Both methods were safe and effective with minimal side effects. There was no significant difference between both methods of treatments. This was confirmed histopathologically by fibronectin expression which is found to be low in striae and increased significantly after treatment. But fibronectin expression was higher in group (B) than (A).

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Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) results from shortening of the anagen phase of the hair cycle and, subsequently, miniaturization of hair follicles. Alopecia areata (AA) is a disease of autoimmunity where T cells attack anagen hair follicles and shows multifactorial etiology. Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) is a gene that is responsible for transformation of anagen to catagen, which suggests that it is involved in development of both diseases. Objectives: To evaluate the tissue levels of dickkopf-1 in male patients with AGA and AA in comparison with controls, in an attempt to know its role in the pathogenesis of both disorders. Methods: DKK-1 immunohistochemical expression was evaluated in lesional scalp biopsies taken from 20 male patients with AGA evaluated clinically by the modified Norwood–Hamilton score, 20 male patients with AA evaluated clinically by SALT score, and 20 healthy controls within the same age and sex of the studied patients. Results: A highly significant difference in DKK-1 expression between patients with AGA and healthy controls was found (P 2 < 0.001). There were also significant differences in DKK-1 expression between patients with AA and healthy controls (P 3 = 0.013), and between both patient groups (P 1 = 0.002). Conclusions: Both AGA and AA showed significant increase in DKK-1 immunohistochemical expression. This may enhance the idea of its possible role in the pathogenesis of AGA and AA, and being a new target for treatment of these hair disorders.

Background Postacne scarring is an unfortunate and frequent complication of acne, with varied morphological forms and associated significant psychological distress to patients.Aim of the work To evaluate the efficacy and safety of plasma gel injection alone and in combination with microneedling in treatment of atrophic postacne scars. Patients and methods Sixty patients with atrophic postacne scars were enrolled in this single blinded randomized controlled study. The patients were divided into three groups with 20 patients being treated with intradermal injection of plasma gel, 20 patients treated with dermaroller, and 20 patients subjected to combined plasma gel and dermaroller.Patients received four sessions at monthly intervals and were evaluated by clinical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical analysis. ResultsThere was statistically significant improvement in postacne scars after treatment in all studied groups with variable degrees; the combined technique showed the best clinical improvement in postacne scars. There was an increase in newly formed collagen and elastic fibers with more organized and condensed bundles after the end of treatment.Conclusion Plasma gel showed a remarkable improvement for most patients after one session, providing a quick and easy solution for acne scars. The combination of dermaroller and plasma gel potentiated its effect with more improvement in scars.The excluded subjects had active acne lesions, immunosuppression, bleeding or coagulation disorders, active infection at the site of injection, chronic disease (renal failure, hepatic insufficiency, cardiovascular disorders, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, and thyroid disorders), keloid formation, unrealistic expectations, pregnancy, and lactation.The patients were simply randomized to each of the study groups using a computer-generated list. Allocation concealment was ensured by enclosing assignments in sequentially