Highlights

In the September 2016 issue of JAMA Dermatology, several studies were highlighted. Robinson et al. demonstrated that melanoma patients and their partners could effectively perform skin self-examinations (SSE) to detect second primary or recurrent melanomas after a structured 30-minute training program. Sanke et al. found that men with early androgenetic alopecia (AGA) had hormonal profiles similar to women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), suggesting they may share the same metabolic risks. Van Santen et al. showed that additional histologic criteria could differentiate between indolent and aggressive folliculotropic mycosis fungoides (FMF), which could impact treatment decisions. Frohm et al. observed that patients with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) with primary tumors smaller than 2 cm had low local recurrence rates when treated with surgery alone, indicating adjuvant radiation therapy might be unnecessary for low-risk lesions. Lastly, Brewer et al. conducted a systematic review and found no difference in surgical site infection rates between sterile and nonsterile gloves in outpatient surgical procedures, although more extensive surgeries might still require sterile gloves.