Abstract
The origin and frequency of skin fragility, a frequent side effect of oral synthetic retinoids, was studied in ten patients receiving isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid) for disorders of keratinization and in hairless mice treated with isotretinoin and the aromatic retinoid, etretinate (RO 10-9359). Clinical skin fragility occurred in eight of ten patients, and experimental friction blisters could be induced by pencil eraser abrasion in nine of nine patients and in the hairless mice. Light and electron microscopy of friction blisters showed fraying or loss of the stratum corneum and outer layers of the viable epidermis, loss of desmosomes and tonofilaments, and intracellular and intercellular deposits of amorphous material that did not stain with stains for mucin. The skin fragility produced by oral synthetic retinoids is epidermal in origin, since (1) retinoids induce profound disruption of epidermal morphologic appearance, (2) an intraepidermal split is produced by experimental friction blisters, and (3) urinary hydroxyproline excretion in patients receiving retinoids, a measure of collagen catabolism, was not increased.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
