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Dermatology

POLL: What Percent of the Global Population is Estimated to Have … – Dermatology Times

Hyperhidrosis is not rare. According to the International Hyperhidrosis Society, approximately 385 million people worldwide live with hyperhidrosis.

In fact, they note that the amount of people living with chronic, excessive sweating is even higher than the amount of people living with other dermatologic conditions like psoriasis.

Just how common is hyperhidrosis in real-world comparisons?

The prevalence of hyperhidrosis is much higher in younger populations than in the general population, with 8.8% of individuals between the ages of 18 to 39 years old living with the condition.

When comparing these statistics to everyday, common occurrences like hair color, the number of people with hyperhidrosis is greater than the 1% of individuals with natural red hair and 2% of individuals with natural blond hair.

Despite how common hyperhidrosis is, it is estimated that 27% of those with the condition never receive a diagnosis.

This Hyperhidrosis Awareness Month, Dermatology Times wants to hear from you. What percentage of the global population is estimated to have hyperhidrosis?

Vote below or email us at DTEditor@mmhgroup.com to share your hyperhidrosis insights or research.

What percent of the global population is estimated to have hyperhidrosis?

Reference

Albert. Fact check: Hyperhidrosis - International Hyperhidrosis Society: Official site. Home - International Hyperhidrosis Society. October 24, 1970. Accessed November 16, 2023. https://www.sweathelp.org/home/news-blog/542-fact-check-hyperhidrosis.html

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POLL: What Percent of the Global Population is Estimated to Have ... - Dermatology Times

Dermatology

Purple Heart Project Seeks to Provide Veterans With Access to … – Dermatology Times

Jorge Garcia-Zuazaga, MD, MBA, FAAD, FACMS, is a Mohs surgeon and the founder of Apex Dermatology and Skin Surgery Center in Northeast Ohio.

Garcia-Zuazaga is also a former flight surgeon for a Marine squadron, leading him to combine his passions for military service and skin health via the creation of the Purple Heart Project, an initiative aimed at supporting skin health in veterans with severe wounds.

Garcia-Zuazaga recently spoke with Dermatology Times to discuss the Purple Heart Project and its efforts in providing this patient population with access to dermatologic care.

"Usually on Veterans Day, around the Marine Corps birthday, it's a big time where we go out there and remind people that we're here for that," he said. "But it really is a whole year type of thing. We don't just do it on only one day."

Transcript

Jorge Garcia-Zuazaga, MD, MBA, FAAD, FACMS: My name is Jorge Garcia-Zuazaga. I am a Mohs surgeon, and I'm the founder of Apex Dermatology and Skin Surgery Center here in the Northeast Ohio area.

Dermatology Times: What is the Purple Heart Project, and what are its main goals?

Garcia-Zuazaga: This started way back probably 10 years ago, when I founded Apex. I was looking for a community project to do that kind of blended my interest in dermatology and skin cancer but at the same time, my military service. Before I did dermatology, I was a flight surgeon for a Marine F-18 squadron. I did that for about 4 years, and so we bonded, and I had a lot of great experiences. I owe a lot of what I am today to the military service that I've done.

I was thinking about something that could resonate with me and the community. Then years later, the Boston Marathon bombing, there was some type of group [a plastic surgery group or medical group] that, assisted in some of those burn-wounded folks. And then I was like, "Maybe they can do something with scars." And then I started thinking more deep about it, and I thought, in dermatology, we're blessed that we connect with our patients, and the patient opens up to us, and scars tell their story. A lot of the folks in the military, the veterans, those scars go a lot deeper than the skin. Some some of them have PTSD and deal with other mental health issues. I was thinking, "Well, maybe I can do something that can help them feel better about themselves. Maybe I can get their mind clearer, or maybe get them back into the game, get them back into their community." That's kind of how it started, and it's really kind of started as just me, just grassroots, just me talking to my patients. I do a lot of VA care, and I connect with a lot of my patients. And basically, that's how we started now.

