A 43-year-old woman presented with a 1-year history of telangiectatic lesions on her lower legs. The lesions progressively spread to involve her thighs and left arm. She had no family or personal history of recurrent haemorrhage or telangiectases. Her general health was unaffected. The diagnosis of generalized essential telangiectasia was made on the basis of clinical presentation and investigations. Generalized essential telangiectasia is a rare condition that can only be diagnosed if other primary and secondary telangiectasias are excluded. It is probably under-reported, with patients mistakenly diagnosed with atypical hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia.

A 69-year-old woman with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia presented with an 18-month history of pruritic, tender, erythematous plaques. The recurrent lesions simulated insect bites and cellulitis, but failed to respond to appropriate treatments. A recent severe flare was associated with markedly elevated inflammatory markers and swelling of the left leg. The swelling settled rapidly with ibuprofen, leaving cellulitis around a small ulcer infected with Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. The cellulitis responded to oral flucloxacillin. Subsequent multiple small exaggerated insect bite reaction lesions settled with oral prednisolone. Eosinophilic cellulitis (Wells' syndrome) was considered unlikely based on the lack of a morphoea-like resolution phase, histological lack of flame figures and presence of vasculitis; however, the distinction is probably artificial.

The role of psychological contributions to common dermatological disease is increasingly recognized. It is often a challenge to find suitable psychological services to complement dermatological treatment. This paper describes the development of a psychological treatment service to reduce scratching behaviour found in common pruritic skin conditions. Our Department of Dermatology together with a consultation-liaison psychiatrist designed a four-session outpatient treatment programme incorporating psychiatric assessment, psychoeducation about the itch-scratch cycle, behavioural analysis, habit reversal techniques and between-session tasks for the patient to complete. This programme is actively modified in consultation with patients and their therapists to suit each patient's individual needs. Formal investigation is required to determine if this psychological treatment adds benefit in overall symptom control beyond dermatological treatment alone.