Background: Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease. Its pathogenesis is multifactorial, and therapy can now be directed at many of these factors. Among these factors are androgen hormones which play an important role in the pathogenesis of acne. Accordingly, many antiandrogens have been developed to treat acne by systemic and topical ways. Five-Alpha Avocuta 2% cream is a new topical 5-Alpha re...

Retinoic acid and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) affect differentiation, proliferation and carcinogenesis of epithelial cells. The effect of both compounds on the proliferation of cells of the hormone sensitive human breast cancer cell line (ER+) MCF-7 was assessed in the presence of estradiol and tamoxifen. The assay was based on [3H]thymidine incorporation and the proliferative ac...

A wide range of cosmeceutical products are available on the market currently, but evidence to support their use is often lacking in the literature. Specifically, there is a substantial amount of evidence supporting the efficacy of tretinoin in photoaging, but the evidence supporting retinoid-based cosmeceuticals remains sparse. The authors review the current data in the literature related to vi...

Chronic sun exposure leads to photodamage, which is characterized clinically by fine and coarse wrinkles, dyspigmentation, telangiectasia, laxity, roughness and a sallow appearance. Many treatments claim to reduce the signs of photodamage, however evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCT) to support these claims is limited. The use of topical retinoids, particularly tretinoin, isotretino...

Previously published Photo Quizzes are now featured in a mobile app. Get more information at http:// www.aafp.org/afp/apps. A 33-year-old man presented with asymptomatic blue-gray lesions on both feet. The lesions started developing six months earlier, getting darker and larger over time. He was using naproxen, tretinoin cream (Retin-A), and oral minocycline (Minocin). Physical examination reve...

Dual differentiation therapy with arsenic trioxide and tretinoin (all-trans-retinoic acid; ATRA) for the management of low and intermediate risk acute promyelocytic leukemia has recently been recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Some less common toxicities of the combination may have yet to be fully realized. Of ten patients we have treated thus far, five (50%) have develop...

Retinoids are of particular interest in experimental and clinical oncology. They exert their antitumor activity through inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of cell differentiation, suppression of oncogene expression and inhibition of angiogenesis. In animal experiments, retinoids have preventive and therapeutic effects on premalignant and malignant lesions. Clinically, chemoprevention w...

Milia are benign, superficial keratinaceous cysts that present as fine, small white papules. Milia en plaque is a rare, challenging-to-treat variant most often seen in the posterior auricular region. A total of 9 cases of milia en plaque have been reported in the pediatric literature to date. We report a case of milia en plaque of the nose in a 7-year-old boy, a novel site of involvement in the...