Over the years, it's developed into what it is now, which is a little bit more organized. We decided to kind of put it together more like a formal program, where the veterans can log into our website at ApexSkin.com/PurpleHeartProject and basically find the information there. Really, this is not a program for somebody that has a little mini scar on the hand. This is really for somebody that has a traumatic scar or wounded from battle. We assess them; we have a panel of our providers that are going to look at them, and they have to submit information. I talk to the veterans, and I do a lot of it on my own free time.

And then we evaluate scars, because sometimes in dermatology, we can treat scars. Some scars, you can use with lasers, sometimes we can do other things, sometimes you can't help. It's more of an education thing that we do, and then we make the treatment plan, what's needed. So it's all complimentary to the vet, and it's our way really to give back to the community and also honor the vets that sacrificed a lot for our country. So that's kind of how we started, and now it's a cooler program, because more people kind of know about it. In fact, hopefully, this interview will maybe raise some awareness or somebody that's out there, and they want to do something similar. I'm happy to help with that.

Dermatology Times: How have your personal experiences shaped your commitment to the Purple Heart project?

Garcia-Zuazaga: For me, it was always all about having a purpose. At Apex, we're a big fan of having a mission or a purpose. That way, we are part of a bigger group. You want to be part of a winning team, usually. And if you're just doing dermatology to do dermatology, punch in and punch out, you can get burnt out very quickly. For us in our group, it's more about trying to rally behind a mission. Our mission an Apex Dermatology is transforming lives through healthy skin, and I really feel that the Purple Heart Project really goes right into that purpose, right on target. It's part of our DNA. We want to transform lives, and what better way of transforming lives than helping somebody who's wounded, and maybe is depressed or maybe has PTSD, and maybe feeling a little bit better about themselves, and maybe understand, "Hey. You know what? I need to seek some help. I'm not alone here. We're going to continue with our life."

For us, that's really the whole point of the project, and sometimes we can't help them. Sometimes we say, "Hey, listen, I can't help you here. You need a plastic surgeon. You need large reconstructions." But sometimes we can, and sometimes we make a little bit of an impact. And if we can do one person, then I feel great. We continue to do that.

In our community, we still are pretty much grassroots. We're not really putting a big banner here: "Hey, this is what we're doing. We're so great." People know how to find us. I have my patients and they say, "Hey, I'm going to have my cousin [come to you]. He was in Iraq. He had a wound." So that's kind of how I find our patients. We do a lot of community service here. Usually on Veterans Day, around the Marine Corps birthday, it's a big time where we go out there and remind people that we're here for that. But it really is a whole year type of thing. It's a whole year thing. We don't just do it only one day.

I don't really have a sense of how much of an impact this has had in our community, but I can tell you that is really touching when I have a patient that we connect, and they say, "Listen, thanks Doc. You really helped me do this," or I see them send me a postcard or a Christmas card and say, "Hey, I'm working here now." It's one of those things that we continue our communication and touch base. That's why I went into medicine. I went into medicine to help people and to make an impact, and that's my way of doing it.

Dermatology Times: How do you hope the Purple Heart Project will expand or evolve over time?

Garcia-Zuazaga: In terms of expanding this project, we've had a couple of people from other states call me up and say, "Hey, listen, how do you do that? I'm interested in helping in something like that." And I'm an open book; I give them my information, I give them how I started it. We've had people from other states sending, "Hey, do you accept donations for that project?" We're not set up for that, at least not yet. I'm always happy to show people how we do it here, so that they can replicate it over there. But really, what it takes is somebody that really has a passion for helping people. You put in your time.

In terms of how dermatologists can impact the veteran community, I would say that most of us are public servants. We do skin cancer screenings already. They do that, or they volunteer their time, or they give a lecture. So I think raising awareness of not just skin cancer, but anything else that can happen for veterans is important. Sometimes, you may be the first line for them [veterans] to see you because they had a skin cancer, and maybe you need to say, "Hey, listen, are you up to date with your age appropriate cancer screenings? Do you need a colonoscopy?" That's what we do. Just because we're dermatologists, it doesn't mean that I'm only going to see that mole you have your back. You have to treat the patient.

