Alopecia areata (AA) is an organ-specific autoimmune disorder that targets anagen phase hair follicles. The course is unpredictable and current available treatments have variable efficacy. Nowadays, there is relatively little evidence on treatment of AA from well-designed clinical trials. Moreover, none of the treatments or devices commonly used to treat AA are specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The italian Study Group for Cutaneous annexial disease of the italian Society of dermatology proposes these italian guidelines for diagnosis and

Background Few and small studies have described the management of immunomodulant/immunosuppressive therapies or phototherapy in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Methods A national registry, named DA‐COVID‐19 and involving 35 Italian dermatology units, was established in order to evaluate the impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on the management of adult AD patients treated with systemic immunomodulant/immunosuppressive medications or phototherapy. Demographic and clinical data were obtained at different timepoints by teledermatology during COVID‐19 pandemic, when regular visits were not allowed due to sanitary restrictions. Disease severity was assessed by both physician‐ and patient‐reported assessment scores evaluating itch intensity, sleep disturbances, and AD severity. Results A total of 1831 patients were included, with 1580/1831 (86.3%) continuing therapy during pandemic. Most patients were treated with dupilumab (86.1%, 1576/1831) that was interrupted in only 9.9% (156/1576) of cases, while systemic immunosuppressive compounds were more frequently withdrawn. Treatment interruption was due to decision of the patient, general practitioner, or dermatologist in 39.9% (114/286), 5.6% (16/286), and 30.1% (86/286) of cases, respectively. Fear of increased susceptibility to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection (24.8%, 71/286) was one of the main causes of interruption. Sixteen patients (0.9%) resulted positive to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection; 3 of them (0.2%) were hospitalized but no cases of COVID‐related death occurred. Conclusions Most AD patients continued systemic treatments during COVID pandemic and lockdown period, without high impact on disease control, particularly dupilumab‐treated patients.

Background: Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) is one of the most dramatic side effects of chemotherapy. Currently no guidelines are available for its prevention and treatment. Several devices and drugs are used, but results are often disappointing. Aims: Our aim is to analyze drugs and devices proposed in the literature for prevention and treatment of CIA induced by cytotoxic drugs and to discuss the evidenced-based opinion. Methods and Results: Scalp cooling is the only agent that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for CIA prevention. Minoxidil and bimatoprost should not be used during chemotherapy administration, but they can be used after chemotherapy discontinuation to obtain greater regrowth. Conclusions: Therapy should always be modulated for the patient and no fixed protocol should be used. Trichoscopy and trichogram could be useful tools in supporting this treatment.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), one of the most common causes of hair loss in men and women, is an infrequent cause of alopecia in children. In AGA, patients generally start noticing hair thinning after the onset of puberty due to progressive miniaturisation of the hair follicle which leads to vellus transformation of terminal hair. However, the occurrence of prepubertal AGA has rarely been reported in the literature. The pathophysiology of AGA is tightly linked to androgen hormones; prepubertal children do not usually produce significant amounts of adrenal or gonadal androgens. When it does occur, an underlying abnormality should be suspected. Secondary causes of AGA must be excluded when evaluating a patient before the appearance of puberty. Premature puberty, polycystic ovarian syndrome and other causes of hyperandrogenism can present with hair loss in an androgenetic pattern. This article reviews the normal physiology of androgen hormones and their role in the pathophysiology of childhood AGA.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, recurrent, inflammatory skin disease characterized by pruritus, xerosis, and skin barrier dysfunction. It is most commonly observed in pediatric populations, although it can persist or develop in adults. Its pathogenesis is both multifactorial and environmental where genetic and immunologic factors can play a crucial role. Atopic dermatitis has a significant social and psychological impact on the people affected, with a reduction in the quality of life. In atopic dermatitis, the alteration of skin barrier is associated with reduced ceramide levels, with a consequential increase in trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and reduction in skin hydration. 1