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Inflammatory Disorders

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Dermatoanthropology of Ethnic Skin and Hair

Abstract

Inflammatory skin conditions are common in all ages and races. These disorders can be disfiguring and cause great discomfort, leading to a negative impact on the patient’s quality of life. The most common inflammatory skin conditions include atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and lichen planus. Atopic dermatitis is a pruritic disorder that usually starts in early infancy, though an adult-onset variant is recognized. It typically has an intermittent course with flares and remissions. Primary skin findings include xerosis, lichenification, and eczematous lesions. Psoriasis is a chronic, multifactorial disease that involves hyperproliferation of the keratinocytes in the epidermis. Psoriasis is characterized by red, scaly plaques most commonly on the elbows, knees, scalp, lumbosacral areas, and intergluteal clefts. In up to 30% of patients, the joints are also affected. Lichen planus is a cell-mediated immune response of unknown origin. Lesions initially develop on flexural surfaces of the limbs, with a generalized eruption developing after a week or more and maximal spreading within 2–16 weeks. If untreated, inflammatory conditions in patients with skin of color can lead to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which can be very difficult to treat.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. River region Dermatology and Laser, University of Alabama School of Medicine, 2060 Berryhill Road, Montgomery, AL, 36117, USA

    Porcia Bradford Love

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  1. Porcia Bradford Love
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Correspondence to Porcia Bradford Love .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Center for Ethnic Skin, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Neelam A. Vashi

  2. University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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Love, P.B. (2017). Inflammatory Disorders. In: Vashi, N., Maibach, H. (eds) Dermatoanthropology of Ethnic Skin and Hair. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53961-4_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53961-4_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-53960-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-53961-4

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