Acta dermato-venereologica
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Acta Derm. Venereol. · Aug 1992
Can alopecia areata be triggered by emotional stress? An uncontrolled evaluation of 178 patients with extensive hair loss.
One hundred and seventy-eight patients with severe alopecia areata were asked at interview whether they attributed their first attack of hair loss to an emotional trauma. Twelve patients (6.7%) reported a severely disturbing event during the 6 months preceding the first symptoms of their disease. ⋯ Emotional triggers were not especially correlated with any particular type of alopecia areata. The present study does not therefore provide evidence of a significant role of emotional stress in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata.
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Acta Derm. Venereol. · Aug 1992
The analgesic effect of EMLA cream on facial skin. Quantitative evaluation using argon laser stimulation.
The hypoalgesic effect of EMLA cream (Eutectic Mixture of Local Anesthetics) applied for 5, 15, and 30 min on facial skin was evaluated. Hypoalgesia was assessed by changes in pain thresholds to brief argon laser stimuli 0, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45, and 60 min after removal of EMLA cream. The local cutaneous vascular changes induced by EMLA cream was evaluated by Erythema Index determined by reflectance spectroscopy and by laser Doppler blood flowmetry. ⋯ This great variability should be considered when EMLA cream is used for facial application in the clinic. Differences in local blood flow probably contribute to the variability. Application of EMLA cream for 5 and 15 min did not change erythema of the skin, while 30 min of application caused minor blanching.