Anthrax continues to be an endemic disease in Turkey, and should be considered in patients with a relevant contact history having a painless ulcer and vesicular skin lesions surrounded by a zone of oedema. Gram staining and simple culture methods are useful aids to diagnosis, but diagnosis may have to be based on clinical grounds in the majority of patients.

Introduction: Over the past decade, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has become increasingly popular around the world. Objectives: In this study, we aim to investigate how frequently CAM is used and the types of CAM methods used for dermatological disease in Eastern Turkey. Materials and methods: We recruited 1610 patients from our clinic for this study. The sociodemographic features and the CAM methods were investigated with a survey. Results: The most common dermatological disorders included contact dermatitis (21.4%), acne vulgaris (17.5%), fungal infections (10.9%), eczema (6.3%), and warts (5.7%). The ratio of patients using at least one CAM method was 43.7% and that of those using two or more CAM methods was 20.8%. The most commonly used CAM methods were those using henna, cologne, moisturizing cream, prayer, and herbal therapy. Some patients were found to use some interesting and unusual CAM methods, such as putting out a cigarette over the skin on the back for anthrax, applying raw meat for furuncle, using fuel oil and nitric acid for contact dermatitis. Conclusions: CAM methods are commonly used in our population. CAM methods often cause adverse reactions that may alter diagnostic skin findings and interfere with the efficacy of other medical therapies. Therefore, physicians should ask their patients about the use of CAM methods while collecting patient history. Physicians have a critical role in preventing improper use of CAM. In addition, further investigations into the efficacy, benefits, and risks of CAM methods should be carried out for better insight into those CAM methods.

Varicella zoster virus causes varicella which is a common disease. Generally it is self-limiting, and treatment is often unnecessary, but severe or life-threatening complications are rarely seen. We report a case of fulminant varicella complicating with purpura fulminans, hepatitis, and probable rhabdomyolysis in a previously healthy child.

Fixed drug eruption (FDE) usually develops after oral administration and is described as a cutaneous reaction recurring at the same location each time the drug is taken. Olopatadine is both a H1 histamine receptor antagonist and a mast cell stabilizer, indicated for the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis. Here, we report a 14-year-old male patient who developed FDE localised on the lateral side of periorbital rim bilaterally, whilst applying olopatadine 0.1% ophthalmic solution for the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis. As far as we know, FDE due to olopatadine has not been previously reported in the literature. We deem it appropriate to report this case because FDE that results from the application of topical drugs is a rare event in the literature.

Chenopodium album L. ssp. album is a common plant species worldwide, especially in humid areas. Sun exposure after oral intake of the plant can lead to sunburn-like rashes owing to its furocoumarin content. In this article, we reported nine patients who developed dermatitis with edema, erythema and necrosis on the face and dorsum of the hands. Each was exposed to sunlight after eating selemez (the vernacular name of C. album L. ssp. album). The plant samples analyzed by an expert botanist were described as C. album L. ssp. album belonging to Chenopodiacea family.