Abstracts from the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology

In 2009, several studies were presented at the Society for Pediatric Dermatology meeting. One study showed that narrow-band ultraviolet B (nbUVB) is effective and safe for treating early-stage mycosis fungoides in Asian children aged 5 to 13 years, although long-term follow-up is needed due to recurrence risk. Another study involving 695 subjects found that benzyl alcohol lotion 5% is an effective and non-toxic treatment for head lice. Mycophenolate mofetil was reported as a successful adjuvant therapy for a 16-year-old female with bullous pemphigoid. Desonide foam, 0.05%, was superior to vehicle foam in relieving pruritus in pediatric subjects with atopic dermatitis after 2 weeks. A study on Nevus Simplex (NS) in 28 patients found widespread involvement of NS beyond typical sites, with a significant number of patients having NS on the scalp, nose, lip, and lumbosacral area. Lastly, a consensus statement was developed for diagnosing PHACE syndrome, a neurocutaneous disorder, with criteria for definite and possible diagnoses based on the presence of hemangiomas and structural anomalies. None of these studies provided new information on hair loss, alopecia, or hair growth.