MDedge Dermatology

There is a well-established connection between the mind and the skin, and it is clear that this relationship is bidirectional—not only does skin disease increase the risk for depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and suicidality, but psychologic stress actually can worsen skin disease through multiple mechanisms, including direct damage to the skin barrier.^1,2 Psychologic stress also impacts the microbiome, another critical driver of skin disease.^3,4 The concept of the itch-scratch cycle vividly illustrates the vicious interplay between the mind and body in atopic dermatitis (AD).

However, patients with AD are not the only ones impacted—caregivers also experience psychologic stress. Remarkably, one study of patients with AD and their caregivers found that the caregivers actually reported significantly worse mental health and anxiety (P=.01 and P=.03, respectively) than patients themselves, even when controlling for the severity of disease.⁵

Thus, it would seem obvious for mental health to be a central component of AD care—to improve patient and caregiver quality of life while also improving symptoms. Research has actually borne this out, with one systematic review and meta-analysis concluding that psychological intervention has a beneficial effect on AD,⁶ and another that the addition of psychological and educational interventions to conventional treatment provided better therapeutic results in alleviating eczema severity and psychological symptoms.⁷ One study demonstrated that patients with AD who received cognitive behavioral therapy via the internet displayed a statistically significant improvement in their disease (P<.001) as measured by the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure compared with those in the control group who received standard care alone. They also reported improvements in perceived stress, sleep problems, and depression in the intervention group that were sustained at 1-year follow-up.⁸ These findings are particularly impactful because clinical results were achieved while leveraging an internet-based approach to therapy.

Regrettably, despite the preponderance of evidence supporting the connection between mental health and AD, there remain considerable unmet needs. A recent cross-sectional survey of 954 adults with AD and caregivers of children with AD (N=954) conducted by the National Eczema Association found that half of patients were never asked about mental health during any of their visits, and of those referred for mental health resources, only 57% utilized the recommended services.⁹ Importantly, patients aged 18 to 34 years reported wanting to be asked about mental health. Of those who did receive referrals, most were for counseling services (23%), followed by alternative mental health therapy such as music or art therapy (15%), cognitive behavioral therapy (13%), or peer/social support groups (12%). Approximately 10% reported receiving a pamphlet or a brochure only.⁹

Physicians who treat patients with AD can and must do better, but first we must explore why these referral rates are so low. As with many complex problems, there is unlikely to be one simple unifying reason. As expected, the answer is nuanced and multifaceted, and—most importantly—staggeringly incomplete.

For starters, mental health interventions rarely are as easy as applying a cream or taking a pill. Hedman-Lagerlöf et al⁸ specifically pointed out that although their approach—using internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy—was explicitly designed to be more accessible with fewer resources, it required approximately 35 hours of treatment over 12 weeks, requiring both substantial time and commitment from patients who often are already burned out and exhausted due to AD. They even underscored that the most commonly reported adverse effect of therapy was increased stress or worry, making it a difficult sell.⁸

Even before most patients have a chance to consider the time required and the potential adverse effects of mental health interventions for AD, greater hurdles exist. Finances, medical insurance, and wait times were highlighted as barriers to care in a systematic review.¹⁰ These are deep-seated problems in the United States; while they may be surmountable in certain geo­graphic areas, the frequency with which these concerns arise means that it does not take too many failed attempts at referring patients for mental health services before clinicians just give up—similar to any form of operant conditioning.

A more elusive concept is stigmatization. Although it may not be quantifiable, the idea is that patients may encounter additional challenges when seeking mental health care, either because the interactions themselves may worsen their symptoms (eg, increased anxiety) or they may be more likely to have a negative perception of the experience.¹¹ A 2020 systematic review of barriers to addressing common mental health problems found that stigma was the most prominent barrier in adolescents, with the second most prominent being negative attitudes and beliefs about mental health services and professionals.¹² As a clinician, I can attest that I have sometimes detected skepticism when I have suggested mental health services to patients and have even been asked outright if I thought the problem was all in their head. My patients with AD generally have been much more open to the idea of mental health support, especially after I explain the powerful mind-body connection, than patients with other conditions—most notably delusions of parasitosis—who have been much more dismissive of such overtures. An oft-cited paper from 1976 frames the problem perfectly, describing what can happen after a referral for mental health services.¹³ The authors stated that the suggestion of mental health makes patients feel that the dermatologist does not believe them in the first place. Beyond this, the authors pointed out that referring the patient elsewhere reduces their hopes for dermatologic treatment.¹³

Knowing now—perhaps more than ever before—that the mind and skin are intimately connected compels us to solve these problems and find ways around these obstacles. Selecting the optimal forms of mental health services for each patient, having the structural support of the health care system, and winning the trust of patients and caregivers while combating stigma are undoubtedly tall orders; however, understanding the stakes for patients with AD, their caregivers, and society as a whole should inspire us to keep pushing forward.

There is a well-established connection between the mind and the skin, and it is clear that this relationship is bidirectional—not only does skin disease increase the risk for depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and suicidality, but psychologic stress actually can worsen skin disease through multiple mechanisms, including direct damage to the skin barrier.^1,2 Psychologic stress also impacts the microbiome, another critical driver of skin disease.^3,4 The concept of the itch-scratch cycle vividly illustrates the vicious interplay between the mind and body in atopic dermatitis (AD).

However, patients with AD are not the only ones impacted—caregivers also experience psychologic stress. Remarkably, one study of patients with AD and their caregivers found that the caregivers actually reported significantly worse mental health and anxiety (P=.01 and P=.03, respectively) than patients themselves, even when controlling for the severity of disease.⁵

Thus, it would seem obvious for mental health to be a central component of AD care—to improve patient and caregiver quality of life while also improving symptoms. Research has actually borne this out, with one systematic review and meta-analysis concluding that psychological intervention has a beneficial effect on AD,⁶ and another that the addition of psychological and educational interventions to conventional treatment provided better therapeutic results in alleviating eczema severity and psychological symptoms.⁷ One study demonstrated that patients with AD who received cognitive behavioral therapy via the internet displayed a statistically significant improvement in their disease (P<.001) as measured by the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure compared with those in the control group who received standard care alone. They also reported improvements in perceived stress, sleep problems, and depression in the intervention group that were sustained at 1-year follow-up.⁸ These findings are particularly impactful because clinical results were achieved while leveraging an internet-based approach to therapy.

Regrettably, despite the preponderance of evidence supporting the connection between mental health and AD, there remain considerable unmet needs. A recent cross-sectional survey of 954 adults with AD and caregivers of children with AD (N=954) conducted by the National Eczema Association found that half of patients were never asked about mental health during any of their visits, and of those referred for mental health resources, only 57% utilized the recommended services.⁹ Importantly, patients aged 18 to 34 years reported wanting to be asked about mental health. Of those who did receive referrals, most were for counseling services (23%), followed by alternative mental health therapy such as music or art therapy (15%), cognitive behavioral therapy (13%), or peer/social support groups (12%). Approximately 10% reported receiving a pamphlet or a brochure only.⁹

Physicians who treat patients with AD can and must do better, but first we must explore why these referral rates are so low. As with many complex problems, there is unlikely to be one simple unifying reason. As expected, the answer is nuanced and multifaceted, and—most importantly—staggeringly incomplete.

For starters, mental health interventions rarely are as easy as applying a cream or taking a pill. Hedman-Lagerlöf et al⁸ specifically pointed out that although their approach—using internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy—was explicitly designed to be more accessible with fewer resources, it required approximately 35 hours of treatment over 12 weeks, requiring both substantial time and commitment from patients who often are already burned out and exhausted due to AD. They even underscored that the most commonly reported adverse effect of therapy was increased stress or worry, making it a difficult sell.⁸

Even before most patients have a chance to consider the time required and the potential adverse effects of mental health interventions for AD, greater hurdles exist. Finances, medical insurance, and wait times were highlighted as barriers to care in a systematic review.¹⁰ These are deep-seated problems in the United States; while they may be surmountable in certain geo­graphic areas, the frequency with which these concerns arise means that it does not take too many failed attempts at referring patients for mental health services before clinicians just give up—similar to any form of operant conditioning.

A more elusive concept is stigmatization. Although it may not be quantifiable, the idea is that patients may encounter additional challenges when seeking mental health care, either because the interactions themselves may worsen their symptoms (eg, increased anxiety) or they may be more likely to have a negative perception of the experience.¹¹ A 2020 systematic review of barriers to addressing common mental health problems found that stigma was the most prominent barrier in adolescents, with the second most prominent being negative attitudes and beliefs about mental health services and professionals.¹² As a clinician, I can attest that I have sometimes detected skepticism when I have suggested mental health services to patients and have even been asked outright if I thought the problem was all in their head. My patients with AD generally have been much more open to the idea of mental health support, especially after I explain the powerful mind-body connection, than patients with other conditions—most notably delusions of parasitosis—who have been much more dismissive of such overtures. An oft-cited paper from 1976 frames the problem perfectly, describing what can happen after a referral for mental health services.¹³ The authors stated that the suggestion of mental health makes patients feel that the dermatologist does not believe them in the first place. Beyond this, the authors pointed out that referring the patient elsewhere reduces their hopes for dermatologic treatment.¹³

Knowing now—perhaps more than ever before—that the mind and skin are intimately connected compels us to solve these problems and find ways around these obstacles. Selecting the optimal forms of mental health services for each patient, having the structural support of the health care system, and winning the trust of patients and caregivers while combating stigma are undoubtedly tall orders; however, understanding the stakes for patients with AD, their caregivers, and society as a whole should inspire us to keep pushing forward.

There is a well-established connection between the mind and the skin, and it is clear that this relationship is bidirectional—not only does skin disease increase the risk for depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and suicidality, but psychologic stress actually can worsen skin disease through multiple mechanisms, including direct damage to the skin barrier.^1,2 Psychologic stress also impacts the microbiome, another critical driver of skin disease.^3,4 The concept of the itch-scratch cycle vividly illustrates the vicious interplay between the mind and body in atopic dermatitis (AD).

However, patients with AD are not the only ones impacted—caregivers also experience psychologic stress. Remarkably, one study of patients with AD and their caregivers found that the caregivers actually reported significantly worse mental health and anxiety (P=.01 and P=.03, respectively) than patients themselves, even when controlling for the severity of disease.⁵

Thus, it would seem obvious for mental health to be a central component of AD care—to improve patient and caregiver quality of life while also improving symptoms. Research has actually borne this out, with one systematic review and meta-analysis concluding that psychological intervention has a beneficial effect on AD,⁶ and another that the addition of psychological and educational interventions to conventional treatment provided better therapeutic results in alleviating eczema severity and psychological symptoms.⁷ One study demonstrated that patients with AD who received cognitive behavioral therapy via the internet displayed a statistically significant improvement in their disease (P<.001) as measured by the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure compared with those in the control group who received standard care alone. They also reported improvements in perceived stress, sleep problems, and depression in the intervention group that were sustained at 1-year follow-up.⁸ These findings are particularly impactful because clinical results were achieved while leveraging an internet-based approach to therapy.