I think in this day and age, a lot of dermatologists are very busy. It can be very easy to just stay on your lane and spend 5 minutes with the patient and move on. But I think what makes our specialty a great one is that we recognize internal disease in the outside. Just by us spending the extra 5 minutes to say, "Oh, yeah, that could be lupus," or "We'll send you to rheumatology to see if you have something." So I think just raising awareness of that, because a lot of the vets, you know, they're in areas where there are some environmental factors that sometimes you're exposed to, a lot of our vets talk about Agent Orange back when in the Vietnam War era. Candidly, I had a buddy of mine from my squadron, he was 50 years old, and he just passed from colon cancer. There's a lot of awareness now in people in the aviation community to get earlier colon cancer screening, because you are getting exposed to radiation in that jet.

Again, just paying attention and understanding that the vets are a special group of people that one time in their lifetime they volunteered to give their life for this country, and I think that has a lot of weight, especially in this day and age when the world is how it is. It's a cool thing that we do, and I encourage anybody that's doing derm to do that, too.

[Transcript has been edited for clarity.]

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Purple Heart Project Seeks to Provide Veterans With Access to ... - Dermatology Times

Dermatology

Dermatology expert stresses importance of cytology and cultures – DVM 360

At the 2023 New York Vet Show in New York, New York, Andrew Rosenberg, DVM, DACVD, with Animal Dermatology Group, Inc, discussed with dvm360 the importance of cytology in dermatologic testing, plus what's often overlooked in veterinary dermatology.

The following is a transcript of the video.

Andrew Rosenberg, DVM, DACVD: By far, the top dermatology test is cytology. Everything should be "cytologied" in dermatology, it gives us so much information. Most importantly, with ear infections, especially every case of an ear infection should have a cytology performed.

So, there are a few things that are overlooked [in veterinary dermatology]. One important thing I think, is the importance of cytology. Again, almost everything in derm should have a cytology performed. And then I think cultures are really important, too. If you're treating a skin infection or an ear infection, [and] you're really not getting results and resolution, a bacterial culture and sensitivity should be performed which can give us a lot of information.

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Dermatology expert stresses importance of cytology and cultures - DVM 360

Dermatology

Shawn Kwatra, MD, Shares Highlights From the 12th World … – Dermatology Times

Shawn Kwatra, MD, associate professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the Johns Hopkins Itch Center, in Baltimore, Maryland, recently attended and presented at the 12th World Congress on Itch in Miami, Florida, held November 5th through the 7th. The international meeting was chaired by Gil Yosipovitch, MD, who was assisted by the local organizing committee of Galit Yosipovitch, MBA, Eng; Leigh Nattkemper, PhD; Ethan Lerner, MD, PhD; and Santosh Mishra, PhD.

At the meeting, Kwatra presented sessions on chronic itch in ethnic populations, emerging pathways in itch, and mastering itch in atopic dermatitis. Kwatra spoke alongside experts in itch, including Daniel Butler, MD; Katja Fischer, PhD; Asit Kumar Mittal, MD; Brian Kim, MD, MTR; Bernhard Homey, MD, PhD; Sarina Elmariah, MD, PhD, MPH; and many others.

Additionally, Kwatra thanks Dr Brian Kim for his dedicated session planning, as well as Sonja Stnder, MD, who presented the important work of the International Dermatology Outcomes Measures Initiative.

Transcript

Shawn Kwatra, MD: Hi I'm Shawn Kwatra, director of the Johns Hopkins Itch Center and also a dermatologist in Baltimore, Maryland.I had the pleasure of serving his faculty and speaking at an incredible meeting, the 12th World Congress on Itch in Miami, Florida, which was November 5th to 7th. I want to give a lot of credit to Dr. Gil Yosipovitch who was the chair of the meeting and who did an incredible job organizing along with Galit Yosipovitch and a great organizing committee with Leigh Nattkemper, Ethan Lerner, and Santosh Mishra, as well. And it was a very incredible meeting spanning all aspects of itch and there were actually world leaders present in many different areas. So, Dr. Brian Kim actually did an incredible job moderating a session about the basic science and neuroimmune regulation of itch. There were world leaders such as Dr. Isaac Chiu, Ru-Rong Ji, Caroline Sokol, also other big heavy hitters like Dr. Mark Hoon, Allan Basbaum, and Xinzhong Dong, so many world leaders in the basic science of itch therapeutics, neuroimmune regulation, and also sensory biology were present, which made this incredible meeting as well as many clinical leaders. So, there was Dr. Jonathan Silverberg and Dr. Amy Paller, Dr. Kenji Kabishima Dr. Sonja Stander, and Elke Weisshaar, who's the President also of the International Forum for the Study of Itch.

