Russian Journal of Skin and Venereal Diseases

Lymphomatoid papulosis is a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder that primarily affects the skin. It is a chronic, recurrent condition that sometimes regresses spontaneously. Lymphomatoid papulosis is typically manifested by recurrent papules ranging in number from a few to several hundred. Lymphomatoid papulosis has similarities with other lymphoproliferative, inflammatory, and infectious diseases, which makes diagnosis verification challenging. Differential diagnosis between lymphomatoid papulosis and primary cutaneous lymphoma, as well as systemic cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma, mycosis fungoides, and T-cell lymphoma/leukemia, is required. Comprehensive differential diagnosis is especially relevant in pediatric patients, given that skin rashes in children are frequently represented by nodular or necrotic lesions, as well as erythematous and scaling patches, which may correspond to a wide range of medical conditions. There is currently no standard of care for lymphomatoid papulosis; the treatment strategy depends on the severity of lesions, ranging from case follow-up to glucocorticoid, anticancer, or targeted therapy.

This paper presents differential diagnosis criteria for lymphomatoid papulosis, based on the authors’ own experience and published data. The paper describes clinical and morphoimmunohistochemical characteristics for each type of the disease. A special emphasis was placed on selecting the treatment strategy. Two patients were followed up after diagnosis verification, but did not receive active treatment. The third patient, who had severe lesions and did not respond to topical treatment, received targeted therapy with brentuximab vedotin, which was highly effective.

Dermatologists, hematologists, and pathologists must work together to diagnose lymphomatoid papulosis promptly, and the treatment strategy must take into account all clinical features.

BACKGROUND: Limited epidemiological studies on pruritus in skin diseases, as well as the absence of comparative studies on pruritus in dermatoses and skin neoplasms, highlight the relevance of this work.

AIM: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and clinical characteristics of pruritus in patients with dermatoses and skin neoplasms.

METHODS: A cross-sectional, single-arm study was conducted in three outpatient dermatology clinics. The prevalence of pruritus was assessed using a survey (the presence of pruritus within the last day); furthermore, the duration of pruritus (more or less than 6 weeks; chronic or acute pruritus, respectively) was indicated. The severity of pruritus was assessed using a pruritus numerical rating scale (0 to 10 points).

RESULTS: The study sample included 1788 patients with dermatoses (533 men; 29.8%) aged 18–84 years (median: 43 [32; 59] years). Of these, acne (8.1%), psoriasis (7.4%), dermatitis due to substances taken internally (6.5%), and atopic dermatitis (5.7%) were the most prevalent. The most prevalent skin neoplasms were melanocytic nevi (25.8%), seborrheic keratosis (7.9%), melanoma (6.4%), and other malignant (4.2%) and benign (2%) skin neoplasms. In the pooled sample of patients with dermatoses and skin neoplasms, pruritus was reported in 29.9% of cases (acute pruritus in 58.4% of patients and chronic pruritus in 40.6% of patients; median severity according to visual analog scale: 4.0 [2.0; 6.0]). Pruritus was more common in dermatoses than in skin neoplasms (34.2% vs 7.2%; р < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the incidence of acute and chronic pruritus between patients with dermatoses and skin neoplasms. The severity of pruritus was significantly higher in dermatoses than in skin neoplasms (р < 0.001). There were no sex-related differences between patients with and without pruritus (р = 0.133). Patients with pruritus were older than those without pruritus (median age: 44.0 [32.0–61.0] years vs 42.0 [31.0–58.0] years; р = 0.024). Acute pruritus was more common than chronic pruritus (58.4% vs 41.6%), and was more prevalent in dermatoses than in skin neoplasms (34.2% vs 7.2%). There were no significant differences in the characteristics of pruritus between male and female patients.

CONCLUSION: The study confirmed a higher prevalence of pruritus in dermatoses, including skin diseases that are generally considered nonpruritic, such as acne and psoriasis. Pruritus was more prevalent in skin cancers (primarily melanoma), with the highest prevalence reported for melanocytic nevi. However, this symptom was not specific to cancers.

Calcipotriol (calcipotriene), a synthetic analog of vitamin D3, is used to treat psoriasis. Calcipotriol inhibits keratinocyte proliferation, accelerates their morphological differentiation, and has crucial immunosuppressive effects. Calcipotriol’s mechanism of action supports its use for the treatment of various disorders, including actinic keratosis, vitiligo, seborrheic keratosis, eczema, acne, alopecia areata, and others.

This work examined the use of calcipotriol in skin diseases, including psoriasis. Furthermore, it assessed the efficacy of calcipotriol and the persistence of clinical effect.

The analysis was based on scientific publications indexed in international databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed) and in the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI).

The following keywords and their combinations in both Russian and English were used: витамин D (vitamin D), кальцитриол (calcitriol), кальципотриол (calcipotriol), and кальципотриен (calcipotriene). The search depth was 10 years (2014–2024). The search of international publications using the keyword calcipotriol yielded 707 articles. The review included 55 articles published over the last decade.

The search revealed an increasing global interest in the use of calcipotriol in the treatment of various dermatoses. According to research, calcipotriol can be used as adjuvant therapy in a variety of skin diseases, and the indications for this synthetic analog of vitamin D3 are anticipated to expand over time.

The high efficacy and safety of calcipotriol have been demonstrated in numerous studies. However, more extensive research is needed to improve the methods and criteria for its use.