Regrettably, despite the preponderance of evidence supporting the connection between mental health and AD, there remain considerable unmet needs. A recent cross-sectional survey of 954 adults with AD and caregivers of children with AD (N=954) conducted by the National Eczema Association found that half of patients were never asked about mental health during any of their visits, and of those referred for mental health resources, only 57% utilized the recommended services.⁹ Importantly, patients aged 18 to 34 years reported wanting to be asked about mental health. Of those who did receive referrals, most were for counseling services (23%), followed by alternative mental health therapy such as music or art therapy (15%), cognitive behavioral therapy (13%), or peer/social support groups (12%). Approximately 10% reported receiving a pamphlet or a brochure only.⁹

Physicians who treat patients with AD can and must do better, but first we must explore why these referral rates are so low. As with many complex problems, there is unlikely to be one simple unifying reason. As expected, the answer is nuanced and multifaceted, and—most importantly—staggeringly incomplete.

For starters, mental health interventions rarely are as easy as applying a cream or taking a pill. Hedman-Lagerlöf et al⁸ specifically pointed out that although their approach—using internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy—was explicitly designed to be more accessible with fewer resources, it required approximately 35 hours of treatment over 12 weeks, requiring both substantial time and commitment from patients who often are already burned out and exhausted due to AD. They even underscored that the most commonly reported adverse effect of therapy was increased stress or worry, making it a difficult sell.⁸

Even before most patients have a chance to consider the time required and the potential adverse effects of mental health interventions for AD, greater hurdles exist. Finances, medical insurance, and wait times were highlighted as barriers to care in a systematic review.¹⁰ These are deep-seated problems in the United States; while they may be surmountable in certain geo­graphic areas, the frequency with which these concerns arise means that it does not take too many failed attempts at referring patients for mental health services before clinicians just give up—similar to any form of operant conditioning.

A more elusive concept is stigmatization. Although it may not be quantifiable, the idea is that patients may encounter additional challenges when seeking mental health care, either because the interactions themselves may worsen their symptoms (eg, increased anxiety) or they may be more likely to have a negative perception of the experience.¹¹ A 2020 systematic review of barriers to addressing common mental health problems found that stigma was the most prominent barrier in adolescents, with the second most prominent being negative attitudes and beliefs about mental health services and professionals.¹² As a clinician, I can attest that I have sometimes detected skepticism when I have suggested mental health services to patients and have even been asked outright if I thought the problem was all in their head. My patients with AD generally have been much more open to the idea of mental health support, especially after I explain the powerful mind-body connection, than patients with other conditions—most notably delusions of parasitosis—who have been much more dismissive of such overtures. An oft-cited paper from 1976 frames the problem perfectly, describing what can happen after a referral for mental health services.¹³ The authors stated that the suggestion of mental health makes patients feel that the dermatologist does not believe them in the first place. Beyond this, the authors pointed out that referring the patient elsewhere reduces their hopes for dermatologic treatment.¹³

Knowing now—perhaps more than ever before—that the mind and skin are intimately connected compels us to solve these problems and find ways around these obstacles. Selecting the optimal forms of mental health services for each patient, having the structural support of the health care system, and winning the trust of patients and caregivers while combating stigma are undoubtedly tall orders; however, understanding the stakes for patients with AD, their caregivers, and society as a whole should inspire us to keep pushing forward.

With huge shifts over the past decade in the way doctors are employed — half of all doctors now work for a health system or large medical group — the idea of unionizing is not only being explored but gaining traction within the profession. In fact, 8% of the physician workforce (or 70,000 physicians) belong to a union, according to statistics gathered in 2022.

Exact numbers are hard to come by, and, interestingly, although the American Medical Association (AMA) “ supports the right of physicians to engage in collective bargaining,” the organization doesn’t track union membership among physicians, according to an AMA spokesperson. 
 

Forming a Union

One challenge is that forming a union is not only time-consuming but also difficult, owing to several barriers. For starters, the laws dictating unionization differ by state, and the rules governing unionization vary if a hospital is public or private. If there’s enough momentum from doctors leading unionization efforts, approval from hospital leaders is required before an official election can be requested from the National Labor Relations Board.

That said, for doctors who are in a union — the two most popular are the Union of American Physicians and Dentists and the Doctors Council branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)—the benefits are immense, especially because union members can focus on what matters, such as providing the best patient care possible.

For a profession that historically has not been unionized, this year alone, nine medical residency programs at hospitals such as Stanford Health, Montefiore Medical Center, and the University of Pennsylvania, formed unions, reported WBUR in Boston.
 

Belonging Matters 

“When you build a relationship with your patients, it’s special, and that connection isn’t replaceable,” said Nicholas VenOsdel, MD, a pediatrician at Allina Health Primary Care in Hastings, Minnesota, and a union member of the Doctors Council. “However, a lot of us have felt like that hasn’t been respected as the climate of healthcare has changed so fast.”

In fact, autonomy over how much time doctors spend with patients is driving a lot of interest in unionization.

“We don’t necessarily have that autonomy now,” said Amber Higgins, MD, an emergency physician and an obstetrician at ChristianaCare, a hospital network in Newark, Delaware, and a member of the Doctors Council. “There are so many other demands, whether it’s billing, patient documentation, or other demands from the employer, and all of that takes time away from patient care.”

Another primary driver of physician unionization is the physician burnout epidemic. Physicians collectively complain that they spend more time on electronic health record documentation and bureaucratic administration. Yet if unions can improve these working conditions, the benefit to physicians and their patients would be a welcome change.

Union members are bullish and believe that having a cohesive voice will make a difference.

“We need to use our collective voices to get back to focusing on patient care instead of staring at a computer screen for 80% of the day,” Dr. Higgins told this news organization. “So much of medicine involves getting to the correct diagnosis, listening to patients, observing them, and building a relationship with them. We need time to build that.”

With corporate consolidation and a profit-driven mandate by healthcare systems, doctors are increasingly frustrated and feel that their voices haven’t been heard enough when it comes to issues like workplace safety, working hours, and benefits, said Stuart Bussey, MD, JD, a family practice physician and president of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists in Sacramento, California. 

However, he adds that urging doctors to join together to fight for a better working environment hasn’t been easy.

“Doctors are individualists, and they don’t know how to work in packs like hospital administrators do,” said Dr. Bussey. “They’re hard to organize, but I want them to understand that unless they join hands, sign petitions, and speak as one voice, they’re going to lose out on an amazing opportunity.”
 

Overcoming Misperceptions About Unions

One barrier to doctors getting involved is the sentiment that unions might do the opposite of what’s intended — that is, they might further reduce a doctor’s autonomy and work flexibility. Or there may be a perception that the drive to join a union is predicated on making more money. 

Though he’s now in a union, Dr. VenOsdel, who has been in a hospital-based practice for 7 years, admits that he initially felt very differently about unions than he does today.

“Even though I have family members in healthcare unions, I had a neutral to even slightly negative view of unions,” said Dr. VenOsdel. “It took me working directly with the Minnesota Nurses Association and the Doctors Council to learn the other side of the story.”

Armed with more information, he began lobbying for stricter rules about how his state’s large healthcare systems were closing hospitals and ending much-needed community services.

“I remember standing at the Capitol in Minnesota and telling one of the members that I once felt negatively about unions,” he added. “I realized then that I only knew what employers were telling me via such things as emails about strikes — that information was all being shared from the employers’ perspective.”

The other misperception is that unions only exist to argue against management, including against colleagues who are also part of the management structure, said Dr. Higgins.

“Some doctors perceive being in a union as ‘how can those same leaders also be in a union,’” she said. She feels that they currently don’t have leadership representing them that can help with such things as restructuring their support teams or getting them help with certain tasks. “That’s another way unions can help.” 
 

Social Justice Plays a Role

For Dr. VenOsdel, being part of a union has helped him return to what he calls the “art” of medicine.

“Philosophically, the union gave me an option for change in what felt like a hopeless situation,” he said. “It wasn’t just that I was tossing the keys to someone else and saying, ‘I can’t fix this.’ Instead, we’re taking the reins back and fixing things ourselves.”

Bussey argues that as the uneven balance between administrators and providers in many healthcare organizations grows, the time to consider forming a union is now.

“We’re in a $4 trillion medical industrial revolution,” he said. “Administrators and bureaucrats are multiplying 30-fold times vs providers, and most of that $4 trillion supports things that don’t contribute to the doctor-patient relationship.”

Furthermore, union proponents say that where a one-on-one relationship between doctor and patient once existed, that has now been “triangulated” to include administrators.

“We’ve lost power in every way,” Dr. Bussey said. “We have the degrees, the liability, and the knowledge — we should have more power to make our workplaces safer and better.”

Ultimately, for some unionized doctors, the very holding of a union card is rooted in supporting social justice issues.

“When doctors realize how powerful a tool a union can be for social justice and change, this will alter perceptions of unions within our profession,” Dr. VenOsdel said. “Our union helps give us a voice to stand up for other staff who aren’t unionized and, most importantly, to stand up for the patients who need us.”
 

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

With huge shifts over the past decade in the way doctors are employed — half of all doctors now work for a health system or large medical group — the idea of unionizing is not only being explored but gaining traction within the profession. In fact, 8% of the physician workforce (or 70,000 physicians) belong to a union, according to statistics gathered in 2022.

Exact numbers are hard to come by, and, interestingly, although the American Medical Association (AMA) “ supports the right of physicians to engage in collective bargaining,” the organization doesn’t track union membership among physicians, according to an AMA spokesperson. 
 

Forming a Union

One challenge is that forming a union is not only time-consuming but also difficult, owing to several barriers. For starters, the laws dictating unionization differ by state, and the rules governing unionization vary if a hospital is public or private. If there’s enough momentum from doctors leading unionization efforts, approval from hospital leaders is required before an official election can be requested from the National Labor Relations Board.

That said, for doctors who are in a union — the two most popular are the Union of American Physicians and Dentists and the Doctors Council branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)—the benefits are immense, especially because union members can focus on what matters, such as providing the best patient care possible.

For a profession that historically has not been unionized, this year alone, nine medical residency programs at hospitals such as Stanford Health, Montefiore Medical Center, and the University of Pennsylvania, formed unions, reported WBUR in Boston.
 

Belonging Matters 

“When you build a relationship with your patients, it’s special, and that connection isn’t replaceable,” said Nicholas VenOsdel, MD, a pediatrician at Allina Health Primary Care in Hastings, Minnesota, and a union member of the Doctors Council. “However, a lot of us have felt like that hasn’t been respected as the climate of healthcare has changed so fast.”

