Cutaneous zygomycosis is a fungal infection caused by zygomycetes that affects the skin. It occurs in uncontrolled diabetic patients and immunosuppressed individuals. It has 2 clinical forms: primary cutaneous zygomycosis and secondary cutaneous zygomycosis. The first is characterized by necrotic lesions and the fungus is usually inoculated by trauma. If diagnosed early, it generally has a good prognosis. Secondary zygomycosis is usually a complication and extension of the rhinocerebral variety that starts as a palpebral fistula and progresses to a necrotic lesion with a poor prognosis. The diagnosis is made by identification of the fungus by direct KOH examination, culture, and biopsy. Treatment for the primary disease is surgical debridement plus amphotericin B. The secondary type is treated with amphotericin B and/or posaconazole.

Background  Melasma is a common disorder of pigmentation characterized by relatively symmetric, brown or gray–brown patches on sun‐exposed facial areas. Hydroquinone, the most effective agent in melasma, is known to irritate the skin, and so new alternatives in the treatment of melasma are required. We sought to assess the clinical response of a new depigmenting agent in melasma. Methods  Ninety‐six Mexican female patients with melasma were enrolled in this open, comparative, 12‐week study. The patients received 1% dioic acid cream (twice daily) or 2% hydroquinone cream (twice daily). Results  There was a significant difference in the Melasma Area Severity Index (MASI) scores from baseline to the end of the study using treatment with dioic acid (baseline, 14.52 3.4; after 12 weeks of treatment, 6.05 ± 1.2; P = 0.001) and hydroquinone (baseline, 15.22 ± 2.4; after 12 weeks of treatment, 6.34 ± 1.3; P = 0.001); however, there were no significant differences between treatments (baseline, P = 0.311; after 12 weeks of treatment, P = 0.287). The side‐effects were similar with both medications; however, pruritus was more common in patients using hydroquinone. Conclusions  Dioic acid is an effective and highly tolerated skin product, although further controlled, blind, multicenter studies are required to support these results.

Both products are effective as adjuvant in the treatment of bullous pemphigoid, with an acceptable safety profile.

A 30-year-old woman presented with a 1-year history of a pruritic eruption on the extremities, characterized by several annular plaques. The patient had been treated unsuccessfully with medium-potency topical steroids. The lesions had an erythematous papular border with an atrophic center (width, 1-4 cm) (Fig. 1). No oral, genital, or nail lesions were observed. A skin biopsy from one of the plaques was performed. Histopathologic examination of the raised border showed hyperkeratosis of the stratum corneum, focal thickening of the granular layer, basal liquefaction degeneration of the epidermis, and a band-like subepidermal infiltration with numerous Civatte bodies. In the center of the lesion, the epidermis became thinner (Fig. 2). Elastic fibers were reduced or absent in the papillary dermis. The patient was treated with high-potency topical steroids for 2 months with clinical improvement.

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