Analysis of three cases of skin self-injury

The project describes three patients admitted in 2003 to the Dermatology Clinic of the University of Medical Sciences in Poznań in whom the appearance of skin lesions was associated with self-injury.
Special attention was drawn to morphology of skin changes, their localization, and a possible participation of diverse factors (mental, infectious, immunological) in the patomechanism of origination of these skin lesions. The course of administered treatment was evaluated (types of medication, therapeutic results).
Precise anamnesis was taken, including the onset and the course of skin lesions, possible cause and the treatment administered before hospitalization. Results of laboratory tests, radiological examinations and consulting specialists’ suggestions have also been analysed.
It should be highlighted that the skin lesions in the three described cases were of a great variety: deep ulcerations, numerous scars, erosions, excoriations and postinflammatory discolourations.
Described cases of self-injuries in dermatological patients present as a difficult issue, rarely brought up in literature. Self-injuries may create diagnostic and therapeutic problems and thus require cooperation of various specialists – particularly dermatologists and psychiatrists.