In fact, autonomy over how much time doctors spend with patients is driving a lot of interest in unionization.

“We don’t necessarily have that autonomy now,” said Amber Higgins, MD, an emergency physician and an obstetrician at ChristianaCare, a hospital network in Newark, Delaware, and a member of the Doctors Council. “There are so many other demands, whether it’s billing, patient documentation, or other demands from the employer, and all of that takes time away from patient care.”

Another primary driver of physician unionization is the physician burnout epidemic. Physicians collectively complain that they spend more time on electronic health record documentation and bureaucratic administration. Yet if unions can improve these working conditions, the benefit to physicians and their patients would be a welcome change.

Union members are bullish and believe that having a cohesive voice will make a difference.

“We need to use our collective voices to get back to focusing on patient care instead of staring at a computer screen for 80% of the day,” Dr. Higgins told this news organization. “So much of medicine involves getting to the correct diagnosis, listening to patients, observing them, and building a relationship with them. We need time to build that.”

With corporate consolidation and a profit-driven mandate by healthcare systems, doctors are increasingly frustrated and feel that their voices haven’t been heard enough when it comes to issues like workplace safety, working hours, and benefits, said Stuart Bussey, MD, JD, a family practice physician and president of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists in Sacramento, California. 

However, he adds that urging doctors to join together to fight for a better working environment hasn’t been easy.

“Doctors are individualists, and they don’t know how to work in packs like hospital administrators do,” said Dr. Bussey. “They’re hard to organize, but I want them to understand that unless they join hands, sign petitions, and speak as one voice, they’re going to lose out on an amazing opportunity.”
 

Overcoming Misperceptions About Unions

One barrier to doctors getting involved is the sentiment that unions might do the opposite of what’s intended — that is, they might further reduce a doctor’s autonomy and work flexibility. Or there may be a perception that the drive to join a union is predicated on making more money. 

Though he’s now in a union, Dr. VenOsdel, who has been in a hospital-based practice for 7 years, admits that he initially felt very differently about unions than he does today.

“Even though I have family members in healthcare unions, I had a neutral to even slightly negative view of unions,” said Dr. VenOsdel. “It took me working directly with the Minnesota Nurses Association and the Doctors Council to learn the other side of the story.”

Armed with more information, he began lobbying for stricter rules about how his state’s large healthcare systems were closing hospitals and ending much-needed community services.

“I remember standing at the Capitol in Minnesota and telling one of the members that I once felt negatively about unions,” he added. “I realized then that I only knew what employers were telling me via such things as emails about strikes — that information was all being shared from the employers’ perspective.”

The other misperception is that unions only exist to argue against management, including against colleagues who are also part of the management structure, said Dr. Higgins.

“Some doctors perceive being in a union as ‘how can those same leaders also be in a union,’” she said. She feels that they currently don’t have leadership representing them that can help with such things as restructuring their support teams or getting them help with certain tasks. “That’s another way unions can help.” 
 

Social Justice Plays a Role

For Dr. VenOsdel, being part of a union has helped him return to what he calls the “art” of medicine.

“Philosophically, the union gave me an option for change in what felt like a hopeless situation,” he said. “It wasn’t just that I was tossing the keys to someone else and saying, ‘I can’t fix this.’ Instead, we’re taking the reins back and fixing things ourselves.”

Bussey argues that as the uneven balance between administrators and providers in many healthcare organizations grows, the time to consider forming a union is now.

“We’re in a $4 trillion medical industrial revolution,” he said. “Administrators and bureaucrats are multiplying 30-fold times vs providers, and most of that $4 trillion supports things that don’t contribute to the doctor-patient relationship.”

Furthermore, union proponents say that where a one-on-one relationship between doctor and patient once existed, that has now been “triangulated” to include administrators.

“We’ve lost power in every way,” Dr. Bussey said. “We have the degrees, the liability, and the knowledge — we should have more power to make our workplaces safer and better.”

Ultimately, for some unionized doctors, the very holding of a union card is rooted in supporting social justice issues.

“When doctors realize how powerful a tool a union can be for social justice and change, this will alter perceptions of unions within our profession,” Dr. VenOsdel said. “Our union helps give us a voice to stand up for other staff who aren’t unionized and, most importantly, to stand up for the patients who need us.”
 

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

With huge shifts over the past decade in the way doctors are employed — half of all doctors now work for a health system or large medical group — the idea of unionizing is not only being explored but gaining traction within the profession. In fact, 8% of the physician workforce (or 70,000 physicians) belong to a union, according to statistics gathered in 2022.

Exact numbers are hard to come by, and, interestingly, although the American Medical Association (AMA) “ supports the right of physicians to engage in collective bargaining,” the organization doesn’t track union membership among physicians, according to an AMA spokesperson. 
 

Forming a Union

One challenge is that forming a union is not only time-consuming but also difficult, owing to several barriers. For starters, the laws dictating unionization differ by state, and the rules governing unionization vary if a hospital is public or private. If there’s enough momentum from doctors leading unionization efforts, approval from hospital leaders is required before an official election can be requested from the National Labor Relations Board.

That said, for doctors who are in a union — the two most popular are the Union of American Physicians and Dentists and the Doctors Council branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)—the benefits are immense, especially because union members can focus on what matters, such as providing the best patient care possible.

For a profession that historically has not been unionized, this year alone, nine medical residency programs at hospitals such as Stanford Health, Montefiore Medical Center, and the University of Pennsylvania, formed unions, reported WBUR in Boston.
 

Belonging Matters 

“When you build a relationship with your patients, it’s special, and that connection isn’t replaceable,” said Nicholas VenOsdel, MD, a pediatrician at Allina Health Primary Care in Hastings, Minnesota, and a union member of the Doctors Council. “However, a lot of us have felt like that hasn’t been respected as the climate of healthcare has changed so fast.”

In fact, autonomy over how much time doctors spend with patients is driving a lot of interest in unionization.

“We don’t necessarily have that autonomy now,” said Amber Higgins, MD, an emergency physician and an obstetrician at ChristianaCare, a hospital network in Newark, Delaware, and a member of the Doctors Council. “There are so many other demands, whether it’s billing, patient documentation, or other demands from the employer, and all of that takes time away from patient care.”

Another primary driver of physician unionization is the physician burnout epidemic. Physicians collectively complain that they spend more time on electronic health record documentation and bureaucratic administration. Yet if unions can improve these working conditions, the benefit to physicians and their patients would be a welcome change.

Union members are bullish and believe that having a cohesive voice will make a difference.

“We need to use our collective voices to get back to focusing on patient care instead of staring at a computer screen for 80% of the day,” Dr. Higgins told this news organization. “So much of medicine involves getting to the correct diagnosis, listening to patients, observing them, and building a relationship with them. We need time to build that.”

With corporate consolidation and a profit-driven mandate by healthcare systems, doctors are increasingly frustrated and feel that their voices haven’t been heard enough when it comes to issues like workplace safety, working hours, and benefits, said Stuart Bussey, MD, JD, a family practice physician and president of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists in Sacramento, California. 

However, he adds that urging doctors to join together to fight for a better working environment hasn’t been easy.

“Doctors are individualists, and they don’t know how to work in packs like hospital administrators do,” said Dr. Bussey. “They’re hard to organize, but I want them to understand that unless they join hands, sign petitions, and speak as one voice, they’re going to lose out on an amazing opportunity.”
 

Overcoming Misperceptions About Unions

One barrier to doctors getting involved is the sentiment that unions might do the opposite of what’s intended — that is, they might further reduce a doctor’s autonomy and work flexibility. Or there may be a perception that the drive to join a union is predicated on making more money. 

Though he’s now in a union, Dr. VenOsdel, who has been in a hospital-based practice for 7 years, admits that he initially felt very differently about unions than he does today.

“Even though I have family members in healthcare unions, I had a neutral to even slightly negative view of unions,” said Dr. VenOsdel. “It took me working directly with the Minnesota Nurses Association and the Doctors Council to learn the other side of the story.”

Armed with more information, he began lobbying for stricter rules about how his state’s large healthcare systems were closing hospitals and ending much-needed community services.

“I remember standing at the Capitol in Minnesota and telling one of the members that I once felt negatively about unions,” he added. “I realized then that I only knew what employers were telling me via such things as emails about strikes — that information was all being shared from the employers’ perspective.”

The other misperception is that unions only exist to argue against management, including against colleagues who are also part of the management structure, said Dr. Higgins.

“Some doctors perceive being in a union as ‘how can those same leaders also be in a union,’” she said. She feels that they currently don’t have leadership representing them that can help with such things as restructuring their support teams or getting them help with certain tasks. “That’s another way unions can help.” 
 

Social Justice Plays a Role

For Dr. VenOsdel, being part of a union has helped him return to what he calls the “art” of medicine.

“Philosophically, the union gave me an option for change in what felt like a hopeless situation,” he said. “It wasn’t just that I was tossing the keys to someone else and saying, ‘I can’t fix this.’ Instead, we’re taking the reins back and fixing things ourselves.”

Bussey argues that as the uneven balance between administrators and providers in many healthcare organizations grows, the time to consider forming a union is now.

“We’re in a $4 trillion medical industrial revolution,” he said. “Administrators and bureaucrats are multiplying 30-fold times vs providers, and most of that $4 trillion supports things that don’t contribute to the doctor-patient relationship.”

Furthermore, union proponents say that where a one-on-one relationship between doctor and patient once existed, that has now been “triangulated” to include administrators.

“We’ve lost power in every way,” Dr. Bussey said. “We have the degrees, the liability, and the knowledge — we should have more power to make our workplaces safer and better.”

Ultimately, for some unionized doctors, the very holding of a union card is rooted in supporting social justice issues.

“When doctors realize how powerful a tool a union can be for social justice and change, this will alter perceptions of unions within our profession,” Dr. VenOsdel said. “Our union helps give us a voice to stand up for other staff who aren’t unionized and, most importantly, to stand up for the patients who need us.”
 

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

CARLSBAD, CALIF. — After Arash Moradzadeh, MD, treated the first 100 consecutive patients in his practice with a 1726-nm laser (AviClear) following its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for the treatment of mild to severe acne vulgaris in March of 2022, 90% experienced clearance at 1 year.

“Combining the AviClear with medical therapy and energy-based devices provides the best outcomes,” Dr. Moradzadeh, who practices facial and plastic surgery in Beverly Hills, California, said at the Controversies & Conversations in Laser & Cosmetic Surgery annual symposium. “You have to do all 300 pulses per treatment, and you do need to use settings of 19.5-21.5 J/cm² to get a great result.”