It was an incredible meeting that was conducted really with a lot of world leaders. And also, what was interesting was a hot topics session where there was novel data that was released. Dr. Martin Metz really talked about some novel data with the compound barzolvolimab. Tyler Beck who's also an MD, PhD, talked about a novel long-acting release kappa opioid receptor compound, so it was really a jam-packed session all about itch and even talking about the definition of itch upfront by Dr. Sonja Stander as well. Just great sessions across the board at a very high level from both basic science and clinical perspective as well. These are the kinds of meetings where a lot of breakthroughs happen because a lot of collaborations are made. So, it's really an incredible meeting. And I want to make sure I give a lot of credit to Dr. Gil Yosipovitch, Galit Yosipovitch, and all of those other folks who helped organize just a tremendous meeting there are nearly 500 people that attended a strong industry presents as well as well as world leaders, folks from all over the world. It puts itch on the map. We know that there are many therapeutics that are in development for itch and many more coming. This is a huge unmet need in medicine broadly. I think having that industry support is also very important. And it was just a phenomenal meeting

Dermatology Times: What clinical pearls did you share at the 12th World Congress on Itch?

Kwatra: I actually had the pleasure to talk about itch in skin color and ethnic populations. And this is a huge unmet need because what we know is in diseases like atopic dermatitis, the disease disproportionately affects this patient population. There are higher rates of eczema in Black children and adults. Folks are more likely to have persistent atopic dermatitis and develop subsequent asthma as well. And we know that they're actually also important factors genetics, social determinants of health, environment, even exposure to an urban microbiome. And we also know these patients are oftentimes prescribed a lot of our novel cutting-edge therapeutics at less frequent rates. It's a major issue. We also talked about prurigo nodularis, which disproportionately affects Black patients. And these patients actually have a broader immune activation. We shared some novel data from our lab that shows Black patients oftentimes present with more fibrotic nodules as well. So we shared data how in atopic dermatitis, there may be broader immune activation and actually papular involvement that can be on a continuum with prurigo nodularis, and then we shared data how in prurigo nodularis, there are actually genetic studies that are group performed showing that Asian and African patients are more likely to develop PN in the first place, so a genetic polygenic risk score, they present and predicted development. And we also share data on our somatic mutation study. This is work funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Dermatology Foundation, and the Skin of Color Society. So a large coalition of funding that showed in African American patients, there are very unique genes involving epithelial and mesenchymal transition that are affected as well as novel, copy number variations, and we also shared a little bit of our data where we have been following prurigo nodularis patients prospectively and performing immunophenotyping of these patients and also characterizing their response to therapy.

One thing that we are finding is that there seems to be race-based endotypes of the disease in different subsets of patients. So particularly, Asian and Caucasian patients tend to have a little bit higher degree of circulating blood type 2 inflammation than our African American patients. We're excited we'll be sharing more of this data in a more complete manner also at the Skin of Color Society Scientific Symposium at the American Academy of Dermatology, the day before that meeting, so it's a very good opportunity to talk about itch in skin of color, and we highlighted some nuances to treatment. You want to have less of reliance on topical steroids because of the risk of hyperpigmentation. You want to aggressively target inflammation and you also want to view itch as a biomarker or a sensor of disease activity because you can't actually see the erythema as well, the redness as well in skin of color patients, particularly our African American and Black. patients. So knowing that there may be a barrier there, and then acting appropriately; we're prioritizing itch by asking about the symptom, because we know that's also associated with inflammation, so it was a great session. And great to actually get a lot of folks thinking about this topic especially in clinical trials. We alluded to the problem that we're having with the limited numbers of enrollment of minority populations and pivotal phase 3 trials. So, there have been the development of some post approval phase 4 studies, but we also discussed and highlighted how the true goal is to have in our pivotal phase 3 studies, very representative populations and minority populations that mirror you know, the general population as well. We know how these drugs are working properly. We had a great discussion about many different aspects from society to bench to bedside.

