Evaluation of Geriatric Patients Admitted to the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic for Treatment of Facial Dermatosis: A Retrospective Study

Purpose: Skin is the human body’s largest organ, and it has essential social, sexual, and psychological roles. Especially the effect of this fact on visible body parts such as the face is obvious. The elderly population is increasing all over the world, and medical treatment for these senior citizens’ dermatological complaints is more frequent in Turkey as elsewhere. The aim of this study is to report the age group, gender distribution and dermatological diseases of the geriatric population admitted to our dermatology outpatient clinic, which is a tertiary referral center for any facial skin complaint. Methods: This retrospective study included 302 patients aged 65 and over with facial skin complaints. The age, disease frequency, gender and localization distribution of the patients were examined. SPSS package program was used for data analysis. Results: There was a significant difference between the diagnoses groups of the participants in terms of gender and age groups. The most common facial dermatoses in this population examined were basal cell carcinoma (BCC), actinic keratosis (AK), seborrheic keratosis (SK), rosacea, urticaria, and benign skin and skin appendage tumors. Conclusion: As the geriatric population is increasing all over the world, recognition of skin diseases is becoming increasingly important. Facial dermatoses are especially a concern because of how they affect the appearance and expression of persons in this age group.