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

CARLSBAD, CALIF. — After Arash Moradzadeh, MD, treated the first 100 consecutive patients in his practice with a 1726-nm laser (AviClear) following its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for the treatment of mild to severe acne vulgaris in March of 2022, 90% experienced clearance at 1 year.

“Combining the AviClear with medical therapy and energy-based devices provides the best outcomes,” Dr. Moradzadeh, who practices facial and plastic surgery in Beverly Hills, California, said at the Controversies & Conversations in Laser & Cosmetic Surgery annual symposium. “You have to do all 300 pulses per treatment, and you do need to use settings of 19.5-21.5 J/cm² to get a great result.”

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

CARLSBAD, CALIF. — After Arash Moradzadeh, MD, treated the first 100 consecutive patients in his practice with a 1726-nm laser (AviClear) following its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for the treatment of mild to severe acne vulgaris in March of 2022, 90% experienced clearance at 1 year.

“Combining the AviClear with medical therapy and energy-based devices provides the best outcomes,” Dr. Moradzadeh, who practices facial and plastic surgery in Beverly Hills, California, said at the Controversies & Conversations in Laser & Cosmetic Surgery annual symposium. “You have to do all 300 pulses per treatment, and you do need to use settings of 19.5-21.5 J/cm² to get a great result.”

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of tapinarof 1% cream and roflumilast 0.3% cream as treatment options for patients with plaque psoriasis came more than 1 year after the American Academy of Dermatology/National Psoriasis Foundation Guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with topical therapy and alternative medicine modalities for psoriasis severity measures were published in 2021, leaving some clinicians to wonder how these two newcomer drugs fit into their clinical practice.

At the annual meeting of the Pacific Dermatologic Association, Jashin J. Wu, MD, one of the authors of the guidelines and a voluntary associate professor of dermatology at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, proposed that tapinarof 1% cream and roflumilast 0.3% cream be considered first-line treatments for mild psoriasis. “The reason is because they’re very fast-acting, effective,” and result in a large improvement over steroids, Dr. Wu said. “You don’t have to worry about steroid atrophy, and it eliminates the need to use many different agents for different parts of the body necessarily, such as a weaker steroid for the face and sensitive areas. It also eliminates the need for patients to switch out steroids, such as 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off.”

courtesy Doug Brunk

Tapinarof 1% cream (Vtama) was approved in May 2022, for the topical treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults, and is under FDA review for treating atopic dermatitis (AD). “It’s once a day application, which is nice,” Dr. Wu said. “It is a first-in-class topical aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist that can be used for the intertriginous areas. That’s where I find it helpful.”

Roflumilast 0.3% cream (Zoryve), a phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, was approved in July 2022 for the treatment of plaque psoriasis, including intertriginous areas, in patients aged 12 years and older. It was subsequently approved for treating plaque psoriasis in patients 6 years and older. (Roflumilast 0.15% cream is approved for mild to moderate AD in people aged 6 years or older, and roflumilast 0.3% topical foam is approved for seborrheic dermatitis in adults and children 9 years of age and older.)

The drug is contraindicated for use in patients with certain liver problems. “Patients are not going to be eating tubes of this drug, so I wouldn’t worry about that too much, but be aware if the pharmacist raises a concern about this,” Dr. Wu said.

Dr. Wu disclosed that he is or has been a consultant, investigator, or speaker for AbbVie, Almirall, Amgen, Arcutis, Aristea Therapeutics, Bausch Health, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Codex Labs, Dermavant, DermTech, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Eli Lilly, EPI Health, Galderma, Incyte, Janssen, LEO Pharma, Mindera, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Samsung Bioepis, Sanofi Genzyme, Solius, Sun Pharmaceuticals, UCB, and Zerigo Health.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of tapinarof 1% cream and roflumilast 0.3% cream as treatment options for patients with plaque psoriasis came more than 1 year after the American Academy of Dermatology/National Psoriasis Foundation Guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with topical therapy and alternative medicine modalities for psoriasis severity measures were published in 2021, leaving some clinicians to wonder how these two newcomer drugs fit into their clinical practice.

At the annual meeting of the Pacific Dermatologic Association, Jashin J. Wu, MD, one of the authors of the guidelines and a voluntary associate professor of dermatology at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, proposed that tapinarof 1% cream and roflumilast 0.3% cream be considered first-line treatments for mild psoriasis. “The reason is because they’re very fast-acting, effective,” and result in a large improvement over steroids, Dr. Wu said. “You don’t have to worry about steroid atrophy, and it eliminates the need to use many different agents for different parts of the body necessarily, such as a weaker steroid for the face and sensitive areas. It also eliminates the need for patients to switch out steroids, such as 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off.”

courtesy Doug Brunk

Tapinarof 1% cream (Vtama) was approved in May 2022, for the topical treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults, and is under FDA review for treating atopic dermatitis (AD). “It’s once a day application, which is nice,” Dr. Wu said. “It is a first-in-class topical aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist that can be used for the intertriginous areas. That’s where I find it helpful.”

Roflumilast 0.3% cream (Zoryve), a phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, was approved in July 2022 for the treatment of plaque psoriasis, including intertriginous areas, in patients aged 12 years and older. It was subsequently approved for treating plaque psoriasis in patients 6 years and older. (Roflumilast 0.15% cream is approved for mild to moderate AD in people aged 6 years or older, and roflumilast 0.3% topical foam is approved for seborrheic dermatitis in adults and children 9 years of age and older.)

The drug is contraindicated for use in patients with certain liver problems. “Patients are not going to be eating tubes of this drug, so I wouldn’t worry about that too much, but be aware if the pharmacist raises a concern about this,” Dr. Wu said.

Dr. Wu disclosed that he is or has been a consultant, investigator, or speaker for AbbVie, Almirall, Amgen, Arcutis, Aristea Therapeutics, Bausch Health, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Codex Labs, Dermavant, DermTech, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Eli Lilly, EPI Health, Galderma, Incyte, Janssen, LEO Pharma, Mindera, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Samsung Bioepis, Sanofi Genzyme, Solius, Sun Pharmaceuticals, UCB, and Zerigo Health.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of tapinarof 1% cream and roflumilast 0.3% cream as treatment options for patients with plaque psoriasis came more than 1 year after the American Academy of Dermatology/National Psoriasis Foundation Guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with topical therapy and alternative medicine modalities for psoriasis severity measures were published in 2021, leaving some clinicians to wonder how these two newcomer drugs fit into their clinical practice.

At the annual meeting of the Pacific Dermatologic Association, Jashin J. Wu, MD, one of the authors of the guidelines and a voluntary associate professor of dermatology at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, proposed that tapinarof 1% cream and roflumilast 0.3% cream be considered first-line treatments for mild psoriasis. “The reason is because they’re very fast-acting, effective,” and result in a large improvement over steroids, Dr. Wu said. “You don’t have to worry about steroid atrophy, and it eliminates the need to use many different agents for different parts of the body necessarily, such as a weaker steroid for the face and sensitive areas. It also eliminates the need for patients to switch out steroids, such as 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off.”

courtesy Doug Brunk

Tapinarof 1% cream (Vtama) was approved in May 2022, for the topical treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults, and is under FDA review for treating atopic dermatitis (AD). “It’s once a day application, which is nice,” Dr. Wu said. “It is a first-in-class topical aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist that can be used for the intertriginous areas. That’s where I find it helpful.”

Roflumilast 0.3% cream (Zoryve), a phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, was approved in July 2022 for the treatment of plaque psoriasis, including intertriginous areas, in patients aged 12 years and older. It was subsequently approved for treating plaque psoriasis in patients 6 years and older. (Roflumilast 0.15% cream is approved for mild to moderate AD in people aged 6 years or older, and roflumilast 0.3% topical foam is approved for seborrheic dermatitis in adults and children 9 years of age and older.)

The drug is contraindicated for use in patients with certain liver problems. “Patients are not going to be eating tubes of this drug, so I wouldn’t worry about that too much, but be aware if the pharmacist raises a concern about this,” Dr. Wu said.

Dr. Wu disclosed that he is or has been a consultant, investigator, or speaker for AbbVie, Almirall, Amgen, Arcutis, Aristea Therapeutics, Bausch Health, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Codex Labs, Dermavant, DermTech, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Eli Lilly, EPI Health, Galderma, Incyte, Janssen, LEO Pharma, Mindera, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Samsung Bioepis, Sanofi Genzyme, Solius, Sun Pharmaceuticals, UCB, and Zerigo Health.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. — Mounting evidence suggests that using topical timolol to treat a pyogenic granuloma (PG) may spare children from undergoing a surgical procedure, especially if the PG is small and on the face, according to Julie Dhossche, MD.

A PG is a common, benign vascular tumor that often occurs in children under 5 years of age, “usually in a very inconvenient spot, like the cheek,” Dr. Dhossche, a pediatric dermatologist at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, said at the annual meeting of the Pacific Dermatologic Association. “It can bleed a lot. Often, parents take their child to the emergency department for unstoppable bleeding. Our first-line treatment is often surgical: shave removal, electrocautery, or excision.”

courtesy Dr. Julie Dhossche

Several case reports about the use of the topical form of timolol, a nonselective beta-adrenergic antagonist, for PG have been published in the medical literature including a case series of seven patients (six were treated with topical timolol). The authors of the case series hypothesized that a beta-blocker may be effective for PGs by causing vasoconstriction that stops bleeding.

In addition, Dr. Dhossche and colleagues retrospectively evaluated 92 children with a mean age of 4.5 years who were treated with topical timolol for PG at OHSU from 2010 to 2020. The results were presented in an abstract at the 2022 Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance annual conference.

At the initial visit, 80 of 92 (87%) children were treated with timolol only, 6 of 92 (6.5%) underwent a procedure, and 6 of 92 (6.5%) were treated with timolol and a procedure. The researchers observed that of the 80 patients who received timolol monotherapy, 42 (52.5%) were spared a procedural intervention. “So, we have had some success with this,” she said. “It can also help with bleeding episodes if you are waiting for a procedure.”
 

Surgery May Still Be Needed

For PGs, she applies one drop of timolol to the lesion under occlusion with DuoDERM or a similar dressing, which is repeated every 1-3 days depending on how long the dressing stays on. “It may take 3-4 months of this treatment to clear,” she said.

If topical timolol doesn’t stop the PG from bleeding, or if parents elect for surgical removal, “some tears [during removal of the lesion] may be inevitable,” Dr. Dhossche said. “My goal is to make it as good of an experience as it can be, by being very confident and offering lots of smiles, pretreatment with topical lidocaine for 20-30 minutes, icing, and formulating an alliance with parents” to help calm nerves, “knowing if that doesn’t work, I might need help from my colleagues in pediatric sedation.”

