of use of photographs, with the highest rate of acceptance for medical consultation (75.9%) and the lowest rate for medical websites (10.4%). Almost all respondents (97.2%) felt informed consent is necessary before medical photography. Nearly one-third of the respondents shared concern about the misuse or unauthorized access of their medical photographs. Conclusion: Our study revealed that patients have a relatively positive attitude toward medical photography, although they seem to have clear preferences regarding several practical aspects. These findings could be used to improve dermatological practice and to create policy guidelines about medical photography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given recent developments in the treatment of metastatic melanoma, early detection of disease recurrence is crucial. The aim of this single-centre retrospective cohort study was to investigate the impact of the initial stage of primary melanoma on the pattern and timing of disease recurrence and post-recurrence survival. Patients diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma with initial stage IA-IIID, between January 1996 and December 2018 and who developed disease recurrence until May 2019 were included (n = 784). Earlier stage at diagnosis was associated with a higher proportion of locoregional and a lower proportion of distant metastasis (p = 0.01). The median time to first metastasis decreased with the more advanced stages at initial diagnosis: 3.32 years (interquartile range (IQR) 1.72-6.14 years) for stage I, 1.85 years (IQR 0.99-3.78 years) for stage II and 1.19 years (IQR 0.70-2.42 years) for stage III disease (p < 0.001). These findings add evidence that American Joint Committee on Cancer stages at initial diagnosis of melanoma play a key role in the pattern and timing of disease recurrence and may be helpful to improve surveillance strategies in the follow-up of patients with melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intralesional cryotherapy (ILC) is a safe and well tolerated by the patient. Subcutaneous emphysema (SE) cases after spray and contact cryotherapy have been described; however, this complication has not been previously reported after ILC. Aim: Our aim is to discuss the possible causes of SE development after ILC. Method: We present a young patient that developed SE after ILC applying by insertion of an open‐ended needle to the tip of the cryotherapy gun. Results: The development of SE following ILC may have been caused by inward clefting from the ear hole, the usage of an open‐ended needle and a lack of safety system. Conclusion: It will be safer to apply special methods involving the usage of sealed distal type to prevent SE development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous dermoscopic structures for the early detection of melanoma have been described. The aim of this study was to illustrate the characteristics of dermoscopic structures that are similar to blotches, but smaller (termed microblotches), and to evaluate their association with other well-known dermoscopic structures. A cross-sectional study design, including 165 dermoscopic images of melanoma was used to define microblotches, and 241 consecutive images of naevi from the HAM10000 database, were studied to evaluate the prevalence of this criterion in both groups. Microblotches were defined as sharply demarcated structures ≤1 mm, with geographical borders visible only with dermoscopy. Microblotches were present in 38.7% of the melanomas and 6.7% of the naevi. More over, microblotches were associated with an odds ratio (OR) of malignancy of 5.79, and were more frequent in invasive melanoma than in the in-situ subtype (OR 2.92). Histologically, they correspond to hyperpigmented parakeratosis or epidermal consumption. In conclusion, microblotches are related to melanomas. This finding could help dermatologists to differentiate between naevi and melanomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Adult female acne is a chronic condition that significantly impacts quality of life. The content on social media can influence patients perception of their disease and serve as a channel through which they may seek or obtain treatment options., Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the impact of social media usage habits on treatment decisions among adult female acne patients., Methods: A cross-sectional, multicenter survey study involved 358 females aged 25 or above, diagnosed with acne. Sociodemographic data were collected, and social media behavior, treatment choices, outcomes, and motivation were explored., Results: Among 358 participants, 95.3% used at least 1 social media platform; 72.1% sought acne information online. Top platforms used to seek acne information were Google (75.6%), Instagram (72.3%), YouTube (60%), and TikTok (29.4%). For advice, 67.4% consulted doctor accounts, 53.5% non-medical influencers, 53.5% patient accounts, and 36.1% product promotion accounts. Commonly followed advice included skincare products (88%), dietary changes (42.3%), home remedies (38.8%), exercise (30.3%), topical medications (25.2%), and dietary supplements (17.4%). Notably, 20.9% were willing to alter prescribed treatment by their physician for acne based on social media advice. Patient motivations included quick information access (84.1%) and difficulty in securing dermatologist appointments (54.3%)., Conclusions: The study reveals widespread social media use among adult female acne patients, highlighting concerns about potentially misleading information. Dermatologists can enhance the impact of social media by providing reliable sources for patients.