derm top tier Flashcards
acne treatment
Advice
- Avoid over washing
- Don’t pick
- Healthy diet
Mild
- Benzoyl peroxide
- – Increases skin turnover
- – Clears pores and reduces bacteria count
- – Dry
- Retinoid (tretinoin)
- – Topical
- – Inhibit formation and reduce microcomedomes
- Antibiotics
- – Topical
Moderate
- Antibiotics
- – Doxycline
- – Minocycline
- Combined oral contraceptive
- – Hormones suppress sebum production
Severe
- Retinoid (isotretinoin)
- –Decreases sebum production
acne investigations
Clinical
Skin swabs - microscopy and culture
Hormonal tests
acne complications
scarring
psychological / social
what is a comedom
in hair follicle but hair not there, instead dead skin and bacteria
open = black head closed = whitehead (skin)
acne symptoms
- different severities
Mild
- Blackheads = open comedones
- Whiteheads = closed comedones
- No scarring
moderate
- Papules - small red bumps
- Pustules - white/yellow spots
- No scarring
Moderately severe
- Inflammatory papules
- Some scarring
Severe
- Nodules - large red bumps
- Severe scarring
acne pathophysiology
- Chronic
- Hypercornification = corneodesmosomes block entrance to hair follicles, resulting in narrowing of the hair follicle
- Causes increased sebum production → greasy skin
- Sebum becomes trapped in narrow hair follicles. Stagnates at bottom of pit - it is anaerobic here, allowing propionibacterium acnes bacteria to multiply in stagnant sebum
- This results in irritation and inflammation (neutrophils attracted), so pus is formed and further inflammation
what emotion may worsen/ trigger/ cause acne
inc pathophysiology
Psychological stress → increased cortisol → increased sebum
is acne vulgaris a particularly severe form of acne?
no. vulgaris means common. this is the medical term for acne
complications of eczema
Broken skin may become infected (secondarily)
- Staph aureus
- –Crusted
- –Weeping
- Herpes simplex
- –Multiple small blisters
Depression, anxiety
treatments for more severe/ non responsive eczema
- Oral immune -modulators (cyclosporine, azathioprine)
- Oral steroids (prednisolone)
- Antibiotics (flucloxacillin)
- Phototherapy - UV A
- Antihistamines (chlorphenamine) –No clinical effect, but they sedate patient for better rest
first and second line pharmacological treatment for eczema
First line =Topical corticosteroids (hydrocortisone, clobetasol)
- Different levels for different severities
- Inhibit proinflammatory cytokines
Second line = topical calcineurin inhibitors (pimecrolimus, tacrolimus)
- Less effective but less side effects - may be good for especially sensitive areas
- calcineurin induces transcription factors for interleukins which activate T helper cells and cytokine production. so this medicine inhibits this so reduces inflammation
non pharmacological management of eczema
Hydration
- Inc emollients – artificially restore skin barrier, traps moisture
bandages
Minimising exposure to allergens
- Bath soap substitutes
Minimizing itching
eczema investigations
Clinical Bloods -- High serum IgE Must have itchy skin in past 6 months Patch testing- identifies suspected allergens Skin prick test
where is eczema often (on the body)
Elbows Knees Ankles Wrist Neck Cheeks in infants - before spreading to rest of body
describe eczema appearance
Red Itchy Scaly hyper/hypopigmented Dry Weeping/ exudation/ vesicles - if very acute