Choice of language matters when describing to children what to expect during a procedure, she continued. For example, instead of saying, “it will feel like a bee sting,” say, “some kids say it is uncomfortable like a pinch and some kids say it’s not so bad.” And, when describing the size of a needle or an incision, instead of saying, “it’s as big as ...” say, “it’s as small as ...”

As described in a 2020 paper published in Pediatric Dermatology, proper comfort positioning of children during in-office dermatologic procedures is also key, which can include having the parent or caregiver hug a child during removal of a PG, Dr. Dhossche said. “You want to optimize distractions for the patient while you do the procedure. This is the time to bring out your iPhone, iPad, or enlist help from a certified child life specialist if you have one at your institution.”

When she administers injections to children, “I don’t lie about the shot, but I do hide the actual needle from sight, if possible,” she said. “I’ll say, ‘you’ll feel a pinch.’ Vibration tools can help while you’re injecting.” She showed an image of a vibrating light-up children’s toothbrush she found on Amazon for $10 “that has served me well. It’s also kind of a tension diffuser.”

Dr. Dhossche reported having no financial disclosures.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. — Mounting evidence suggests that using topical timolol to treat a pyogenic granuloma (PG) may spare children from undergoing a surgical procedure, especially if the PG is small and on the face, according to Julie Dhossche, MD.

A PG is a common, benign vascular tumor that often occurs in children under 5 years of age, “usually in a very inconvenient spot, like the cheek,” Dr. Dhossche, a pediatric dermatologist at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, said at the annual meeting of the Pacific Dermatologic Association. “It can bleed a lot. Often, parents take their child to the emergency department for unstoppable bleeding. Our first-line treatment is often surgical: shave removal, electrocautery, or excision.”

courtesy Dr. Julie Dhossche

Several case reports about the use of the topical form of timolol, a nonselective beta-adrenergic antagonist, for PG have been published in the medical literature including a case series of seven patients (six were treated with topical timolol). The authors of the case series hypothesized that a beta-blocker may be effective for PGs by causing vasoconstriction that stops bleeding.

In addition, Dr. Dhossche and colleagues retrospectively evaluated 92 children with a mean age of 4.5 years who were treated with topical timolol for PG at OHSU from 2010 to 2020. The results were presented in an abstract at the 2022 Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance annual conference.

At the initial visit, 80 of 92 (87%) children were treated with timolol only, 6 of 92 (6.5%) underwent a procedure, and 6 of 92 (6.5%) were treated with timolol and a procedure. The researchers observed that of the 80 patients who received timolol monotherapy, 42 (52.5%) were spared a procedural intervention. “So, we have had some success with this,” she said. “It can also help with bleeding episodes if you are waiting for a procedure.”
 

Surgery May Still Be Needed

For PGs, she applies one drop of timolol to the lesion under occlusion with DuoDERM or a similar dressing, which is repeated every 1-3 days depending on how long the dressing stays on. “It may take 3-4 months of this treatment to clear,” she said.

If topical timolol doesn’t stop the PG from bleeding, or if parents elect for surgical removal, “some tears [during removal of the lesion] may be inevitable,” Dr. Dhossche said. “My goal is to make it as good of an experience as it can be, by being very confident and offering lots of smiles, pretreatment with topical lidocaine for 20-30 minutes, icing, and formulating an alliance with parents” to help calm nerves, “knowing if that doesn’t work, I might need help from my colleagues in pediatric sedation.”

Choice of language matters when describing to children what to expect during a procedure, she continued. For example, instead of saying, “it will feel like a bee sting,” say, “some kids say it is uncomfortable like a pinch and some kids say it’s not so bad.” And, when describing the size of a needle or an incision, instead of saying, “it’s as big as ...” say, “it’s as small as ...”

As described in a 2020 paper published in Pediatric Dermatology, proper comfort positioning of children during in-office dermatologic procedures is also key, which can include having the parent or caregiver hug a child during removal of a PG, Dr. Dhossche said. “You want to optimize distractions for the patient while you do the procedure. This is the time to bring out your iPhone, iPad, or enlist help from a certified child life specialist if you have one at your institution.”

When she administers injections to children, “I don’t lie about the shot, but I do hide the actual needle from sight, if possible,” she said. “I’ll say, ‘you’ll feel a pinch.’ Vibration tools can help while you’re injecting.” She showed an image of a vibrating light-up children’s toothbrush she found on Amazon for $10 “that has served me well. It’s also kind of a tension diffuser.”

Dr. Dhossche reported having no financial disclosures.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. — Mounting evidence suggests that using topical timolol to treat a pyogenic granuloma (PG) may spare children from undergoing a surgical procedure, especially if the PG is small and on the face, according to Julie Dhossche, MD.

A PG is a common, benign vascular tumor that often occurs in children under 5 years of age, “usually in a very inconvenient spot, like the cheek,” Dr. Dhossche, a pediatric dermatologist at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, said at the annual meeting of the Pacific Dermatologic Association. “It can bleed a lot. Often, parents take their child to the emergency department for unstoppable bleeding. Our first-line treatment is often surgical: shave removal, electrocautery, or excision.”

courtesy Dr. Julie Dhossche

Several case reports about the use of the topical form of timolol, a nonselective beta-adrenergic antagonist, for PG have been published in the medical literature including a case series of seven patients (six were treated with topical timolol). The authors of the case series hypothesized that a beta-blocker may be effective for PGs by causing vasoconstriction that stops bleeding.

In addition, Dr. Dhossche and colleagues retrospectively evaluated 92 children with a mean age of 4.5 years who were treated with topical timolol for PG at OHSU from 2010 to 2020. The results were presented in an abstract at the 2022 Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance annual conference.

At the initial visit, 80 of 92 (87%) children were treated with timolol only, 6 of 92 (6.5%) underwent a procedure, and 6 of 92 (6.5%) were treated with timolol and a procedure. The researchers observed that of the 80 patients who received timolol monotherapy, 42 (52.5%) were spared a procedural intervention. “So, we have had some success with this,” she said. “It can also help with bleeding episodes if you are waiting for a procedure.”
 

Surgery May Still Be Needed

For PGs, she applies one drop of timolol to the lesion under occlusion with DuoDERM or a similar dressing, which is repeated every 1-3 days depending on how long the dressing stays on. “It may take 3-4 months of this treatment to clear,” she said.

If topical timolol doesn’t stop the PG from bleeding, or if parents elect for surgical removal, “some tears [during removal of the lesion] may be inevitable,” Dr. Dhossche said. “My goal is to make it as good of an experience as it can be, by being very confident and offering lots of smiles, pretreatment with topical lidocaine for 20-30 minutes, icing, and formulating an alliance with parents” to help calm nerves, “knowing if that doesn’t work, I might need help from my colleagues in pediatric sedation.”

Choice of language matters when describing to children what to expect during a procedure, she continued. For example, instead of saying, “it will feel like a bee sting,” say, “some kids say it is uncomfortable like a pinch and some kids say it’s not so bad.” And, when describing the size of a needle or an incision, instead of saying, “it’s as big as ...” say, “it’s as small as ...”

As described in a 2020 paper published in Pediatric Dermatology, proper comfort positioning of children during in-office dermatologic procedures is also key, which can include having the parent or caregiver hug a child during removal of a PG, Dr. Dhossche said. “You want to optimize distractions for the patient while you do the procedure. This is the time to bring out your iPhone, iPad, or enlist help from a certified child life specialist if you have one at your institution.”

When she administers injections to children, “I don’t lie about the shot, but I do hide the actual needle from sight, if possible,” she said. “I’ll say, ‘you’ll feel a pinch.’ Vibration tools can help while you’re injecting.” She showed an image of a vibrating light-up children’s toothbrush she found on Amazon for $10 “that has served me well. It’s also kind of a tension diffuser.”

Dr. Dhossche reported having no financial disclosures.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA — When patients with vitiligo see Jessica Shiu, MD, PhD, for the first time, some mention that prior healthcare providers have told them that vitiligo is merely a cosmetic issue — much to her dismay.

“Vitiligo is not a cosmetic disease,” Dr. Shiu, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California, Irvine, said at the annual meeting of the Pacific Dermatologic Association. “It is associated with significant depression, stigmatization, and low self-esteem. I have patients who say that vitiligo has affected their marriage ... In certain cultures, it also affects their job prospects.”

As the most common pigmentary disorder, vitiligo is an autoimmune condition that often results in the recruitment of CD8+ T cells into the skin. These cells destroy melanocytes, depleting melanocytes in the epidermis. “Over time, this results in milky white patches of skin that we often see in our patients,” Dr. Shiu said.

Dr. Shiu

“Another sign of active disease is when patients tell you that their vitiligo is expanding rapidly,” Dr. Shiu added. “Stable vitiligo is more difficult to define. Many patients think their lesions don’t change, but we’re now appreciating that there can be some sites in those patients such as the hands and feet that are more susceptible to change in activity.” In general, she noted, vitiligo is considered stable when there is no change in activity for at least 12 months, and “lesions are usually completely depigmented with sharp borders.”

The level of vitiligo disease activity drives medical management. For patients with nonsegmental vitiligo who have clinical signs of active disease, the first goal is to stabilize the active disease and stop further spread of depigmentation. “This is key because losing pigment can occur very quickly, but gaining pigment back is a very slow process,” she said. Stabilization involves suppressing immune responses with topical steroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors, or 1.5% ruxolitinib cream, a JAK inhibitor that became the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved pharmacologic treatment for nonsegmental vitiligo, in 2022, for patients aged 12 years or older.

“The choice here depends somewhat on insurance coverage and shared decision-making with the patient,” Dr. Shiu said. Meanwhile, clinical trials evaluating the effect of the oral JAK inhibitors ritlecitinib, upadacitinib, povorcitinib, and baricitinib on vitiligo are underway.

Combining Phototherapy With Topical Treatment

A mainstay therapy for nonsegmental vitiligo is phototherapy, which can induce the migration of melanocyte stem cells from hair follicles. “There’s good data to show that combining topical treatment with phototherapy can augment the repigmentation that you see,” she said. “So if it’s possible, try to add phototherapy for your vitiligo patients, but sometimes, logistics for that are a challenge.”

Discussing treatment expectations with patients is key because it can take up to 1 year to see a significant response with topical immunosuppressants and narrowband ultraviolet B treatment. The head and neck areas are often the first sites to repigment, she said, followed by the extremities or the trunk. “The hands and feet are generally last; they are usually the most stubborn areas,” Dr. Shiu said. “Even when you do see repigmentation, it usually happens on the dorsal surfaces. The tips of the fingers and toes are difficult to repigment. Luckily, the face is one of the top responders, so that helps a lot.”

While some treatment efforts result in “complete and beautiful” repigmentation, she added, many yield uneven and incomplete results. “We don’t understand why repigmentation occurs in some areas but not in others,” she said. “We don’t have any biomarkers for treatment response. That is something we are looking into.”

