Introduction: Scars caused by burns have the potential to cause clinical, social, and functional disruptions. Dermatologists should be able to intervene in this process by combining technological advances with traditional techniques. Objective: To evaluate the effect of Intense Pulsed Light applications on scars after burns, based on clinical parameters described in the international Vancouver Scar Scale. Methods: A prospective study was carried out with six patients who underwent five monthly Intense Pulsed Light sessions over the entire area of a wound. The analysis of the results was conducted by three evaluation groups: 3 physician researchers, the patients included in the study, and 3 physician observers. The evaluation was implemented using the Vancouver Scale, a questionnaire based on this scale, and additionally a general rating used by all evaluators based on a numerical scale. The data obtained by examining the differences before and after the treatment, was analyzed through the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: A statistically significant decrease was observed in the analyses of all clinical parameters of the scars, when evaluated before and after the completion of the treatment. Conclusions: The present pilot study demonstrates the advantages of Intense Pulsed Light as an approach to this specific type of scar, with an aim of stimulating further studies in order to improve this low-cost technology, as compared to lasers.

Keywords: LASERS; INTENSE PULSED LIGHT THERAPY; CICATRIX; BURNS.

SUMMARY: Melanoma is the main cause of death in dermatology (it is an aggressive type of skin cancer being one of the main causes of cancer death) due to its high metastatic power. When detected in early stages, its surgical treatment can be curative. When detected in more advanced stages, its prognosis is reserved and can be lethal. During the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, many medical activities were suspended. There are few data in the literature evaluating the impact of the pandemic on the evolution of patients with melanoma.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiological, clinical and histopathological aspects of melanomas diagnosed at the Instituto de Dermatologia Professor Rubem David Azulay (IDPRDA).
METHODS: This is an observational, retrospective and unicentric study, where the requests and histopathological reports of skin biopsies performed at IDPRDA between January 2018 and December 2021 were reviewed and their epidemiological and clinicopathological aspects were subsequently evaluated.
RESULTS: A significantly lower incidence of melanoma diagnosis was not found during the pandemic years, but patients were diagnosed at more advanced stages of the disease, which shows a delay in diagnosis due to Covid-19.

Keywords: Melanoma; COVID-19; Pandemics.