[Transcript edited for clarity]

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Shawn Kwatra, MD, Shares Highlights From the 12th World ... - Dermatology Times

Dermatology

The Weekly Roundup: November 12-17 – Dermatology Times

Abby L. Allen, RN, NP: Update on Biologics for Atopic Dermatitis

What are some of the challenges and triumphs in using biologics for atopic dermatitis? Abby L. Allen, RN, NP, shares insights at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting.

A poster presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting found once daily roflumilast cream 0.15% safely and significantly improved atopic dermatitis.

Late-breaking data adds important safety and efficacy data for leukotriene receptor antagonists augmentation in chronic urticaria treatment.

Kamran H. Imam, MD, hopes to unlock insights into the atopic disease burden among Native American populations.

Marcella R. Aquino details issues in differential diagnosis for rashes that mimic allergic skin conditions at the ACAAI Annual Meeting.

Session at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting explored issues in understanding and testing for physical urticaria.

Keep up with the latest headlines in dermatology from the past week, including the rise of teledermatology platforms leading patients to opt out of in-person consultations, WHO and ILO estimates of non-melanoma skin cancer deaths attributable to outdoor work in the sun, and more.

In this weeks Pointers With Portela, the 208SkinDoc reviews medical health insurance on his podcast.

2023 has been complete with numerous innovations in the dermatology space, including in atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, alopecia areata, and more.

Dermatology encompasses cosmetics, unregulated products, OTC drugs, OTC devices, prescription devices, and prescription drugs, whether oral, injectable, or topical.

In addition to improvements in work productivity, tildrakizumab also demonstrated significant efficacy and safety.

Bimekizumab is the first dual IL-17 A/F inhibitor to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. It launches with a list price of $7,200 per syringe.

In honor of National Healthy Skin Month, it is the perfect time to encourage patients to integrate gentle laser treatments into their yearly routine to maintain healthy, radiant skin.

Experts discuss insights and hot topics stemming from this year's Science of Skincare Summit, including upcoming innovations and considerations in dermatology.

Label warnings may affect the initiation of new treatment and real-world switching patterns for psoriasis patients starting treatment with risankizumab.

Dermatology Times, the SDPA, and more are celebrating the invaluable contributions of nurse practitioners in dermatology this NP Week (November 12-18).

This weeks collection of the latest dermatologic studies covers atypical molluscum contagiosum lesions with a CD30-positive T-cell lymphoid infiltrate, comorbidities in pediatric psoriasis, tralokinumab for adolescents with severe AD, and intralesional bleomycin combined with lidocaine for recalcitrant keloid scars.

Almirall, Absci Partner to Develop AI-Designed Therapies for Dermatologic Conditions

Experts Heather Woolery-Lloyd, MD; Chesahna Kindred, MD, MBA, FAAD; Gary M. Owens, MD; and Renata Block, MMS, PA-C, discuss the evolving landscape of vitiligo, particularly from an economic lens.

There are currently no FDA-approved therapies for the rare, genetic disease.

Experts discuss enhancing patient outcomes, the "mounting mutiny" against topicals, and more.

Baricitinib is more commonly prescribed by dermatologists for patients with alopecia in the US and is projected to maintain a substantial market lead over ritlecitinib.

Findings from a phase 2 trial showed improvements in relapse-free survival with an mRNA vaccine plus Keytruda compared with Keytruda alone in patients with high-risk resected melanoma.

November is Native American Heritage Month. Access to dermatological health care has been a persistent challenge for individuals in the AIAN community.

Hyperhidrosis is not rare. According to the International Hyperhidrosis Society, approximately 385 million people worldwide live with hyperhidrosis.