For a patient with rapidly progressing active disease, consider an oral steroid mini-pulse 2 consecutive days per week for a maximum of 3-6 months. “I usually recommend that patients do this on Saturday and Sunday,” Dr. Shiu said. “Studies have shown this strategy can halt progression in 85%-91% of cases if patients are on it for at least 3 months.”

Relapse after successful repigmentation occurs in about 40% of cases following discontinuation of treatment, so she recommends biweekly application of 0.1% tacrolimus ointment as maintenance therapy. “Studies have shown this is enough to decrease the relapse rate to around 9%,” she said.
 

Tissue, Cellular Grafts

Surgical repigmentation strategies rely on transplanting normal skin to areas affected by vitiligo. In general, more than 50% of patients achieve more than 80% repigmentation. Options are divided into tissue grafts vs cellular grafts. “The old methods are tissue grafting such as punch grafting, tissue blister grafting, and spit thickness grafting, which can treat limited areas of skin,” Dr. Shiu said. Newer approaches include cellular grafting using the melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure, which can treat larger areas of skin.

The main drawback of this approach is that it is expensive and there is no insurance code for it, “but I hope that this becomes an option for our patients in the future because data indicate that repigmentation is maintained for up to 72 months after treatment,” she said.

In June 2023, an autologous cell harvesting device known as RECELL received FDA approval for repigmentation of stable vitiligo lesions. According to a press release from the manufacturer, AVITA Medical, a clinician “prepares and delivers autologous skin cells from pigmented skin to stable depigmented areas, offering a safe and effective treatment for vitiligo.”

Dr. Shiu disclosed that she received research support from AbbVie.
 

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA — When patients with vitiligo see Jessica Shiu, MD, PhD, for the first time, some mention that prior healthcare providers have told them that vitiligo is merely a cosmetic issue — much to her dismay.

“Vitiligo is not a cosmetic disease,” Dr. Shiu, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California, Irvine, said at the annual meeting of the Pacific Dermatologic Association. “It is associated with significant depression, stigmatization, and low self-esteem. I have patients who say that vitiligo has affected their marriage ... In certain cultures, it also affects their job prospects.”

As the most common pigmentary disorder, vitiligo is an autoimmune condition that often results in the recruitment of CD8+ T cells into the skin. These cells destroy melanocytes, depleting melanocytes in the epidermis. “Over time, this results in milky white patches of skin that we often see in our patients,” Dr. Shiu said.

Dr. Shiu

“Another sign of active disease is when patients tell you that their vitiligo is expanding rapidly,” Dr. Shiu added. “Stable vitiligo is more difficult to define. Many patients think their lesions don’t change, but we’re now appreciating that there can be some sites in those patients such as the hands and feet that are more susceptible to change in activity.” In general, she noted, vitiligo is considered stable when there is no change in activity for at least 12 months, and “lesions are usually completely depigmented with sharp borders.”

The level of vitiligo disease activity drives medical management. For patients with nonsegmental vitiligo who have clinical signs of active disease, the first goal is to stabilize the active disease and stop further spread of depigmentation. “This is key because losing pigment can occur very quickly, but gaining pigment back is a very slow process,” she said. Stabilization involves suppressing immune responses with topical steroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors, or 1.5% ruxolitinib cream, a JAK inhibitor that became the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved pharmacologic treatment for nonsegmental vitiligo, in 2022, for patients aged 12 years or older.

“The choice here depends somewhat on insurance coverage and shared decision-making with the patient,” Dr. Shiu said. Meanwhile, clinical trials evaluating the effect of the oral JAK inhibitors ritlecitinib, upadacitinib, povorcitinib, and baricitinib on vitiligo are underway.

Combining Phototherapy With Topical Treatment

A mainstay therapy for nonsegmental vitiligo is phototherapy, which can induce the migration of melanocyte stem cells from hair follicles. “There’s good data to show that combining topical treatment with phototherapy can augment the repigmentation that you see,” she said. “So if it’s possible, try to add phototherapy for your vitiligo patients, but sometimes, logistics for that are a challenge.”

Discussing treatment expectations with patients is key because it can take up to 1 year to see a significant response with topical immunosuppressants and narrowband ultraviolet B treatment. The head and neck areas are often the first sites to repigment, she said, followed by the extremities or the trunk. “The hands and feet are generally last; they are usually the most stubborn areas,” Dr. Shiu said. “Even when you do see repigmentation, it usually happens on the dorsal surfaces. The tips of the fingers and toes are difficult to repigment. Luckily, the face is one of the top responders, so that helps a lot.”

While some treatment efforts result in “complete and beautiful” repigmentation, she added, many yield uneven and incomplete results. “We don’t understand why repigmentation occurs in some areas but not in others,” she said. “We don’t have any biomarkers for treatment response. That is something we are looking into.”

For a patient with rapidly progressing active disease, consider an oral steroid mini-pulse 2 consecutive days per week for a maximum of 3-6 months. “I usually recommend that patients do this on Saturday and Sunday,” Dr. Shiu said. “Studies have shown this strategy can halt progression in 85%-91% of cases if patients are on it for at least 3 months.”

Relapse after successful repigmentation occurs in about 40% of cases following discontinuation of treatment, so she recommends biweekly application of 0.1% tacrolimus ointment as maintenance therapy. “Studies have shown this is enough to decrease the relapse rate to around 9%,” she said.
 

Tissue, Cellular Grafts

Surgical repigmentation strategies rely on transplanting normal skin to areas affected by vitiligo. In general, more than 50% of patients achieve more than 80% repigmentation. Options are divided into tissue grafts vs cellular grafts. “The old methods are tissue grafting such as punch grafting, tissue blister grafting, and spit thickness grafting, which can treat limited areas of skin,” Dr. Shiu said. Newer approaches include cellular grafting using the melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure, which can treat larger areas of skin.

The main drawback of this approach is that it is expensive and there is no insurance code for it, “but I hope that this becomes an option for our patients in the future because data indicate that repigmentation is maintained for up to 72 months after treatment,” she said.

In June 2023, an autologous cell harvesting device known as RECELL received FDA approval for repigmentation of stable vitiligo lesions. According to a press release from the manufacturer, AVITA Medical, a clinician “prepares and delivers autologous skin cells from pigmented skin to stable depigmented areas, offering a safe and effective treatment for vitiligo.”

Dr. Shiu disclosed that she received research support from AbbVie.
 

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA — When patients with vitiligo see Jessica Shiu, MD, PhD, for the first time, some mention that prior healthcare providers have told them that vitiligo is merely a cosmetic issue — much to her dismay.

“Vitiligo is not a cosmetic disease,” Dr. Shiu, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California, Irvine, said at the annual meeting of the Pacific Dermatologic Association. “It is associated with significant depression, stigmatization, and low self-esteem. I have patients who say that vitiligo has affected their marriage ... In certain cultures, it also affects their job prospects.”

As the most common pigmentary disorder, vitiligo is an autoimmune condition that often results in the recruitment of CD8+ T cells into the skin. These cells destroy melanocytes, depleting melanocytes in the epidermis. “Over time, this results in milky white patches of skin that we often see in our patients,” Dr. Shiu said.

Dr. Shiu

“Another sign of active disease is when patients tell you that their vitiligo is expanding rapidly,” Dr. Shiu added. “Stable vitiligo is more difficult to define. Many patients think their lesions don’t change, but we’re now appreciating that there can be some sites in those patients such as the hands and feet that are more susceptible to change in activity.” In general, she noted, vitiligo is considered stable when there is no change in activity for at least 12 months, and “lesions are usually completely depigmented with sharp borders.”

The level of vitiligo disease activity drives medical management. For patients with nonsegmental vitiligo who have clinical signs of active disease, the first goal is to stabilize the active disease and stop further spread of depigmentation. “This is key because losing pigment can occur very quickly, but gaining pigment back is a very slow process,” she said. Stabilization involves suppressing immune responses with topical steroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors, or 1.5% ruxolitinib cream, a JAK inhibitor that became the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved pharmacologic treatment for nonsegmental vitiligo, in 2022, for patients aged 12 years or older.

“The choice here depends somewhat on insurance coverage and shared decision-making with the patient,” Dr. Shiu said. Meanwhile, clinical trials evaluating the effect of the oral JAK inhibitors ritlecitinib, upadacitinib, povorcitinib, and baricitinib on vitiligo are underway.

Combining Phototherapy With Topical Treatment

A mainstay therapy for nonsegmental vitiligo is phototherapy, which can induce the migration of melanocyte stem cells from hair follicles. “There’s good data to show that combining topical treatment with phototherapy can augment the repigmentation that you see,” she said. “So if it’s possible, try to add phototherapy for your vitiligo patients, but sometimes, logistics for that are a challenge.”

Discussing treatment expectations with patients is key because it can take up to 1 year to see a significant response with topical immunosuppressants and narrowband ultraviolet B treatment. The head and neck areas are often the first sites to repigment, she said, followed by the extremities or the trunk. “The hands and feet are generally last; they are usually the most stubborn areas,” Dr. Shiu said. “Even when you do see repigmentation, it usually happens on the dorsal surfaces. The tips of the fingers and toes are difficult to repigment. Luckily, the face is one of the top responders, so that helps a lot.”

While some treatment efforts result in “complete and beautiful” repigmentation, she added, many yield uneven and incomplete results. “We don’t understand why repigmentation occurs in some areas but not in others,” she said. “We don’t have any biomarkers for treatment response. That is something we are looking into.”

For a patient with rapidly progressing active disease, consider an oral steroid mini-pulse 2 consecutive days per week for a maximum of 3-6 months. “I usually recommend that patients do this on Saturday and Sunday,” Dr. Shiu said. “Studies have shown this strategy can halt progression in 85%-91% of cases if patients are on it for at least 3 months.”

Relapse after successful repigmentation occurs in about 40% of cases following discontinuation of treatment, so she recommends biweekly application of 0.1% tacrolimus ointment as maintenance therapy. “Studies have shown this is enough to decrease the relapse rate to around 9%,” she said.
 

Tissue, Cellular Grafts

Surgical repigmentation strategies rely on transplanting normal skin to areas affected by vitiligo. In general, more than 50% of patients achieve more than 80% repigmentation. Options are divided into tissue grafts vs cellular grafts. “The old methods are tissue grafting such as punch grafting, tissue blister grafting, and spit thickness grafting, which can treat limited areas of skin,” Dr. Shiu said. Newer approaches include cellular grafting using the melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure, which can treat larger areas of skin.

The main drawback of this approach is that it is expensive and there is no insurance code for it, “but I hope that this becomes an option for our patients in the future because data indicate that repigmentation is maintained for up to 72 months after treatment,” she said.

