Dermatomyositis is an autoimmune disease affecting muscle and skin. Patients' skin may exhibit different signs, such as a red-violet erythema around the eyes, reddish lesions on the back of the metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints, periungual redness, etc. Additionally, patients usually exhibit joint pain.
The prognosis has improved considerably since the introduction of corticotherapy. Topically, we can apply corticosteroids and 0.1% tacrolimus to manage skin lesions and relieve the itching. At the systemic level, we have different treatment options, such as: oral corticosteroids, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, cyclosporin, etc.
Scleroderma is a chronic condition whose cutaneous symptoms are: edema, sclerosis, induration, and atrophy, with disappearance of cutaneous folds. Patients exhibit skin induration, and a sharpened face with loss of wrinkles; combined with other symptoms, such as Raynaud phenomenon, hyper- or hypo-pigmentation of perifollicular areas, telangiectasias on the torso, fingers, tongue, lips, etc.
Treatment is similar to that of dermatomyositis, with combined topical and systemic therapy.
