The Korean list of occupational skin diseases was amended in July 2013. The past list was constructed according to the causative agent and the target organ, and the items of that list had not been reviewed for a long period. The revised list was reconstructed to include diseases classified by the International Classification of Diseases (10th version). Therefore, the items of compensable occupational skin diseases in the amended list in Korea comprise contact dermatitis; chemical burns; Stevens-Johnson syndrome; tar-related skin diseases; infectious skin diseases; skin injury-induced cellulitis; and skin conditions resulting from physical factors such as heat, cold, sun exposure, and ionized radiation. This list will be more practical and convenient for physicians and workers because it follows a disease-based approach. The revised list is in accordance with the International Labor Organization list and is refined according to Korean worker's compensation and the actual occurrence of occupational skin diseases. However, this revised list does not perfectly reflect the actual status of skin diseases because of the few cases of occupational skin diseases, incomplete statistics of skin diseases, and insufficient scientific evidence. Thus, the list of occupational diseases should be modified periodically on the basis of recent evidence and statistics.
Burns, Chemical/pathology ; Dermatitis, Contact/pathology ; Humans ; Occupational Diseases/*economics ; Occupational Exposure ; Republic of Korea ; Skin/*pathology ; Skin Diseases/*economics/*pathology ; Skin Diseases, Infectious/pathology ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/pathology ; Vitiligo/pathology ; Workers' Compensation/*economics

Morphologic features of Malassezia(M.) furfur in the horny layer from clinical lesions of tinea versicolor were examined by scanning electron microscopy and compared with the appearance of fungus in the horny layer from normal skin and in culture. In skin lesions of tinea versicolor, M. furfur showed a variety of growth and reproduction patterns. Although the main patterns were budding yeast forms, various patterns suggesting yeast-mycelial conversion were observed and mycelial hyphae were more prominent in the deeper horny layer than in the superficial layers. However, in the skin of normal persons and in culture, M. furfur existed only as yeast forms and no mycelial hyphae or yeast-mycelial conversion forms were seen. This suggests that the morphologic change of M. furfur, from a yeast form to a mycelial hypha one, may play a role in the induction of the clinical lesion of tinea versicolor.
Biopsy ; Comparative Study ; Human ; Malassezia/isolation and purification/*ultrastructure ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Skin Diseases, Infectious/microbiology/pathology ; Tinea Versicolor/*microbiology

Morphologic features of Malassezia(M.) furfur in the horny layer from clinical lesions of tinea versicolor were examined by scanning electron microscopy and compared with the appearance of fungus in the horny layer from normal skin and in culture. In skin lesions of tinea versicolor, M. furfur showed a variety of growth and reproduction patterns. Although the main patterns were budding yeast forms, various patterns suggesting yeast-mycelial conversion were observed and mycelial hyphae were more prominent in the deeper horny layer than in the superficial layers. However, in the skin of normal persons and in culture, M. furfur existed only as yeast forms and no mycelial hyphae or yeast-mycelial conversion forms were seen. This suggests that the morphologic change of M. furfur, from a yeast form to a mycelial hypha one, may play a role in the induction of the clinical lesion of tinea versicolor.
Biopsy ; Comparative Study ; Human ; Malassezia/isolation and purification/*ultrastructure ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Skin Diseases, Infectious/microbiology/pathology ; Tinea Versicolor/*microbiology