In June 2023, an autologous cell harvesting device known as RECELL received FDA approval for repigmentation of stable vitiligo lesions. According to a press release from the manufacturer, AVITA Medical, a clinician “prepares and delivers autologous skin cells from pigmented skin to stable depigmented areas, offering a safe and effective treatment for vitiligo.”

Dr. Shiu disclosed that she received research support from AbbVie.
 

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

Metformin significantly improved symptoms and resulted in hair regrowth in Black women with treatment-refractory central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), in a retrospective case series.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a case series involving 12 Black women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, with biopsy-confirmed, treatment-refractory CCCA, a chronic inflammatory hair disorder characterized by permanent hair loss, from the Johns Hopkins University alopecia clinic.
• Participants received CCCA treatment for at least 6 months and had stagnant or worsening symptoms before oral extended-release metformin (500 mg daily) was added to treatment. (Treatments included topical clobetasol, compounded minoxidil, and platelet-rich plasma injections.)
• Scalp biopsies were collected from four patients before and after metformin treatment to evaluate gene expression changes.
• Changes in clinical symptoms were assessed, including pruritus, inflammation, pain, scalp resistance, and hair regrowth, following initiation of metformin treatment.

TAKEAWAY:

• Metformin led to significant clinical improvement in eight patients, which included reductions in scalp pain, scalp resistance, pruritus, and inflammation. However, two patients experienced worsening symptoms.
• Six patients showed clinical evidence of hair regrowth after at least 6 months of metformin treatment with one experiencing hair loss again 3 months after discontinuing treatment.
• Transcriptomic analysis revealed 34 upregulated genes, which included upregulated of 23 hair keratin-associated proteins, and pathways related to keratinization, epidermis development, and the hair cycle. In addition, eight genes were downregulated, with pathways that included those associated with extracellular matrix organization, collagen fibril organization, and collagen metabolism.
• Gene set variation analysis showed reduced expression of T helper 17 cell and epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathways and elevated adenosine monophosphate kinase signaling and keratin-associated proteins after treatment with metformin.

IN PRACTICE:

“Metformin’s ability to concomitantly target fibrosis and inflammation provides a plausible mechanism for its therapeutic effects in CCCA and other fibrosing alopecia disorders,” the authors concluded. But, they added, “larger prospective, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials are needed to rigorously evaluate metformin’s efficacy and optimal dosing for treatment of cicatricial alopecias.”

SOURCE:

The study was led by Aaron Bao, Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and was published online on September 4 in JAMA Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS:

A small sample size, retrospective design, lack of a placebo control group, and the single-center setting limited the generalizability of the study findings. In addition, the absence of a validated activity or severity scale for CCCA and the single posttreatment sampling limit the assessment and comparison of clinical symptoms and transcriptomic changes.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was supported by the American Academy of Dermatology. One author reported several ties with pharmaceutical companies, a pending patent, and authorship for the UpToDate section on CCCA.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

Metformin significantly improved symptoms and resulted in hair regrowth in Black women with treatment-refractory central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), in a retrospective case series.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a case series involving 12 Black women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, with biopsy-confirmed, treatment-refractory CCCA, a chronic inflammatory hair disorder characterized by permanent hair loss, from the Johns Hopkins University alopecia clinic.
• Participants received CCCA treatment for at least 6 months and had stagnant or worsening symptoms before oral extended-release metformin (500 mg daily) was added to treatment. (Treatments included topical clobetasol, compounded minoxidil, and platelet-rich plasma injections.)
• Scalp biopsies were collected from four patients before and after metformin treatment to evaluate gene expression changes.
• Changes in clinical symptoms were assessed, including pruritus, inflammation, pain, scalp resistance, and hair regrowth, following initiation of metformin treatment.

TAKEAWAY:

• Metformin led to significant clinical improvement in eight patients, which included reductions in scalp pain, scalp resistance, pruritus, and inflammation. However, two patients experienced worsening symptoms.
• Six patients showed clinical evidence of hair regrowth after at least 6 months of metformin treatment with one experiencing hair loss again 3 months after discontinuing treatment.
• Transcriptomic analysis revealed 34 upregulated genes, which included upregulated of 23 hair keratin-associated proteins, and pathways related to keratinization, epidermis development, and the hair cycle. In addition, eight genes were downregulated, with pathways that included those associated with extracellular matrix organization, collagen fibril organization, and collagen metabolism.
• Gene set variation analysis showed reduced expression of T helper 17 cell and epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathways and elevated adenosine monophosphate kinase signaling and keratin-associated proteins after treatment with metformin.

IN PRACTICE:

“Metformin’s ability to concomitantly target fibrosis and inflammation provides a plausible mechanism for its therapeutic effects in CCCA and other fibrosing alopecia disorders,” the authors concluded. But, they added, “larger prospective, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials are needed to rigorously evaluate metformin’s efficacy and optimal dosing for treatment of cicatricial alopecias.”

SOURCE:

The study was led by Aaron Bao, Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and was published online on September 4 in JAMA Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS:

A small sample size, retrospective design, lack of a placebo control group, and the single-center setting limited the generalizability of the study findings. In addition, the absence of a validated activity or severity scale for CCCA and the single posttreatment sampling limit the assessment and comparison of clinical symptoms and transcriptomic changes.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was supported by the American Academy of Dermatology. One author reported several ties with pharmaceutical companies, a pending patent, and authorship for the UpToDate section on CCCA.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

Metformin significantly improved symptoms and resulted in hair regrowth in Black women with treatment-refractory central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), in a retrospective case series.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a case series involving 12 Black women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, with biopsy-confirmed, treatment-refractory CCCA, a chronic inflammatory hair disorder characterized by permanent hair loss, from the Johns Hopkins University alopecia clinic.
• Participants received CCCA treatment for at least 6 months and had stagnant or worsening symptoms before oral extended-release metformin (500 mg daily) was added to treatment. (Treatments included topical clobetasol, compounded minoxidil, and platelet-rich plasma injections.)
• Scalp biopsies were collected from four patients before and after metformin treatment to evaluate gene expression changes.
• Changes in clinical symptoms were assessed, including pruritus, inflammation, pain, scalp resistance, and hair regrowth, following initiation of metformin treatment.

TAKEAWAY:

• Metformin led to significant clinical improvement in eight patients, which included reductions in scalp pain, scalp resistance, pruritus, and inflammation. However, two patients experienced worsening symptoms.
• Six patients showed clinical evidence of hair regrowth after at least 6 months of metformin treatment with one experiencing hair loss again 3 months after discontinuing treatment.
• Transcriptomic analysis revealed 34 upregulated genes, which included upregulated of 23 hair keratin-associated proteins, and pathways related to keratinization, epidermis development, and the hair cycle. In addition, eight genes were downregulated, with pathways that included those associated with extracellular matrix organization, collagen fibril organization, and collagen metabolism.
• Gene set variation analysis showed reduced expression of T helper 17 cell and epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathways and elevated adenosine monophosphate kinase signaling and keratin-associated proteins after treatment with metformin.

IN PRACTICE:

“Metformin’s ability to concomitantly target fibrosis and inflammation provides a plausible mechanism for its therapeutic effects in CCCA and other fibrosing alopecia disorders,” the authors concluded. But, they added, “larger prospective, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials are needed to rigorously evaluate metformin’s efficacy and optimal dosing for treatment of cicatricial alopecias.”

SOURCE:

The study was led by Aaron Bao, Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and was published online on September 4 in JAMA Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS:

A small sample size, retrospective design, lack of a placebo control group, and the single-center setting limited the generalizability of the study findings. In addition, the absence of a validated activity or severity scale for CCCA and the single posttreatment sampling limit the assessment and comparison of clinical symptoms and transcriptomic changes.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was supported by the American Academy of Dermatology. One author reported several ties with pharmaceutical companies, a pending patent, and authorship for the UpToDate section on CCCA.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

The presence of an operational classification of drug interactions (ORCA) class 3 or 4 drug-drug interactions (DDIs) did not increase the risk for colchicine-related gastrointestinal adverse events or modify the effect of colchicine on death or hospitalization caused by COVID-19 infection in ambulatory patients.

METHODOLOGY:

• This secondary analysis of the COLCORONA trial aimed to evaluate if a potential DDI of colchicine was associated with changes in its pharmacokinetics or modified its clinical safety and efficacy in patients with COVID-19.
• Overall, 4432 ambulatory patients with COVID-19 (median age, 54 years; 54% women) were randomly assigned to receive colchicine 0.5 mg twice daily for 3 days and then 0.5 mg once daily for 27 days (n = 2205) or a placebo (n = 2227).
• All the participants had at least one high-risk criterion such as age ≥ 70 years, diabetes, heart failure, systolic blood pressure ≥ 150 mm Hg, respiratory disease, coronary disease, body temperature ≥ 38.4 °C within the last 48 hours, dyspnea, bicytopenia, pancytopenia, or high neutrophil count with low lymphocyte count.
• The medications that could interact with colchicine were determined and categorized under ORCA classes 1 (contraindicated), 2 (provisionally contraindicated), 3 (conditional use), or 4 (minimal risk).
• The primary outcome was any gastrointestinal adverse event assessed over a 30-day follow-up period.

TAKEAWAY:

• Among all the participants, 1% received medications with an ORCA class 2 interaction, 14% with a class 3 interaction, and 13% with a class 4 interaction; rosuvastatin (12%) and atorvastatin (10%) were the most common interacting medications.
• The odds of any gastrointestinal adverse event were 1.80 times and 1.68 times higher in the colchicine arm than in the placebo arm among those without and with a DDI, respectively, with the effect of colchicine being consistent regardless of the presence of drug interactions (P = .69 for interaction).
• Similarly, DDIs did not influence the effect of colchicine on combined risk for COVID-19 hospitalization or mortality (P = .80 for interaction).

IN PRACTICE:

“Once potential DDIs have been identified through screening, they must be tested,” Hemalkumar B. Mehta, PhD, and G. Caleb Alexander, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, wrote in an invited commentary published online in JAMA Network Open. “Theoretical DDIs may not translate into real-world harms,” they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Lama S. Alfehaid, PharmD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. It was published online in JAMA Network Open.

LIMITATIONS:

This study focused on the medications used by participants at baseline, which may not have captured all potential DDIs. The findings did not provide information on rare adverse events, such as rhabdomyolysis, which usually occur months after initiating drug therapy. Furthermore, all the study participants had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, which may have increased their susceptibility to adverse reactions associated with the use of colchicine.

DISCLOSURES:

Some authors were supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, American Heart Association, and other sources. The authors also declared serving on advisory boards or on the board of directors; receiving personal fees, grants, research support, or speaking fees; or having other ties with many pharmaceutical companies.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

The presence of an operational classification of drug interactions (ORCA) class 3 or 4 drug-drug interactions (DDIs) did not increase the risk for colchicine-related gastrointestinal adverse events or modify the effect of colchicine on death or hospitalization caused by COVID-19 infection in ambulatory patients.

