Management of Pain Associated with Selected Conditions in Dermatology

Abstract

Dermatologists face a wide range of pain control challenges in daily practice, from the transient pain of dermatologic surgery to the persistent pain that plagues some chronic dermatologic conditions. Although the pathophysiology of pain is well described and the profound impact of dermatological pain on patients' quality of life is well appreciated, there is an identified need for clear therapeutic plans for providing symptomatic pain relief of common painful dermatoses. In this paper, we will review and clearly outline approaches to pain management of a number of common painful dermatoses such as herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia, ulcers, oral dermatoses, dysesthesias, and many others.

Dermatological Conditions Inducing Acute and Chronic Pain

“…There are different syndromes depending on the location and the nerve involved: e.g. scalp dysesthesia, vulvodynia, brachio-radial pruritus, paraesthetic notalgia, and paraesthetic meralgia ( 2 , 45 , 46 ).…”

“…Pain is defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage ( 1 )”. In daily practice, the dermatologist encounters a wide variety of types of pain, ranging from acute surgical pain to chronic pain, inherent to many dermatoses, or acute pain from other skin pathologies, such as wounds ( 2 ). Pain can be chronic or acute.…”