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Alopecia areata (AA) is an extremely common form of nonscarring hair loss, with a calculated lifetime risk of 2%. It affects both sexes and has no racial predilection, and it represents a significant healthcare burden. 1 Despite the high prevalence, there are no evidence-based treatments for AA. 2 Recent research has uncovered new insights into the etiopathogenesis of AA, which opened the door to the development of new treatment options. 3 Lacarrubba and colleagues first described the trichoscopic features of AA in 2004. Since then, numerous studies showed interest in studying the role of trichoscopy in the diagnosis, assessment of disease activity, severity, prognosis, and therapeutic monitoring of AA. 4,5 Treatment by intralesional corticosteroids (ILCs) remains a standard of care in adults with limited patchy AA. 6-8 However, success rates vary, and local cutaneous atrophy and telangiectasia are common adverse effects. 9Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has gained much ground, in several medical fields including dermatology and plastic surgery, because of its ability to promote wound healing, 10 its skin rejuvenating effects, 11 and its ability to promote hair growth. 12,13

Melasma is a hard‐to‐manage disorder with considerable relapsing behavior. Dermoscopy emerged to help in comprehensive evaluation of pigmentary disorders and melasma. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential role of dermoscopy in assessing melasma and monitoring the efficacy of 1064‐nm low‐fluence Q‐switched neodymium:yttrium‐aluminum‐garnet (QS Nd:YAG) laser. A total of 31 patients with facial melasma were included. A total of five laser sessions were performed with 2‐week intervals. Patients were evaluated at baseline and 2 weeks after the last session (at the 10th week) by using digital photography, modified melasma area and severity index (mMASI), and colorimetry, as well as dermoscopic score for pigment and vascular elements. Adverse effects were reported. Postlaser sessions, mMASI scores as well as the colorimetric melanin and erythema indices had showed significant improvement. The “dermoscopic score of pigmentary and vascular elements” displayed significant change and confirmed the improvement. Side effects were tolerable. mMASI, colorimetry, and dermoscopy had ascertained the efficacy of low‐fluence 1064‐nm QS Nd:YAG laser in melasma; however, dermoscopy is superior to other assessments as it can help in the diagnosis of melasma besides the follow‐up assessment and can precisely detect the detailed changes in response to treatment.

Background: High interleukin (IL)-17 contributes to vitiligo pathogenesis. Vitamin D has been assessed in vitiligo, with no reports targeting its relation to IL-17. Objective: To evaluate a possible regulatory effect of vitamin D on IL-17 and their relation to disease activity in vitiligo. Methods: This study included 30 vitiligo patients and 40 controls evaluated for IL-17 and vitamin D serum levels by ELISA technique. Results: IL-17 was significantly higher (p = 0.001) whereas vitamin D was found to be lower among the patients (p < 0.001). Multivariable regression was performed to evaluate the relationship between IL-17 and vitamin D levels with the demographic data on the patients, revealing a nonsignificant relationship (p > 0.05). A significant positive correlation was noted between vitamin D levels and disease duration. Conclusion: Vitamin D represents a potential player in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. Its possible regulatory relation to IL-17, together with its weight as a screening tool in vitiligo, needs further evaluation.

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