Acne vulgaris (AV) is the eighth most common disease in the world. This condition can impair the affected patients’ social and psychological functioning and lower their quality of life. In general, scar reduction, rather than complete scar removal, is the aim of AV treatment. Dermal abrasion, chemical peeling, laser resurfacing, subcision, punch methods, tissue-improving substances, and dermal fillers are the currently available therapeutic options. In this study, we focused on the rapidly developing field of dermal fillers used alone or in combination with other therapies to reconstruct skin affected by acne scars and to evaluate the improvement of facial appearance after using different types of dermal fillers.

Linear porokeratosis (LP) is an epidermal keratinization disorder manifesting in the form of annular plaques with an atrophic center and hyperkeratotic margins. Although rare, LP carries a significant risk of skin cancer. Histological examination usually reveals the cornoid lamella, a parakeratosis column visualized in the outer layer of the epidermis. First-line treatment of LP is retinoids. However, the effects of combination therapy of isotretinoin and topical statins on LP are not well-understood. Herein, we attempted treatment with both isotretinoin and 2% cholesterol/atorvastatin ointment, with considerable improvement observed using the former but not the latter. These findings suggest that 2% topical cholesterol/atorvastatin treatment may not carry any additional benefits, even if used alongside retinoids. Further studies are needed to assess the potential effects of statins on LP.

Background: Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is a common type of chronic progressive hair loss that affects both males and females. AGA was shown to be associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) in many studies; the correlation between the AGA grade and MS, however, is still debatable. Purpose: The objective of the study was to assess the severity of AGA in a sample of patients suffering from this condition and its association with MS. Methods: This case–control study included 319 patients attending a dermatology clinic at a tertiary care hospital. Anthropometrics, blood pressure, lipid profile, and fasting blood sugar were collected from patients' records. Patients with AGA were allocated to the case group and were stratified based on severity using the Ludwig hair loss scale for females and the Norwood scale for males. The control group was composed of patients free of any hair condition. Data were analyzed using version 25 of SPSS. Results: MS was seen in 26.4% and 10.2% in cases and controls, respectively (P < 0.05). In terms of severity, MS was found in 21.6% of Grade I, 30.5% of Grade II, and 42.9% of Grade III patients. Although the findings showed no statistical significance (P > 0.05), the burden of MS was associated with the severity of AGA. Conclusion: Our findings suggest an association between MS and AGA and that burden of MS is associated with the severity of AGA, although the analysis showed no statistical significance. Based on our results, we think that early screening for MS might be beneficial to patients with AGA, as this will encourage early lifestyle modification to hopefully prevent future complications.

Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide public health emergency. Nonprescription antibiotic use is a chief cause of antibiotic resistance. The Saudi Government, as a consequence, imposed in 2018 executive regulations to prevent the distribution of antibiotics without a prescription. Herein, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for nonprescription antibiotic use among individuals presenting to one hospital in Saudi Arabia after enacting these regulations. This cross-sectional study was conducted on people, aged ≥18 years, who presented to the primary healthcare clinics of King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh during the period between 1/1/2019 and 28/2/2019. Participants were asked to fill out a self-administrated questionnaire assessing their nonprescription antibiotic use during the past year in addition to sociodemographic information. Then, logistic regression analyses were performed to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for age, sex, education, and nationality of any nonprescription antibiotic use compared with no use within the past year. Out of 463 participants, 62.9% were females, 67.4% were <40 years, and 93.7% were Saudi citizens. Overall, 30.5% of participants reported nonprescription antibiotic use during the past year (19.7% one to two times and 10.8% more than two times). Male and non-Saudi participants were more likely to report any nonprescription antibiotic use, with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.99 (1.30, 3.04) and 3.81 (1.73, 8.35), respectively. The main reasons behind nonprescription antibiotic use were having previous experience with a health condition (69.2%), inaccessibility of healthcare (26.6%), and recommendation from a relative or a friend (16.1%). A major limitation of this study was that it included individuals attending one hospital. Individuals who seek medical consultation could be dissimilar to those who do not see doctors regarding nonprescription antibiotic use.

Citation: Almashali M, Alekrish K, Shadid A. The Use of 2D: 4D Digit Ratio as a Predictor of Androgenetic Alopecia: A Review. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2023;13(4):e2023237. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5826/dpc.1304a237 Accepted: April 13, 2023; Published: October 2023 Copyright: ©2023 Almashali et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (BY-NC-4.0), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/, which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited. Funding: None. Competing interests: None. Authorship: All authors have contributed significantly to this publication. Corresponding author: Khalid Alekrish, College of Medicine, King Saud University, PO Box 56810, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia. E-mail: khalidalekrish@gmail.com Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common hair loss condition that impacts both men and women. Age and genetic susceptibility are recognized as potential risk factors for developing AGA. The second to fourth digit ratio is a measurement of the length ratios between the index and ring fingers. This ratio has been utilized as a predictor for multiple hyperandrogenism-related medical conditions. More recently, the 2D:4D ratio was investigated as a predictor for AGA. This article will examine the evidence supporting this relationship, discuss its diagnostic implications, and identify potential areas for future research. Keywords : Digits, 2D:4D, androgenic alopecia, hair loss, review This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.