Background: Monopolar radiofrequency (MRF) is widely used for non-invasive facial rejuvenation. Objective: In this study, we compared the clinical efficacy and patient-reported procedural pain of a novel MRF system with continuous water cooling (RF-CWC) versus conventional MRF with cryogen spray cooling (RF-CSC) in 22 Asian women. Methods: In this prospective, randomized, split-face, single-blind trial, 22 participants received a single session of both RF-CWC and RF-CSC. Clinical outcomes—including changes in pore size, elasticity, skin density, fine lines, and lifting—were assessed over 8 weeks using quantitative measurements and investigator-assessed global improvement scores. Procedural pain was also recorded. To support the clinical findings, an ex vivo model was used to evaluate collagen and elastin fiber density, collagen I and III concentrations, and dermal temperature profiles. Results: RF-CWC demonstrated clinical efficacy comparable to that of RF-CSC in terms of lifting, skin volume, and wrinkle reduction, while significantly reducing procedural pain. Ex vivo analysis confirmed enhanced collagen remodeling and efficient dermal heating with RF-CWC. Conclusion RF-CWC offers a clinically effective and better-tolerated alternative to traditional cryogen-cooled MRF for facial rejuvenation.

Background: With the increasing demand for surgical procedures in dermatology, resident education in surgical dermatology has become important for delivering high-quality treatment.However, it remains unclear if a sufficient number of residency programs with quality standards exist, as there has been little research on this subject in South Korea. Objective: To identify the status of surgical dermatology education among residents and assess dermatologists’ perceptions of the subject. Methods: A 35-question survey was developed and distributed to all resident training hospitals and local clinics listed by the Korean Society of Dermatologic Surgery. Only third- and fourthyear residents were included and board-certified specialists from training hospitals and local clinics responded to the surveys. Results: Survey participants included 88 residents and 120 specialists of whom one-quarter of the residents attended regular monthly educational sessions. Most residents (93%) participated in cosmetic procedures, and many performed laser therapy. However, the opportunity for toxin or filler injection was rare, with only 12% of the residents having experience with filler injections. In response, 49% of residents and 32% of specialists said that more cosmetic training was required, whereas 28% of residents and 50% of specialists said that more training for both cosmetic and conventional surgeries was necessary. Conclusion The survey demonstrated a need for more training programs in surgical dermatology during residency and a perception gap between residents and specialists. Therefore, developing educational residency programs that focus on basic dermatologic surgery principles and their applications in cosmetic procedures is essential.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of onychomycosis is increasing due to the recent increase of the elderly population and immunosuppressed individuals. Clinical studies on onychomycosis have been reported several times in Korea. However, the public awareness of onychomycosis has not received considerable attention, and there have been no Korean studies focused on it. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate public awareness and experience of onychomycosis in Korean. METHODS: A total of 621 participants were given questions developed for this survey. Sociodemographic characteristics, public awareness, general knowledge and experience about onychomycosis, and diagnostic and treatment behavior were surveyed. RESULTS: According to this survey, 99.5% of respondents have heard of onychomycosis, 79.4% of respondents experienced onychomycosis suspicious symptoms, and 52.8% of them responded that onychomycosis can be completely cured only by cleansing the hands and feet. The rate of self-diagnosis was 64.1% among the respondents who experienced symptoms. Only 23.9% of the respondents who were diagnosed with onychomycosis visited the hospital for the first time. Of the respondents, 54.6% who were treated at the hospital discontinued their treatments before complete cure mainly because of long treatment period. CONCLUSION Participants were well aware of onychomycosis, but the rate of self-diagnosis was high. They generally agreed to the importance of hospital treatment, but the number of patients visiting hospital was low. Moreover, people frequently discontinue their hospital treatment despite insufficient treatment duration. Patient's behaviors need to be changed, and the roles of dermatologists are important in the diagnosis, treatment, and education of the patients.

Estrogens are commonly used in gynecologic area, such as oral contraception, hormone replacement therapy, and in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer. Although estrogen is a common cause of acute drug-induced pancreatitis, there has been paucity of report in Korea. Clinical course of estrogen-induced acute pancreatitis is usually mild to moderate, but fetal case can occur. In addition, there can be a latency from the first administration to the symptom. Therefore, physicians should consider the possibility of the disease when a woman taking estrogen or previous history of taking estrogen presents with acute abdominal pain. Here, we report a case of estrogen-induced acute pancreatitis that occurred during the preparation for embryo transfer.
Abdominal Pain ; Contraception ; Embryo Transfer ; Estrogens ; Female ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Korea ; Pancreatitis*

OBJECTIVES: Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) is the most widely used and studied instrument for measuring dissociative symptoms with its favorable psychometric properties well described in the literature. However, recent debate on factor structure and multidimensionality has brought attention to factorial validity of the scale. This study tested the factor structure of a Korean translation of the scale (KDES-II) with confirmatory factor analysis in a clinical population. METHODS: Exploratory principal component analysis were conducted with data from 340 psychiatric patients and confirmatory factor analysis (maximum likelihood estimation) with 262 psychiatric outpatients. RESULTS: Exploratory analysis revealed four factor structure of the scale with total variance of 55.9% : Depersonalization/derealization (Factor 1), Amnestic dissociation (Factor 2), Absorption (Factor 3), and Pseudopsychotic symptoms (Factor 4). However, original three- and one- factor model were also acceptable considering the goodness-of-fit indices. CONCLUSION: Despite heterogeneity of the sample, KDES-II showed factorial validity and supported a cross cultural stability of DES. We suggest use of original three factor solution for Korean clinical population.
Absorption ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Population Characteristics ; Principal Component Analysis ; Psychometrics