Germany will be the first country where lebrikizumab will be available for prescription, with a subsequent rollout across European countries throughout 2024.

Jorge Garcia-Zuazaga, MD, MBA, FAAD, FACMS, discusses Apex Dermatology's Purple Heart Project.

Kwatra presented on the unmet need for itch improvement in patients with skin of color.

To stay up-to-date with the latest dermatology news, sign up to receive oureNewsletters.

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The Weekly Roundup: November 12-17 - Dermatology Times

Dermatology

Almirall, Absci Partner to Develop AI-Designed Therapies for … – Dermatology Times

Absci Corporation, a leader in generative artificial intelligence (AI) drug creation, and Almirall, a global biopharmaceutical company specializing in medical dermatology, have announced1 a strategic partnership aimed at revolutionizing the landscape of dermatological therapeutics. The collaboration seeks to incorporate the power of AI in developing and commercializing treatments for chronic and debilitating skin diseases.

The partnership will combine Abscis Integrated Drug Creation platform with Almiralls expertise in dermatology. The collaboration represents Almiralls inaugural de novo AI drug initiative, marking a shift toward embracing AI-driven innovation in drug development and is aimed at driving innovation in dermatologic drug development.

Read more from Dermatology Times about the use of AI in dermatology here.

Absci's "zero-shot" generative AI, which allows the design and validation of de novo therapeutic antibodies, will be leveraged in the partnership to create therapeutic candidates for 2 specific dermatologic targets.

Earlier this year, Absci announced2 that zero-shot was breakthrough in generative AI drug creation capable of "binding to specific targets without using any training data of antibodies known to bind to those specific targets."

When validated against more than 100,000 antibodies, Absci found that the zero-shot generative AI's hit rate was estimated to be 5 to 30 times greater than the examined biological baselines.

"Almirall chose Absci because their de novo platform brings truly novel innovation in solving the industrys most challenging targets facing high unmet medical need," said Karl Ziegelbauer, PhD, in a press release. Ziegelbauer is Amirall's Executive VP of Research and Development.

"Our partnership underlines Almiralls commitment to target innovative approaches to help patients suffering from severe skin diseases to achieve their dream of leading a healthy life," Ziegelbauer said.

Absci's Founder and CEO, Sean McClain, echoed the sentiment, saying, Our partnership with Almirall marks an important leap forward for dermatologic drug development and is poised to transform the lives of millions managing skin conditions.

References

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Almirall, Absci Partner to Develop AI-Designed Therapies for ... - Dermatology Times

Dermatology

The Skin of Color Society Kicks Off a Season of Giving with its My … – PR Newswire

The first of its kind campaign is built around public education, volunteerism and giving in support of much-needed mentorship and research in skin of color dermatology

CHICAGO, Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TheSkin of Color Society (SOCS), the world's leading professional skin of color dermatology organization, has established a national health awareness day known asMy Best Winter Skin Day,kicking off an annual seasonal campaign built around public education, volunteerism and giving. While raising awareness about a common skin condition that affects people of all ages, skin types and tones in the colder months of the year, funds raised through this public educational campaign will go to the SOCS Foundation to help support innovative research and mentorship in skin of color dermatology.

My Best Winter Skin Day launched nationally on October 24, featuring two successful community outreach events in Chicago and Washington, D.C., involving teams of SOCS members, medical students and dermatology residents from Northwestern University and Howard University respectively. As part of their public outreach activities, participating SOCS volunteers shared educational tips for managing winter skin that were developed by the SOCS Patient Education Committee, and distributed free moisturizers generously donated by campaign sponsors, La Roche-Posay and CeraVe. Campaign support was also provided by Restore Hair.

Building on the tremendous momentum of these two MBWS launch events, SOCS members in 18 states in the USA have committed to conduct outreach events in their communities and on college campuses in the coming winter months. In a variety of settings, SOCS volunteers will distribute MBWS educational material and donated moisturizers in SOCS-branded travel bags to raise awareness about optimal winter skin care and generate donations to the SOCS Foundation.

