Treatment of facial acne scars with a diffractive lens array and 755-nm picosecond laser produced improvement in appearance and texture at 3 months after the last treatment, with objective findings similar to those published for a series of fractional ablative laser treatments. Histologic findings suggest that improvement in scarring from this treatment goes beyond remodeling of collagen.

Cutaneous angiosarcoma (cAS) is a rare malignant neoplasm with variable clinical presentation. Although a distinct vascular tumour, cAS shares many overlapping histopathological features with other vasoformative and epithelioid tumours or 'mimickers'. cAS shows aggressive behaviour and carries a grave prognosis, thus early diagnosis is of paramount importance to achieve the best possible outcomes. Recently, several genetic studies were conducted leading to the identification of novel molecular targets in the treatment of cAS. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of cAS with discussion of its clinical, histopathological and molecular aspects, the differential diagnosis, as well as current therapies including ongoing clinical trials.

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) of the skin is rare, and no management guideline currently exists. Although LMS is historically classified as either dermal (cutaneous) or subcutaneous, definition for its classfication is inconsistent in the literature. Studies on the managenent of LMS are scarce, and there is no consensus on the appropriate surgical margin for the treatment of LMS. While a 1 cm margin may be sufficient in cutaneous LMS, wider margins may be required for subcutaneous tumors. Mohs micrographic surgery is a promising surgical modality for the treatment of cutaneous LMS. In this review, current knowledge on LMS is summarized and a practical approach to the management of this rare neoplasm is proposed.

Elastic fibers are important components of the skin and are responsible for skin elasticity. Genetic defects are well-known in numerous hereditary elastic tissue disorders and skin biopsies are often the first step in the evaluation of those disorders. Verhoeff-Van Gieson elastic staining is a simple method that is used for visualizing elastic fibers. With the development of modern immunohistochemical methods, the value of routine histochemical staining is sometimes underestimated. Histochemical stains are less expensive, easy to perform and help to resolve numerous diagnostic quandaries in dermatopathology. This article focuses on the value of elastic tissue staining in dermatopathology, with a focus on primary elastic tissue disorders, alopecia, inflammatory skin disorders and neoplastic proliferations. Connective tissue comprises of three types of fibers: collagen fibers, reticular fibers and elastic fibers. These fibers are made of proteins and composed of long peptide chains. While the main function of collagen and reticular fibers is to provide tensile strength and support respectively, the elastic fibers are mainly there for providing stretchability and flexibility. Elastic fibers can stretch up to 1.5 times their length, and snap back to their original length when relaxed. The long and branching arrangement of fibers enables them to stretch and recoil thus providing flexibility to tissues. Elastic fibers are composed of two structural components: elastin and microfibrils, and include elastin, elaunin and oxytalan.

Annular lichenoid dermatitis (ALDY) is a rare dermatosis that is most often seen in children and young adults and is characterized by annular patches with raised borders, most frequently on the trunk and the groin. A distinct lichenoid tissue reaction involving the base of the rete, resulting in squared-off rete ridges, helps to differentiate this from other lichenoid dermatoses and mycosis fungoides (MF). Herein, we report an additional case of this condition in a 7-year-boy, whose biopsy exhibited the typical quadrangular rete alteration and also contained distinct aggregates of CD8+ lymphocytes, Langerhans cells and colloid bodies within the involved rete. A literature review with emphasis on the clinical and histopathological differential diagnosis reveals additional clinical features of ALDY to potentially help differentiate this entity from annular presentations of mycosis fungoides.