INTRODUCTIONPathophysiology of AK: Progression from Normal Skin to Keratinocyte Cancers Actinic keratoses (AKs) are intraepidermal cutaneous areas of atypical squamous transformation that develop as a result of excessive exposure to…

INTRODUCTIONCurrent therapies for acne include topical treatments, systemic antibiotics, hormonal agents, isotretinoin, complementary therapies, and other miscellaneous treatments.1 Excluding benzoyl peroxide preparations, regimens containing salicylic acid (SA) as the active…

INTRODUCTIONRosacea is a common, chronic dermatologic condition that most commonly affects sun-sensitive, pale-skinned individuals of Northern or Eastern European descent and those of Celtic heritage.1-3There is no clearly identified cause…

INTRODUCTIONAcne is a very common disease that remains prevalent in adults, with more adult women being afflicted than adult men.1 This raises the intriguing possibility that gender differences in skin…

BACKGROUNDAcne vulgaris affects about 45 million people in the United States, and 85% of those aged 12 to 24 years.1-3 Acne vulgaris causes significant physical and psychological morbidity.1-3 Topical antibiotics,…

INTRODUCTIONAcne vulgaris is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous unit that affects approximately 50 million individuals each year in the United States. The pathophysiology of acne is associated with…

INTRODUCTION Propionibacterium acnes is the most common anaerobic, grampositive organism recovered from normal skin, particularly in areas rich in sebaceous glands.1 It preferentially resides within sebaceous follicles as a symbiotic…

INTRODUCTION There has been increasing interest in studying gender differences in skin disease to learn more about pathogenesis and to discover more effective treatments.1 The mechanisms underlying any gender differences…

INTRODUCTIONAged skin is characterized by the appearance of wrinkles, pigmentation irregularities, and loss of firmness due to diminished functionality of skin cells from both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, of which…

INTRODUCTIONPlaque psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin affecting approximately 2% of the US population.1 The physical signs of plaque psoriasis (erythema, scaling, dryness, pigmentary changes, and plaque…

INTRODUCTIONThe aerobic, gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important cause of both communityacquired and hospital-acquired infections.1-3 Community-acquired infections include, but are not limited to, ulcerative keratitis (usually associated with contact…

INTRODUCTIONThe amount and type of melanin pigments, which are polymers produced inside the melanosomes, determine skin color.1,2 While there is tremendous diversity worldwide in the color of human skin, uniform…