Background: The number of general cosmetic practitioners impersonating dermatologists in Korea has increased, leading to serious harm that is significant enough to attract the attention of health authorities, which dermatologists are deeply concerned about. Objective: We conducted a survey targeting dermatologists to gather their opinions on the behavior, problems, and countermeasures of general cosmetic practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Methods: A total of 280 dermatologists completed the survey between January and February 2024. The questions covered demographic characteristics, experiences of cosmetic general practitioners falsely introduced themselves as dermatologists, complications experienced by patients who received treatment after being mistaken for a dermatologist, the seriousness of the problem for cosmetic general practitioners impersonating dermatologists, and the relationship between the shortage of essential medical personnel and the phenomenon of cosmetic general practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Results: Despite cases in which cosmetic general practitioners impersonate dermatologists, most dermatologists have not responded appropriately in many instances. Dermatologists have reported many cases of complications after receiving dermatological treatment from such cosmetic general practitioners. Most dermatologists are concerned about the serious problems of general cosmetic practitioners, disguising themselves as dermatologists and anticipating many adverse effects. Conclusion We believe that we need to pool our wisdom to solve these problems and expect that this study will provide valuable basic data for solving these problems in the dermatology and medical environments of Korea.

Background: The number of general cosmetic practitioners impersonating dermatologists in Korea has increased, leading to serious harm that is significant enough to attract the attention of health authorities, which dermatologists are deeply concerned about. Objective: We conducted a survey targeting dermatologists to gather their opinions on the behavior, problems, and countermeasures of general cosmetic practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Methods: A total of 280 dermatologists completed the survey between January and February 2024. The questions covered demographic characteristics, experiences of cosmetic general practitioners falsely introduced themselves as dermatologists, complications experienced by patients who received treatment after being mistaken for a dermatologist, the seriousness of the problem for cosmetic general practitioners impersonating dermatologists, and the relationship between the shortage of essential medical personnel and the phenomenon of cosmetic general practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Results: Despite cases in which cosmetic general practitioners impersonate dermatologists, most dermatologists have not responded appropriately in many instances. Dermatologists have reported many cases of complications after receiving dermatological treatment from such cosmetic general practitioners. Most dermatologists are concerned about the serious problems of general cosmetic practitioners, disguising themselves as dermatologists and anticipating many adverse effects. Conclusion We believe that we need to pool our wisdom to solve these problems and expect that this study will provide valuable basic data for solving these problems in the dermatology and medical environments of Korea.

Background: The number of general cosmetic practitioners impersonating dermatologists in Korea has increased, leading to serious harm that is significant enough to attract the attention of health authorities, which dermatologists are deeply concerned about. Objective: We conducted a survey targeting dermatologists to gather their opinions on the behavior, problems, and countermeasures of general cosmetic practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Methods: A total of 280 dermatologists completed the survey between January and February 2024. The questions covered demographic characteristics, experiences of cosmetic general practitioners falsely introduced themselves as dermatologists, complications experienced by patients who received treatment after being mistaken for a dermatologist, the seriousness of the problem for cosmetic general practitioners impersonating dermatologists, and the relationship between the shortage of essential medical personnel and the phenomenon of cosmetic general practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Results: Despite cases in which cosmetic general practitioners impersonate dermatologists, most dermatologists have not responded appropriately in many instances. Dermatologists have reported many cases of complications after receiving dermatological treatment from such cosmetic general practitioners. Most dermatologists are concerned about the serious problems of general cosmetic practitioners, disguising themselves as dermatologists and anticipating many adverse effects. Conclusion We believe that we need to pool our wisdom to solve these problems and expect that this study will provide valuable basic data for solving these problems in the dermatology and medical environments of Korea.

Background: The number of general cosmetic practitioners impersonating dermatologists in Korea has increased, leading to serious harm that is significant enough to attract the attention of health authorities, which dermatologists are deeply concerned about. Objective: We conducted a survey targeting dermatologists to gather their opinions on the behavior, problems, and countermeasures of general cosmetic practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Methods: A total of 280 dermatologists completed the survey between January and February 2024. The questions covered demographic characteristics, experiences of cosmetic general practitioners falsely introduced themselves as dermatologists, complications experienced by patients who received treatment after being mistaken for a dermatologist, the seriousness of the problem for cosmetic general practitioners impersonating dermatologists, and the relationship between the shortage of essential medical personnel and the phenomenon of cosmetic general practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Results: Despite cases in which cosmetic general practitioners impersonate dermatologists, most dermatologists have not responded appropriately in many instances. Dermatologists have reported many cases of complications after receiving dermatological treatment from such cosmetic general practitioners. Most dermatologists are concerned about the serious problems of general cosmetic practitioners, disguising themselves as dermatologists and anticipating many adverse effects. Conclusion We believe that we need to pool our wisdom to solve these problems and expect that this study will provide valuable basic data for solving these problems in the dermatology and medical environments of Korea.

Background/Aims: A poor prognostic factor for Crohn’s disease (CD) includes perianal fistulizing disease, including perianal fistula and/or perianal abscess. Currently, a tool to assess perianal symptoms in patients with CD remains nonexistent. This study aimed to develop a perianal fistulizing disease self-screening questionnaire for patients with CD. Methods: This prospective pilot study was conducted at three tertiary referral centers between January 2019 and May 2020. We formulated questions on perianal symptoms, including tenesmus, anal discharge, bleeding, pain, and heat. A 4-point Likert scale was used to rate each question. Patients with CD completed a questionnaire and underwent pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results: Overall, 93 patients were enrolled, with 51 (54.8%) diagnosed with perianal fistulizing disease, as determined by pelvic MRI. The Spearman correlation findings demonstrated that anal pain (p = 0.450, p < 0.001) and anal discharge (p = 0.556, p < 0.001) were the symptoms that most significantly correlated with perianal disease. For anal pain and discharge, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the scores was significantly higher than that of the combined score for all five symptoms (0.855 vs. 0.794, DeLong’s test p = 0.04). For the two symptoms combined, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive and negative predictive values were 88.2, 73.8, 80.4, and 83.8%, respectively, with 81.7% accuracy for detecting perianal fistulizing disease. Conclusions This study indicates that simple questions regarding anal pain and discharge can help accurately identify the presence of perianal fistulizing disease in patients with CD.

