Traction Alopecia
Traction alopecia (TA) affects up to 32% of women and 22% of high school girls with Afro-textured hair but can start in the preschool years. Traction induces inflammation and follicle…
A Systematic Approach to Afro-Textured Hair Disorders
Trichoscopy facilitates the diagnosis of various hair and scalp disorders and is often useful in predicting the disease course. However, to date, few studies describe the dermoscopic findings unique to…
Cosmeceuticals
Cosmeceuticals are understood to be active cosmetics that are sold over-the-counter, but have profound effects on skin appearance and functioning. This term has no legal meaning in the United States,…
What’s New in Objective Assessment and Treatment of Facial Hyperpigmentation?
Facial hyperpigmentation is common and challenging to treat in darker-skinned populations. A Medline literature search of articles published up to October 2013 reporting the objective assessment of and/or treatment for…
The Evolution of Skin Pigmentation and Hair Texture in People of African Ancestry
Our species, Homo sapiens , evolved in Africa, and humanity’s highest levels of genetic diversity are maintained there today. Underlying genetic diversity combined with the great range of solar regimes…
Beyond “Ethnicity” in Dermatology
Nonhlanhla P. Khumalo, MBChB, FCDerm, PhD, Editor People of African ancestry have in common darker hues of skin color and tightly curly hair. These phenotypic features were used as surrogates…
Photoprotection
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation (UVR) has well-known adverse effects on the skin and eyes. Little attention is given to physical means of photoprotection, namely glass, window films, sunglasses, and clothing. In…
Sunscreens
Ultraviolet radiation plays a major role in the development of nonmelanoma and melanoma skin cancers. Photoprotection by sunscreens has been shown to prevent the development of actinic keratosis, squamous cell…
Photodynamic Therapy
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) relies on the interaction between a photosensitizer, the appropriate wavelength, and oxygen to cause cell death. First introduced about 100 years ago, PDT has continued to evolve in…
UV-Based Therapy
UV phototherapy has a long history of use for the treatment of select diseases in dermatology. Its use has evolved into more effective and targeted modalities, including psoralen + UV-A…
