Biophysical and ultrasonographic changes in pityriasis rosea compared with uninvolved skin

Taraneh Yazdanparast; Kamran Yazdani; Saman Ahmad Nasrollahi; Leila Izadi Firouzabadi; Philippe Humbert; Alireza Khatami; Alireza Firooz

doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2020.10.002

Biophysical and ultrasonographic changes in pityriasis rosea compared with uninvolved skin

Int J Womens Dermatol. 2020 Oct 31;7(3):331-334. doi: 10.1016/j.ijwd.2020.10.002. eCollection 2021 Jun.

Authors

Taraneh Yazdanparast¹, Kamran Yazdani², Saman Ahmad Nasrollahi¹, Leila Izadi Firouzabadi¹, Philippe Humbert³, Alireza Khatami¹, Alireza Firooz^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³ University of Franche Comté, Besançon, France.
⁴ Clinical Trial Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Pityriasis rosea (PR) is a common, self-limited, inflammatory papulosquamous skin disease with a possible viral etiology.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate skin biophysical properties in patients with PR compared with uninvolved skin to better understand the pathogenesis of PR.

Methods: Stratum corneum hydration, transepidermal water loss, surface friction, pH, sebum, melanin, erythema, temperature, elasticity parameters (R0, R2, R5), thickness, and echodensity of the epidermis and dermis were measured on lesions of classic PR in 21 patients and compared with control sites (average of uninvolved perilesional and symmetrical skin) with a paired t test.

Results: Stratum corneum hydration (p < .001), R0 (p = .003), R2 (p = .001), R5 (p = .003), and echodensity of the dermis (p = .006) were significantly lower, whereas transepidermal water loss (p = .001), pH (p < .001), and erythema (p < .001) were significantly higher in PR lesions. There was no significant difference in friction index, sebum, melanin content, temperature, thickness of the epidermis and dermis, and echodensity of the epidermis between PR and normal skin.

Conclusion: PR skin is characterized by certain alterations in biophysical properties, which are mostly correlated with histologic changes. These changes may be helpful in early, noninvasive diagnosis of PR.

Keywords: Biomechanical properties; Biophysical properties; Pityriasis rosea; Ultrasonography.