Tinea capitis is an infection of the scalp hair follicles and surrounding skin that primarily occurs in prepubertal children. Microsporum canis remains the most common pathogen causing tinea capitis in Asian countries, including South Korea, although the causative organism of this condition varies across geographical regions and time periods. Systemic antifungal agents are the mainstay treatments for tinea capitis; however, the therapeutic responses to antifungal drugs may vary depending on the causative species, and treatment failure may occur owing to drug resistance. Although dermatophytosis resistant to clinical treatment have been increasingly encountered, recalcitrant tinea capitis cases have rarely been reported. Herein, we report three cases of tinea capitis caused by M. canis in children. All three patients showed unsatisfactory clinical responses to prolonged courses of oral terbinafine or itraconazole without achieving mycological cure; however, they were successfully treated with oral griseofulvin. Although griseofulvin is not currently available or licensed for use in many countries, including South Korea, it is one of the most effective agents against Microsporum species and remains the most widely used first-line treatment for tinea capitis in children, based on dermatology textbooks and reliable treatment guidelines.

Background: Pityriasis rotunda (PR) is a rare dermatosis characterized by the presence of multiple, strikingly circular or oval-shaped, sharply demarcated, and scaly hyperpigmented patches. Its etiology remains poorly understood. To date, there have been no comprehensive analyses of PR in Koreans. Objective: To investigate the clinical, pathological, and dermoscopic features of PR. Methods: Sixteen patients with PR were evaluated. Results: A female preponderance was observed (male:female ratio 1:7), and the mean age of the patients was 33.2±16.1 years (range, 15∼68 years), with the peak incidence observed in patients in their 20s. Notably, all the lesions developed on the trunk. The most common clinical diagnosis is PR. Histologically, PR appears similar to ichthyosis vulgaris. Hyperkeratosis was mainly ortho-keratotic, with plugs observed within hair follicles, elongated rete ridges, diminished stratum granulosum, enhanced pigmentation of the basal layer, pigmentary incontinence, and sparse superficial perivascular lymphoid cell inflammatory infiltrate. Periodic acid-Schiff staining was negative for fungi. Hyperpigmented patches with occasional scales were separated from each other by paler striae on dermoscopy. Conclusion PR commonly presents as multiple round lesions of variable sizes on the trunk of patients in their 20s. They showed characteristic findings, including hyperkeratosis with relative focal hypogranulosis, histopathologically, and some lesions showed dark and light brown polygonal patches with paler striae arranged dermoscopically, in a mosaic pattern. This was a retrospective single-center study with a small sample size; however, we believe that this paper will contribute to the clarification and understanding of PR.

Sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma (SSCC) is a rare malignancy with distinct carcinomatous and sarcomatous features. SSCCs involving the lung, esophagus bladder, and skin have been reported as rare case reports. It may also occur infrequently in the oral region. Moreover, the lower lip is still one of the rare sites, and such a case has not been reported in Korean literature. An 82-year-old man presented an exophytic protruding, huge, warty crusted lesion on the entire lower lip. The lesion started as a small, tender, erosive papule and suddenly enlarged in recent months.His medical history was unremarkable. A biopsy revealed atypical squamous and sarcomatous components with transition zones between the two cell types. These two cell types also showed characteristic immunohistochemical features. Based on these findings, the lesion was diagnosed as SSCC. The study, including positron emission tomography-computed tomography, showed no metastasis. We recommended surgical excision, but the patient refused therapy.

Background: Clear cell acanthoma is a rare benign epidermal tumor that is considered a nonspecific reactive dermatosis. To date, no reports have described systematic analyses of clear cell acanthoma in Koreans. Objective: We investigated the clinical, histopathological, and dermoscopic features of clear cell acanthoma. Methods: In this study, we evaluated 14 lesions of clear cell acanthoma. Results: We observed female predominance (male:female ratio 1:1.3), and the mean patient age was 55.8±18.0 years (range 15∼76 years), with the peak incidence observed in patients in their 60s. Notably, 57.1% of lesions developed on the lower extremities. The lesion was most commonly misdiagnosed as seborrheic keratosis. Histopathological examination revealed a well-demarcated area of keratinocytes with pale-staining cytoplasm and psoriasiform epidermal hyperplasia and mild spongiosis, exocytosis of neutrophils, and thinned suprapapillary plates. Dermoscopic examination showed a clear cell acanthoma with characteristic vascular findings, including pinpoint red dots, globular red dots, and glomeruloid structures with linear or reticular patterns. Conclusion Clear cell acanthoma commonly presents as a small solitary lesion measuring <1 cm in diameter that occurs on the lower extremities in women in their 60s. Histopathological characteristics of this lesion include Periodic acid Schiff-positive with pale cytoplasm, and dotted, globular, and glomeruloid vessels with a linear or reticular pattern on dermoscopy. This was a single-center, small-sized retrospective study; however, in our view, the results of this study would contribute to the literature by providing a better understanding of clear cell acanthoma in Koreans.