Introduction: Acne vulgaris is an inflammatory disorder that affects the pilocebaceous gland with high prevalence among young adults. Studies have suggested that FFA may influence acne vulgaris. However, the pathogenesis of acne is not yet fully known.
Objective: To analyze the correlation between free fatty acid and acne vulgaris severity level.
Methods: Forty-three female high school students with mild, moderate, and severe acne were included in this study. Free fatty acid level, represented by palmitic acid level, was measured using gas chromatography and PCR examination was conducted to detect Propionibacterium acnes. Mann-Whitney test was used to analyze the median palmitic level difference between groups with different acne vulgaris severity. A p-value <0.05 was considered as significant.
Results: Fourteen patients (32.6%) had mild acne vulgaris, while 14 and 15 patients had moderate and severe acne vulgaris, respectively. The severe and moderate acne group showed significantly higher palmitic acid level compared to the mild acne group (p<0.05). The level of palmitic acid was not associated with the presence of P. acnes.
Conclusions: Increased palmitic acid level was found to be associated with acne severity. Thus, FFA levels may be used as a marker to determine acne vulgaris severity

Keywords: Acne vulgaris; Fatty acids, nonesterified; Polymerase chain reaction; Propion-ibacterium acnes

Reconstruction of the nasal area is a challenge due to its vascularization and abundance of fibrotic tissue. Graft in a large defect in the nasal area has a high risk of necrosis and often produces deformity and color mismatch. We report the case of a 65-year-old man with basal cell carcinoma in the left nasal ala. Mohs surgery was performed, obtaining free margin. The final defect measured 2 cm in diameter with partial loss of skin thickness. The combination of a melolabial interpolation flap and an ear cartilage graft was used, with excellent results. This combination led to good structural and aesthetic results.

Keywords: Surgical Flaps; Bone transplantation; Ear cartilage; Carcinoma, Basal cell

Pincer nail deformity is characterized by excessive transverse over curvature of the nail. A 58-year-old woman came with a complaint of pincer nail accompanied by swelling and pain in the last 1 month due to frequent use of narrow shoes. We performed a surgical intervention indicated to treat pain, inflammation, interference with wearing shoes, and cosmetic embarrassment using an inverted T incision method with osteophyte removal. This case showed that the surgical approach did not require a long time to be conducted, presenting brief healing time, minimal pain, and excellent cosmetic outcome.

Keywords: Osteophyte; Ambulatory surgical procedures; Nails, malformed