Onychomycosis is the most prevalent fungal infection of the skin and its appendages. Mycosis is an active process associated with morphological, anatomical, physiological, immune, and functional changes in the nail plate. All these changes are caused by the growth of the fungal pathogen. Onychomycosis can be caused by a variety of factors; it is a widespread condition, with prevalence varying depending on region, age, and occupation.

The types of nail lesions differ between the Russian and international classifications of nail mycoses; however, these differences are not substantial. Indeed, nail lesions according to Arievich (1956) and Zaias (1972) match and complement each other effectively. Arievich classified all onychomycoses as normotrophic, hypertrophic, or atrophic. Zaias’s classification of nail mycoses uses the sectoral principle to assess pathogenic fungus spread and includes distal subungual, superficial, proximal subungual, and total dystrophic clinical forms. Baran’s classification clarifies and updates the types of nail lesions, distinguishing between distal and lateral, white superficial, proximal, total dystrophic, and endonyx onychomycosis. Furthermore, older classifications do not include marginal lesions and misinterpret the “atrophic onychomycosis” concept from a pathoanatomical perspective.

This work aimed to summarize Russian and international classifications of onychomycoses and to propose a new interpretation of marginal lesions and atrophic onychomycosis.

Chronic diseases caused by excessive fat accumulation are a global concern in modern society. Obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and other serious disorders and complications. Insufficient efficacy of lifestyle modification approaches (balanced diet, regular exercise, etc.) necessitates drug therapy, which is selected based on the severity of obesity and concomitant conditions.

Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, is used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. It has become widely used owing to high efficacy in reducing body weight, which significantly improves the metabolic profile. However, semaglutide-induced weight loss frequently causes a significant reduction in fat depots, impaired skin quality, and facial muscle atrophy, resulting in premature aging, including in young patients. This phenomenon is known as Ozempic face. Therefore, timely cosmetic procedures are recommended for the prevention and treatment of these changes to preserve natural-looking and healthy skin. Procedures that improve and restore skin quality, such as collagen stimulation therapy, biorevitalization, phototherapy, and radiofrequency therapy, are especially beneficial in preparation for semaglutide therapy. Cosmetic procedures performed during semaglutide therapy must improve skin quality while also maintaining facial muscles and ligaments (for example, using supramaximal high-voltage electrical stimulation) and preserving fat compartments and natural face contours.

On May 16, 2025, the 1163^rd meeting of the A.I. Pospelov Moscow Society of Dermatovenerologists and Cosmetologists was held. The physical meeting was held at the President Hotel (24 Bolshaya Yakimanka Street) as part of the 42nd International Rakhmanov Research-to-Practice Conference. A total of 68 participants attended. Two physicians from private esthetic medicine clinics in Moscow applied for membership in the A.I. Pospelov Moscow Society of Dermatovenerologists and Cosmetologists.

Two reports were presented during the clinical part of the meeting: on polypharmacy-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis and on diagnostic errors in pyoderma gangrenosum. Both reports were presented by researchers from Sechenov University. The first report discussed a clinical case of toxic epidermal necrolysis in a 63-year-old female patient. The condition was likely induced by an antipsychotic agent. During therapy, the patient developed eczema herpeticum. Timely treatment with adequate doses of systemic glucocorticoids and corrective therapy enabled saving the patient’s life. The second report addressed diagnostic challenges in pyoderma gangrenosum. To effectively treat ulcerative pyoderma gangrenosum in a 57-year-old patient, prednisolone therapy in combination with azathioprine and fluconazole was used.

The scientific part of the meeting began with a report on the potential applications of intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy. According to the reporter’s extensive clinical experience, IPL therapy is beneficial in the majority of cases, despite differences in the pathogenesis of skin inflammation in various disorders.

Furthermore, a report on the advantages of 595 nm yellow dye laser in the treatment of warts, including recurrent ones, was presented. The development of cosmeceuticals under the Dr. Sechenov brand for the prevention of vitiligo and atopic dermatitis was discussed, considering the consistently high prevalence of autoimmune diseases in Russia.

Necrobiosis lipoidica and granuloma annulare are rare chronic, non-infectious (inflammatory) skin diseases.

Necrobiosis lipoidica is characterized by bright-pink papules and plaques that transform into red or yellowish ring-shaped plaques and may be accompanied by telangiectasis, central atrophy, induration, and ulceration. Granuloma annulare is distinguished by isolated ring-shaped plaques or disseminated skin lesions with papules, patches, and bright-pink ring-shaped foci.

Necrobiosis lipoidica and granuloma annulare are common in patients with comorbidities such as type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus, autosomal dominant maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY), endocrinopathy (thyroid and adrenal gland diseases), and chronic upper respiratory tract infections. The high incidence of comorbidities necessitates a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of these conditions.

Necrobiosis lipoidica and granuloma annulare are treated using topical, systemic, and physical therapy modalities. Topical treatment includes topical glucocorticoids and calcineurin inhibitors. Systemic glucocorticoids are used for systemic therapy. Furthermore, the use of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, fumarates, and genetically engineered biological drugs has been reported. Physical therapy modalities include ultraviolet A and B radiation (UVA, UVB), PUVA therapy (UVA + photosensitizer), CO2 lasers, dye lasers, and intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy. However, none of the available therapeutic options show absolute efficacy, and long-term remission is extremely rare.

This photo gallery illustrates the heterogeneity of necrobiosis lipoidica and granuloma annulare symptoms to facilitate timely diagnosis and optimal treatment.