Oxidative Injury in Dermatopathology

Dermatology is a complex and puzzling world of itching bumps, pim­ ples, and rashes. The multitude of clinically distinct skin diseases, their frequently unresolved pathogenesis, and the exponentially in­ creasing amount of scientific information add to the confusion about skin diseases. The great prevalence of skin diseases makes them an urgent priority for intensive research effort, and although many scientists and academic clinicians are vigorously trying to uncover we are only at the very brink of understanding the etiol­ their secrets, ogy of most dermatoses. The principle mechanisms of general organ pathology (physical, chemical, microbial, ischemic, degenerative, and neoplastic disturb­ ances) are believed to be relatively well understood. In contrast to skin pathomorphology, however little is known regarding the bio­ chemistry and physiology of dermatoses. The difficulty in under­ standing skin diseases may be overcome partially by finding biome­ dical simplifications, and the concept of oxidative injury in dermatopathology is just such a simplification. It should, of course, always be kept in mind that no single mechanism alone can explain the pathogenesis of a disease and that there may be a danger of over­ looking other important biological determinants.