Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory skin disorder. Although several epidemiological studies have been conducted in Western countries, such data regarding Asian populations are scarce. In this study, we sought to investigate the demographic and clinical features of HS in Korea. A total of 438 patients, diagnosed with HS from May 2007 to April 2017, were enrolled and the electronic medical record of each patient was reviewed. Male patients were predominant with a male : female ratio of 2.5:1. Mean age of disease onset was 23.9 years and most patients had no family history. The most frequently affected area was the buttocks, followed by axillae and groin. Acne and diabetes mellitus were the most prevalent associated diseases and no patients with inflammatory bowel diseases were observed. In the univariable analysis, male patients had severe diseases compared with females with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.790. Two or more affected body regions were associated with HS severity with an OR of 1.693. While involvement of the perineum (OR, 4.067) and buttocks (OR, 1.471) tended to be associated with increased severity of the disease, the inguinal area (OR, 0.620) showed a tendency to be inversely associated with the severity. In multivariable analysis, identified risk factors were the involvement of the perineum (OR, 3.819) and buttocks (OR, 2.288). Smoking status and high body mass index seemed to be associated with more severe diseases. Our results will provide clinical characteristics of HS patients in Asia and help to broaden understanding of HS.

PLS may show histopathological findings similar to MF and take a prolonged course even after the cessation of causative agents. Thus, a clear understanding and diagnosis of this disease is considered to have an important effect on treatment and prognosis.

Fractional radiofrequency microneedling is a novel radiofrequency technique that uses insulated microneedles to deliver energy to the deep dermis at the point of penetration without destruction of the epidermis. It has been used for the treatment of various dermatological conditions including wrinkles, atrophic scars and hypertrophic scars. There have been few studies evaluating the efficacy of fractional radiofrequency microneedling in the treatment of acne, and none measuring objective parameters like the number of inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne lesions or sebum excretion levels. The safety and efficacy of fractional radiofrequency microneedling in the treatment of acne vulgaris was investigated. In a prospective clinical trial, 25 patients with moderate to severe acne were treated with fractional radiofrequency microneedling. The procedure was carried out three times at 1-month intervals. Acne lesion count, subjective satisfaction score, sebum excretion level and adverse effects were assessed at baseline and at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after the first treatment as well as 4, 8 and 12 weeks after the last treatment. Number of acne lesions (inflammatory and non-inflammatory) decreased. Sebum excretion and subjective satisfaction were more favorable at every time point compared with the baseline values (P < 0.05). Inflammatory lesions responded better than non-inflammatory lesions (P < 0.05). Adverse effects such as pinpoint bleeding, pain and erythema were noted, but were transient and not severe enough to stop treatment. Fractional radiofrequency microneedling is a safe and effective treatment for acne vulgaris.

BackgroundPsoriasis is an immune-mediated, chronic inflammatory disease affecting multiple aspects of patients' lives. Its epidemiology varies regionally; however, nationwide epidemiologic data on psoriasis depicting profile of Korean patients has not been available to date.ObjectiveTo understand nationwide epidemiologic characteristics and clinical features of adult patients with psoriasis visited university hospitals in Korea.MethodsThis multicenter, non-interventional, cross-sectional study recruited 1,278 adult patients with psoriasis across 25 centers in Korea in 2013. Various clinical data including PASI, BSA, DLQI, SF-36 and PASE were collected.ResultsA total of 1,260 patients completed the study (male:female=1.47:1). The mean age was 47.0 years with a distribution mostly in the 50s (24.9%). Early onset (<40 years) of psoriasis accounted for 53.9% of patients. The mean disease duration was 109.2 months; mean body mass index was 23.9 kg/m2; and 12.7% of patients had a family history of psoriasis. Plaque and guttate types of psoriasis accounted for 85.8% and 8.4%, respectively. Patients with PASI ≥10 accounted for 24.9%; patients with body surface area ≥10 were 45.9%. Patients with DLQI ≥6 accounted for 78.8%. Between PASI <10 and PASI ≥10 groups, significant difference was noted in age at diagnosis, disease duration, blood pressure, waist circumference of female, and treatment experiences with phototherapy, systemic agents, and biologics.ConclusionThis was the first nationwide epidemiologic study of patients with psoriasis in Korea and provides an overview of the epidemiologic characteristics and clinical profiles of this patient population.

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