Background:Vitiligo is one of the autoimmune skin diseases that destroy the melanocytes of the skin. Moreover, its prevalence varies in different countries and regions.Objectives:The aim of this study was to compare the effect of Nigella sativa and fish oil on vitiligo lesions of the patients referred to a dermatology clinic.Materials and Methods:This randomized, double blind clinical trial was conducted in the dermatology clinic of the Imam Khomeini Hospital Ahvaz, Iran, from June to December 2011. We used a randomized simple sampling. From 96 patients with vitiligo, 52 eligible patients were selected and allocated to two groups with equal size. The study medications were applied twice a day by patients on their lesions. After six months, the improvement rate of lesions was assessed by the Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI). Data were analyzed using SPSS v. 15; P value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results:After six months, a mean score of VASI decreased from 4.98 to 3.75 in patients applying topical Nigella sativa and from 4.98 to 4.62 in those using topical fish oil. Most of the percent improvement observed in upper extremities, trunk, head, and neck of those who received Nigella sativa and head, neck, trunk, and feet of those who received fish oil. No adverse effect was reported by the patients.Conclusions:Nigella sativa oil and fish oil were effective in reduction the size of patient’s lesions; however, Nigella sativa was more effective in comparison to the fish oil. Therefore, using Nigella sativa with the major drugs in the treatment of vitiligo is recommended.

BackgroundPsoriasis is a common, chronic skin disease that causes challenges such as stigma and labeling from both the community and individuals due to its effects on appearance.ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to describe and explain the social stigma and rejection experienced by patients with psoriasis.Patients and MethodsThe present research is a qualitative study with a hermeneutic phenomenological approach conducted among psoriasis patients referring to the dermatology clinic and ward of Imam Khomeini hospital in Ahvaz, Iran between June and December 2014. In this study, 15 patients with psoriasis were selected by purposeful sampling, and they were asked to express their experience of stigma and rejection. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, and Diekelmann and colleagues’ method was used for data analysis.ResultsAfter analysis of interviews, four themes were extracted: lack of social support, unrealistic and inappropriate labeling, rejection and isolation, and feeling of absurdity and futility. These can be indicative of the patients’ experience from social stigma and rejection phenomena.ConclusionsPatients’ experiences of stigma and rejection phenomena indicated that all aspects of their lives are affected. Moreover, these findings highlight the significance of stigma and rejection concepts in providing better care to these patients.

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Background: Psoriasis is a chronic mental and physical disease that leads to many challenges for people along their lives so that its compatibility and acceptance by the patient is hardly possible. Objectives: The objective of the present study was to describe and explain the experienced coping strategies by patients with Psoriasis. Methods:The present study was a qualitative phenomenological interpretation, which was conducted on people with psoriasis, who had referred to Imam Khomeini hospital of Ahvaz during June and March 2014. In this study, 15 people with psoriasis were selected based on purposive sampling and they were asked to express their life experiences regarding coping strategies. Data were collected through a deep and unstructured interview, and the method of Diekelmann et al. (1989) was used for data analysis. Results: After analysis of the texts of interviews, the main theme, which was attempt to cope with disease and four sub-themes namely "disease, the reason for spiritual promotion", "intellectual insight", "supporting behavior" and "concealing disease" were extracted, which indicated the patients' experiences when coping with psoriasis. Conclusions:The results of the present study showed that people with psoriasis experienced many challenges in order to cope with this disease, and accurate identification of these challenges and real understanding of their experiences by health professionals, and reflecting positive experiences such as spiritual promotion via their disease to other patients are recommended.