Objective: To characterize the influence of hairstyle maintenance on exercise behavior in African American women.Design: A 40-item survey with questions concerning hair care practices, physical activity, and the relationship between the two.Setting: University-affiliated dermatology department at an academic medical center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.Participants: A total of 123 African American women from 21 to 60 years of age were surveyed; 103 women completed the questionnaire. Main Outcome Measures:The statistical significance of relationships between hair care practices and physical activity was determined.Results: Fifty percent of African American women surveyed have modified their hairstyle to accommodate exercise and nearly 40% (37.9%) avoid exercise at times owing to hair-related issues. Respondents who exercised less owing to hair concerns were 2.9 times less likely to exercise more than 150 min/wk (95% CI,0.9-9.4; P=.08). Conclusion:Dermatologists can discuss hair management strategies during exercise that facilitate routinely performing exercise.

Hair growth in the oral cavity following free-flap transfer from a hair-bearing area has been previously noted albeit outside the dermatology literature. Little is known about the incidence and treatment of this undesirable postoperative complication. We herein describe two cases of palatal hair occurring after complex oropharyngeal reconstruction treated with a novel combination of Nd:YAG laser together with mechanical epilation and electrolysis.

Lichen planus (LP) is an inflammatory dermatitis of idiopathic origin that can involve the skin, mucous membranes, hair and nails. Histologically, LP is characterized by compact orthokeratosis, wedge-shaped hypergranulosis, irregular acanthosis, damage to the basal cell layer and a band-like inflammatory infiltrate in the upper dermis. Lymphocytes are the predominant cells making up the infiltrate, along with a few macrophages, eosinophils and plasma cells. In addition, melanophages are often found in the upper dermis adjacent to the damaged basal cells.(1) We describe a patient with a lesion of the toenail clinically and histopathologically consistent with LP, but with a band-like inflammatory infiltrate composed primarily of plasma cells. Previously, only three other cases of LP with plasma cell predominant infiltrate have been reported, none of which involved the nail matrix.

A healthy 10-year-old girl was referred for evaluation of patchy hair loss on the scalp of longer than 6 months duration. She had been diagnosed and treated for head lice approximately 1 month before onset of the hair loss. Examination of the scalp showed discrete ovoid patches of hair loss at the vertex scalp. A scrape of the area of hair loss was performed, and a nit was visible on microscopic examination. Focal hair loss may represent an atypical manifestation of ongoing pediculosis capitis.

No abstract