Winter skin is a seasonal condition that can be bothersome, uncomfortable or even unsightly for many people. The cold, dry air draws moisture from the skin, leading to dryness, cracking, itching, and even bleeding. SOCS' dermatologic experts recommend the following steps to keep skin healthy during harsh, winter weather:

To learn more about how to engage with SOCS and support mentorship and research, as well as the My Best Winter Skin Campaign, visit here.

About the Skin of Color SocietyThe Skin of Color Society (SOCS) is a globally recognized leader in advancing skin of color dermatology, with dermatologist members from 30 countries around the world. Founded in 2004 by Dr. Susan C. Taylor, the SOCS mission is to achieve health equity and excellence in patient care through research, education, mentorship, and advocacy. Since inception, SOCS has worked tirelessly to strengthen the pipeline of dermatology students, and residents as well as comprehensively train dermatology fellows in delivering culturally competent care to diverse populations. SOCS membership includes highly skilled mentors across dermatology subspecialties (medical, cosmetic and surgical), and practice settings (private practice, public service and academia). SOCS has successfully mentored hundreds of medical students, dermatology residents and fellows and has awarded various research, fellowship, observership, career development and innovation grants to early and mid-career dermatologists. http://www.skinofcolorsociety.org

SOURCE Skin of Color Society

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The Skin of Color Society Kicks Off a Season of Giving with its My ... - PR Newswire

Dermatology

Clascoterone Cream in Patients With Acne: New Long-Term Data – Medpage Today

Clascoterone (Winlevi) cream was safe and effective for up to 12 months in patients with acne ages 12 and older, and may in fact become more efficacious over time.

That's according to results of an extension study that appears in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.

Enrolled patients applied clascoterone cream 1% twice daily to the entire face and, if desired by the patient and/or investigator, truncal acne, for up to 9 months.

Patients achieving Investigator's Global Assessment score of 0 or 1 (IGA 0/1) could stop and resume treatment if needed. Of 600 patients ages 12 and older (original randomization: 311 clascoterone, 289 vehicle) included in the original study, 343 completed the extension study (177 clascoterone, 166 vehicle).

Participants reported 187 adverse events in 108/598 clascoterone-treated patients (18.1%); these affected 56/311 (18.0%) and 52/287 (18.1%) patients originally randomized to clascoterone and control groups, respectively. The percentage of patients with facial and truncal IGA 0/1 increased to 48.9% (156/319) and to 52.4% (65/124), respectively, among those who completed the study per protocol.

The study was conducted by a team of U.S.-based researchers, including first author Lawrence Eichenfield, MD, chief of pediatric and adolescent dermatology at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego and professor of dermatology and pediatrics and vice-chair of the department of dermatology at University of California San Diego School of Medicine. The following study excerpts have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What was the key objective of this trial?

Clascoterone cream 1%, a novel topical androgen receptor inhibitor, was approved in the U.S. in 2020 for the treatment of acne vulgaris in males and females ages 12 years and older.

The cream's efficacy and safety were assessed in two identical Phase 3 clinical trials and in a long-term extension study in patients ages 9 and older with moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris. In the Phase 3 pivotal studies, treatment with clascoterone cream 1% resulted in significant clinical improvement compared with vehicle cream after 12 weeks of twice-daily application, with a favorable safety profile.

Clascoterone safety was well maintained for up to an additional 9 months of treatment in patients ages 9 and older with moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris. Here, the study team presented long-term safety and efficacy data in the subgroup of clinical trial patients ages 12 and older who entered the long-term extension study.

What were the key findings?

This 9-month extension study confirmed the favorable safety profile of clascoterone cream 1% in the long-term treatment of patients ages 12 and older with moderate-to-severe facial and/or truncal acne vulgaris. The frequencies of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAE) and local skin reactions were low throughout the study. Most of the TEAEs were mild, and no accumulation of adverse events was observed over time.

The proportions of patients with facial and truncal IGA 0/1 increased over time and were highest at the end of the study, indicating that clascoterone efficacy continued to increase with long-term treatment. These results suggest that clascoterone may be a suitable option for long-term topical treatment of both facial and truncal acne vulgaris in patients in this age group.

