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<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Acne scars are a cause of major psychological morbidity in the young population. Microneedling using dermarollers which uses the principle of percutaneous collagen induction and Chemical reconstruction of skin scars (CROSS) using Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) are both widely used methods for the treatment of acne scars and are cheaper alternatives to LASER resurfacing. The aim of our study is to objectively compare the efficacy of microneedling using dermaroller with CROSS using 100% TCA in the management of acne scars.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> 30 patients with acne scars were divided into 2 groups A and B with 15 patients each. Group ‘A’ underwent microneedling using 1.5 mm dermaroller and Group ‘B’ underwent CROSS technique with 100% TCA. A total of 4 sessions at monthly intervals were performed on both groups. The percentage improvement in the acne scar grade between the two groups was compared using the student ‘t’ test.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Among the 30 patients, 13 (86%) patients in Group A (Microneedling) and 11 (78%) patients in group B (CROSS) noted significant reduction in their acne scar grade. The difference between the 2 groups was statistically insignificant. 3 patients had significant post inflammatory hyperpigmentation in group ‘B’.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The techniques of microneedling and CROSS are both effective in acne scars But microneedling scores in other aspects such as faster wound healing, better skin rejuvenation and safety in dark skinned individuals.</p>

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is always a challenge to the treating dermatologists. Pulse therapy is the use of supra pharmacological doses of drugs to achieve a desired therapeutic effect. The success of dexamethasone cyclophosphamide pulse therapy (DCP) in autoimmune bullous diseases has prompted dermatologists to use DCP in SLE but very few studies are available which objectively measure the outcome of DCP therapy in SLE. The aim of our study is to study the efficacy of dexamethasone cyclophosphamide pulse in patients with SLE and to use objective scoring systems to assess efficacy.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> 20 SLE patients who satisfied the inclusion criteria were administered intravenous dexamethasone 100 mg over three days with cyclophosphamide 500 mg on day1, followed by oral cyclophosphamide 50 mg daily. In patients whom cyclophosphamide cannot be used oral azathioprine was given. Response to treatment was assessed using CLASI (cutaneous lupus area severity index), clinical evaluation of dermatological and systemic symptoms and laboratory parameters such as ANA, Anti dsDNA, ESR etc.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> All the patients showed clinical improvement with statistically significant fall in CLASI scores and anti dsDNA values. The mean duration of pulses required to achieve remission was 9 pulses. No major adverse effects were observed in any of the patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Dexamethasone cyclophosphamide pulse therapy is an effective and safe option in the management of patients with SLE.</p>

Vitiligo is a common pigmentary disorder of the skin with a great amount of social stigma attached to it. Though various medical modalities are available for the treatment of stable vitiligo, surgical modality remains the treatment of choice for stable and localized vitiligo. The surgical options range from simple punch grafting to the recent epidermal harvesting methods using a negative pressure unit. Although successful use of multiple methods of epidermal grafting has been reported, most of them are cumbersome and time-consuming. The new automated epidermal harvesting system now commercially available involves a tool that applies both heat and suction concurrently to normal skin to induce epidermal micrografts. Hence it serves as a safe, quick and cost-effective method without anesthesia, with a very minimal downtime for healing and requires an optimal expertise. The duration of repigmentation seems to be faster and more uniform compared to other procedures. We would like to share our experience with the negative pressure epidermal harvesting method in a patient with stable vitiligo.