Deep depth peeling using phenol is one of the most effective chemical peeling methods. However, it has been rarely used on Asian people because of side-effects, especially hypopigmentation. In order to reduce side-effects, a number of modified phenol peeling formulas were developed. Exoderm, a modified phenol peel, has shown reduced side-effects such as arrhythmia, long-lasting erythema, hypopigmentation, hypertrophic scar and keloid. In the present study, our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of Exoderm on wrinkles, acne scars, and melasma and its safety for Asian patients. Forty-six patients were treated with Exoderm. Twenty-eight patients (61%) were treated for wrinkles and 11 patients (24%) for acne scars. Clinical improvement and side-effects were evaluated and the degree of improvement was graded into four stages. The overall average improvement scores were 3.39 and 3.30 out of 4.00 as evaluated by the doctor and patient, respectively. Forty-one patients (89%) showed 51% or more improvement. All patients with wrinkles improved 51% or more and their average improvement score was 3.64 out of 4.00. Seven of 11 patients (64%) with acne scars improved 51% or more and their average improvement score was 2.73 out of 4.00. The most frequent side-effect was postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (74%). Prolonged erythema, keloid and milia were observed temporarily, however, hypopigmentation persisted for 6 months in the follow-up period. All side-effects were tolerable and reversible except for one complication of hypopigmentation. We conclude that Exoderm is very effective for treating the facial wrinkles and acne scars of Asian patients.

Introduction The present study aimed to examine smartphone use in young patients with schizophrenia and to explore factors that may affect the severity of problematic smartphone use. Methods A total of 148 schizophrenia patients aged 18 to 35 years completed self‐administered questionnaires exploring sociodemographic characteristics; Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), the Big Five Inventory‐10 (BFI‐10), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale (RSES). All were also assessed using the Clinician‐Rated Dimensions of Psychosis Symptom Severity (CRDPSS) Scale and the Personal and Social Performance (PSP) Scale. Results The mean subject age was 27.5 ± 4.5 years. No significant differences in the SAS scores occurred between gender, jobs, and level of education. The Pearson r‐correlation test showed that the SAS scores were significantly positively correlated with HADS anxiety, PSS, and BFI‐10 neuroticism scores; it was negatively correlated with RSES, BFI‐10 agreeableness, and conscientiousness scores. In the stepwise linear regression analysis, the severity of PSU was significantly associated with both high anxiety and low agreeableness. Discussion Our results suggest that specific groups of patients with schizophrenia may require special care to prevent problematic smartphone use.

Objective: This study investigated trends in hospital utilization by patients with schizophrenia during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Korea. Methods: The Prophet algorithm was used to predict the monthly number of patients with schizophrenia in 2020 based on medical insurance data between 2010 and 2019. The projected expectations were compared with the actual number of patients receiving outpatient and inpatient treatment each month in the first half of 2020. We conduct interrupted time series analyses of short-term data to determine the significance of recent changes in the trend of hospital visits by patients with schizophrenia. Results: The prediction model showed that the actual number of patients receiving treatment each month during the early COVID-19 outbreak decreased by up to 3.6% compared to the projected expectations. The interrupted time series model also revealed a significant change in hospital utilization compared to the year before the onset of COVID-19 in Korea (F = 8.961, p = 0.010).Conclusion: This suggests that many patients with schizophrenia were not receiving adequate treatment during the COVID-19 outbreak. A strategy should be developed to keep treating patients with schizophrenia during the COVID-19 pandemic.