What was the safety profile after the extension period?

Overall, 108/598 (18.1%) patients in the safety population experienced a total of 187 TEAEs; frequency was similar between patients previously treated with clascoterone (56/311 [18.0%]) versus vehicle (52/287 [18.1%]). Most TEAEs were mild or moderate and not considered related to clascoterone treatment.

A total of 6/598 (1.0%) patients reported serious adverse events, none of which were considered related to clascoterone treatment; 9/598 (1.5%) patients had TEAEs leading to study discontinuation. The most frequent TEAEs by percentage of patients affected included nasopharyngitis (17 [2.8%]), upper respiratory tract infection (11 [1.8%]), sinusitis (5 [0.8%]), viral respiratory tract infection (5 [0.8%]), and application site acne (4 [0.7%]) among all patients.

What are the key takeaways for dermatologists?

This and previous studies support clascoterone as an option for long-term treatment of acne vulgaris.

The proportion of patients whose skin was clear or almost clear increased at each visit and was highest at the end of the study, indicating that clascoterone efficacy improved over time for up to 12 months in patients with moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris.

Eichenfield is an employee of the University of California San Diego, which received compensation from Cassiopea S.p.A., for study participation; he also reports relationships with Almirall, Dermata, Galderma Laboratories, and Ortho Dermatologics.

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Clascoterone Cream in Patients With Acne: New Long-Term Data - Medpage Today

Dermatology

Discovery of hemoglobin in the epidermis sheds new light on our … – EurekAlert

image:

Hemoglobin (magenta) in mouse hair follicles during the growth phase of hair cycles.

Credit: Umi Tahara, Takeshi Matsui, Keitaro Fukuda, and Masayuki Amagai

Philadelphia, November 17, 2023 Researchers have shown for the first time that hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells where it binds oxygen, is also present in the epidermis, our skin's outermost body tissue. The study, which appears in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, published by Elsevier, provides important insights into the properties of our skin's protective external layer.

This research was driven by a curiosity about how the epidermis protects our delicate body from the environment and what unexpected molecules are expressed in the epidermis. Researchers discovered the hemoglobin protein in keratinocytes of the epidermis and in hair follicles. This unexpected evidence adds a new facet to the understanding of the workings of our skin's defense mechanisms.

Lead investigator of the study Masayuki Amagai, MD, PhD, Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, and Laboratory for Skin Homeostasis, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, explains: "The epidermis consists of keratinized stratified squamous epithelium, which is primarily composed of keratinocytes. Previous studies have identified the expression of various genes with protective functions in keratinocytes during their differentiation and formation of the outer skin barrier. However, other barrier-related genes escaped prior detection because of difficulties obtaining adequate amounts of isolated terminally differentiated keratinocytes for transcriptome analysis."

Hemoglobin binds gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitric oxide, and it is an iron carrier via the heme complex. These properties make epidermal hemoglobin a prime candidate for antioxidant activity and potentially other roles in barrier function.

Professor Amagai continues: "We conducted a comparative transcriptome analysis of the whole and upper epidermis, both of which were enzymatically separated as cell sheets from human and mouse skin. We discovered that the genes responsible for producing hemoglobin were highly active in the upper part of the epidermis. To confirm our findings, we used immunostaining to visualize the presence of hemoglobin protein in keratinocytes of the upper epidermis."

Professor Amagai concludes: "Our study showed that epidermal hemoglobin was upregulated by oxidative stress and inhibited the production of reactive oxygen species in human keratinocyte cell cultures. Our findings suggest that hemoglobin protects keratinocytes from oxidative stress derived from external or internal sources such as UV irradiation and impaired mitochondrial function, respectively. Therefore, the expression of hemoglobin by keratinocytes represents an endogenous defense mechanism against skin aging and skin cancer."

Journal of Investigative Dermatology

Experimental study

Cells

Keratinocytes of the Upper Epidermis and Isthmus of Hair Follicles Express Hemoglobin mRNA and Protein

17-Nov-2023

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