Although the impairment of quality of life (QoL) in individuals with keloids is profound, it has neither been well quantified nor correlated with severity in people with skin of colour. This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study comprised 110 patients with keloid(s). A physician measured the severity of keloids using the Vancouver Scar scale and impairment of QoL using the patient-filled Hindi version of Dermatology Life Quality Index questionnaire. The relationship among QoL and severity score as well as with components of demographic data was analysed using SPSS. Our study found the severity of keloid(s) to be moderately but significantly correlated with the QoL of its sufferers.Individuals with multiple keloids were found to be significantly younger than those with solitary ones. Itching, pain, along with restricted mobility significantly impacted the QoL as well as severity of keloids. Individuals who had undergone prior treatment were found to have a worse QoL than the treatment naive. Recurrence was found to be associated with lower scar severity, multiple keloids, and younger age. Increasing age, though associated with greater scar severity, lacked any relationship with the QoL. Our study also found that individuals with bigger keloids sought treatment earlier and more often. Hyperpigmented keloid(s), more common in individuals with skin of colour, were associated with a significantly worse QoL and a higher scar severity.keloid, quality of life, severity, skin of colour | INTRODUCTIONKeloidsclaw-like irregular deposition of dense fibrous tissue beyond the edges of the original injuryrepresent an exaggerated healing response in predisposed individuals. 1 Located most often on the chest, shoulders, upper back, posterior neck, and earlobes, keloids occur more commonly in people with darker skin -African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. 2,3,4 However, treatment options of this relatively common condition continue to focus on improving cosmesis and alleviating symptoms, such as pruritus, pain, and loss of function, rather than on a complete cure. 5 Individuals with visible keloids often experience stigmatisation, reduced body esteem, and some degree of social isolation. 6 In the current era of heightened aesthetic awareness, keloidal scarring can greatly affect the self-perception of patients and impair their quality of life (QoL); thus, measuring the latter, is becoming increasingly important in contemporary clinical dermatology. However, little is known about the impact of these scars on the QoL of its patients; some Western studies that have Abbreviations: ANOVA, analysis of variance test

Background: The overall prevalence of vulvar diseases in the literature is low because of underreporting and is often neglected; thus, its impact on a female's life is often underestimated. Objectives: This study is aimed to determine the prevalence of vulvar diseases and their associated risk factors in patients attending a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, and case–controlled study wherein all female patients attending the dermatology outpatient department (OPD) were screened for the signs and symptoms of vulvar dermatoses and were enrolled after obtaining informed consent and institutional ethics committee approval for 21 months. Out of them, 200 patients who consented and had signs and symptoms of vulvar diseases were selected as cases, and the same number of age-matched females were enrolled as controls with no signs and symptoms of vulvar dermatoses. Results: During the study period, 9431 females attended the dermatology OPD, of which the prevalence was 2.12% (200 patients). The most common infection was genital infection without sexually transmitted infection (57%) (tinea cruris [33.5%]), followed by inflammatory dermatoses (21%) (lichen sclerosus et atrophicus [6%]). The most common risk factor found statistically significant ( P ≤ 0.005) were homemakers (49%) and the use of undergarments of mixed fabric (70.68%), followed by nonmenopausal females (63.15%). Conclusion: Our study findings indicated that the prevalence was low, which reflects the tip of an iceberg. Further clinical and population-based studies, a multidisciplinary approach including gynecological consult for diagnostic and therapeutic approach is needed for the optimal management of vulvar diseases.

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