METHODOLOGY:

• This secondary analysis of the COLCORONA trial aimed to evaluate if a potential DDI of colchicine was associated with changes in its pharmacokinetics or modified its clinical safety and efficacy in patients with COVID-19.
• Overall, 4432 ambulatory patients with COVID-19 (median age, 54 years; 54% women) were randomly assigned to receive colchicine 0.5 mg twice daily for 3 days and then 0.5 mg once daily for 27 days (n = 2205) or a placebo (n = 2227).
• All the participants had at least one high-risk criterion such as age ≥ 70 years, diabetes, heart failure, systolic blood pressure ≥ 150 mm Hg, respiratory disease, coronary disease, body temperature ≥ 38.4 °C within the last 48 hours, dyspnea, bicytopenia, pancytopenia, or high neutrophil count with low lymphocyte count.
• The medications that could interact with colchicine were determined and categorized under ORCA classes 1 (contraindicated), 2 (provisionally contraindicated), 3 (conditional use), or 4 (minimal risk).
• The primary outcome was any gastrointestinal adverse event assessed over a 30-day follow-up period.

TAKEAWAY:

• Among all the participants, 1% received medications with an ORCA class 2 interaction, 14% with a class 3 interaction, and 13% with a class 4 interaction; rosuvastatin (12%) and atorvastatin (10%) were the most common interacting medications.
• The odds of any gastrointestinal adverse event were 1.80 times and 1.68 times higher in the colchicine arm than in the placebo arm among those without and with a DDI, respectively, with the effect of colchicine being consistent regardless of the presence of drug interactions (P = .69 for interaction).
• Similarly, DDIs did not influence the effect of colchicine on combined risk for COVID-19 hospitalization or mortality (P = .80 for interaction).

IN PRACTICE:

“Once potential DDIs have been identified through screening, they must be tested,” Hemalkumar B. Mehta, PhD, and G. Caleb Alexander, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, wrote in an invited commentary published online in JAMA Network Open. “Theoretical DDIs may not translate into real-world harms,” they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Lama S. Alfehaid, PharmD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. It was published online in JAMA Network Open.

LIMITATIONS:

This study focused on the medications used by participants at baseline, which may not have captured all potential DDIs. The findings did not provide information on rare adverse events, such as rhabdomyolysis, which usually occur months after initiating drug therapy. Furthermore, all the study participants had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, which may have increased their susceptibility to adverse reactions associated with the use of colchicine.

DISCLOSURES:

Some authors were supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, American Heart Association, and other sources. The authors also declared serving on advisory boards or on the board of directors; receiving personal fees, grants, research support, or speaking fees; or having other ties with many pharmaceutical companies.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

The presence of an operational classification of drug interactions (ORCA) class 3 or 4 drug-drug interactions (DDIs) did not increase the risk for colchicine-related gastrointestinal adverse events or modify the effect of colchicine on death or hospitalization caused by COVID-19 infection in ambulatory patients.

METHODOLOGY:

• This secondary analysis of the COLCORONA trial aimed to evaluate if a potential DDI of colchicine was associated with changes in its pharmacokinetics or modified its clinical safety and efficacy in patients with COVID-19.
• Overall, 4432 ambulatory patients with COVID-19 (median age, 54 years; 54% women) were randomly assigned to receive colchicine 0.5 mg twice daily for 3 days and then 0.5 mg once daily for 27 days (n = 2205) or a placebo (n = 2227).
• All the participants had at least one high-risk criterion such as age ≥ 70 years, diabetes, heart failure, systolic blood pressure ≥ 150 mm Hg, respiratory disease, coronary disease, body temperature ≥ 38.4 °C within the last 48 hours, dyspnea, bicytopenia, pancytopenia, or high neutrophil count with low lymphocyte count.
• The medications that could interact with colchicine were determined and categorized under ORCA classes 1 (contraindicated), 2 (provisionally contraindicated), 3 (conditional use), or 4 (minimal risk).
• The primary outcome was any gastrointestinal adverse event assessed over a 30-day follow-up period.

TAKEAWAY:

• Among all the participants, 1% received medications with an ORCA class 2 interaction, 14% with a class 3 interaction, and 13% with a class 4 interaction; rosuvastatin (12%) and atorvastatin (10%) were the most common interacting medications.
• The odds of any gastrointestinal adverse event were 1.80 times and 1.68 times higher in the colchicine arm than in the placebo arm among those without and with a DDI, respectively, with the effect of colchicine being consistent regardless of the presence of drug interactions (P = .69 for interaction).
• Similarly, DDIs did not influence the effect of colchicine on combined risk for COVID-19 hospitalization or mortality (P = .80 for interaction).

IN PRACTICE:

“Once potential DDIs have been identified through screening, they must be tested,” Hemalkumar B. Mehta, PhD, and G. Caleb Alexander, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, wrote in an invited commentary published online in JAMA Network Open. “Theoretical DDIs may not translate into real-world harms,” they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Lama S. Alfehaid, PharmD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. It was published online in JAMA Network Open.

LIMITATIONS:

This study focused on the medications used by participants at baseline, which may not have captured all potential DDIs. The findings did not provide information on rare adverse events, such as rhabdomyolysis, which usually occur months after initiating drug therapy. Furthermore, all the study participants had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, which may have increased their susceptibility to adverse reactions associated with the use of colchicine.

DISCLOSURES:

Some authors were supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, American Heart Association, and other sources. The authors also declared serving on advisory boards or on the board of directors; receiving personal fees, grants, research support, or speaking fees; or having other ties with many pharmaceutical companies.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

In systemic sclerosis, Raynaud phenomenon is more severe at both high and low temperature extremes, according to new research.

BACKGROUND:

• Raynaud phenomenon, a condition that causes decreased blood flow to extremities, occurs in about 95% of individuals with systemic sclerosis.
• Episodes of Raynaud phenomenon can be triggered by cold exposure and ambient temperature changes.
• In severe cases, it can cause permanent damage to tissues of the fingers and toes.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed data from 2243 participants with Raynaud phenomenon secondary to systemic sclerosis from the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) Cohort.
• Participants completed past-week Raynaud phenomenon severity assessments using a 0-10 numerical rating scale at enrollment and every 3 months.
• The study included data from 20,233 Raynaud phenomenon severity assessments between April 15, 2014, and August 1, 2023.
• Researchers used average daily temperature from a weather site close to the participant’s recruiting center and mapped these ambient temperature changes to Raynaud’s phenomenon outcomes.

TAKEAWAY:

• Raynaud’s phenomenon severity was highest at –25 °C (–13 °F), with assessment scores at 6.8 points out of 10.0, and lowest at 25 °C (77 °F), with scores at 2.6.
• Severity scores increased again at temperatures above 35 °C (95 °F), reaching a high of 5.6 out of 10 at 40 °C (104 °F).
• This spike at higher temperatures is presumably due to air conditioning, the authors said.
• In an accompanying commentary, Cutolo et al. posited that increased sweating and hypotension could also lead to a relative hypovolemic state in patients, causing Raynaud-like symptoms.

IN PRACTICE:

“Temperature-related variations in Raynaud’s phenomenon severity scores should be considered in clinical trials to account for normal within-season temperature fluctuations, enhancing the accuracy of treatment outcomes,” wrote Cutolo and colleagues in their commentary.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Gabrielle Virgili-Gervais, MSc, McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was published online on August 28 in The Lancet Rheumatology. The accompanying commentary, also published on August 28, was authored by Maurizio Cutolo, MD, and Elvis Hysa, MD, both of University of Genova, Italy, as well as Vanessa Smith, MD, PhD, of Ghent University in Ghent, Belgium.

LIMITATIONS:

The lower number of assessments at extreme temperatures (–25 °C and 40 °C) may affect the robustness of the findings at these ranges. The study did not account for vasodilator use, which could influence participants’ response to temperature. The study also did not account for other potential confounding factors such as sex, smoking status, psychosocial factors, and comorbid conditions like cardiovascular disease.

DISCLOSURES:

A variety of scleroderma-related patient advocacy groups helped to fund research on the SPIN cohort, in addition to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Arthritis Society, the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research of the Jewish General Hospital, the Jewish General Hospital Foundation, and McGill University. Two authors reported having financial ties with pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Cutolo, Dr. Smith, and Dr. Hysa had no disclosures.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

In systemic sclerosis, Raynaud phenomenon is more severe at both high and low temperature extremes, according to new research.

BACKGROUND:

• Raynaud phenomenon, a condition that causes decreased blood flow to extremities, occurs in about 95% of individuals with systemic sclerosis.
• Episodes of Raynaud phenomenon can be triggered by cold exposure and ambient temperature changes.
• In severe cases, it can cause permanent damage to tissues of the fingers and toes.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed data from 2243 participants with Raynaud phenomenon secondary to systemic sclerosis from the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) Cohort.
• Participants completed past-week Raynaud phenomenon severity assessments using a 0-10 numerical rating scale at enrollment and every 3 months.
• The study included data from 20,233 Raynaud phenomenon severity assessments between April 15, 2014, and August 1, 2023.
• Researchers used average daily temperature from a weather site close to the participant’s recruiting center and mapped these ambient temperature changes to Raynaud’s phenomenon outcomes.

TAKEAWAY:

• Raynaud’s phenomenon severity was highest at –25 °C (–13 °F), with assessment scores at 6.8 points out of 10.0, and lowest at 25 °C (77 °F), with scores at 2.6.
• Severity scores increased again at temperatures above 35 °C (95 °F), reaching a high of 5.6 out of 10 at 40 °C (104 °F).
• This spike at higher temperatures is presumably due to air conditioning, the authors said.
• In an accompanying commentary, Cutolo et al. posited that increased sweating and hypotension could also lead to a relative hypovolemic state in patients, causing Raynaud-like symptoms.

IN PRACTICE:

“Temperature-related variations in Raynaud’s phenomenon severity scores should be considered in clinical trials to account for normal within-season temperature fluctuations, enhancing the accuracy of treatment outcomes,” wrote Cutolo and colleagues in their commentary.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Gabrielle Virgili-Gervais, MSc, McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was published online on August 28 in The Lancet Rheumatology. The accompanying commentary, also published on August 28, was authored by Maurizio Cutolo, MD, and Elvis Hysa, MD, both of University of Genova, Italy, as well as Vanessa Smith, MD, PhD, of Ghent University in Ghent, Belgium.

LIMITATIONS:

The lower number of assessments at extreme temperatures (–25 °C and 40 °C) may affect the robustness of the findings at these ranges. The study did not account for vasodilator use, which could influence participants’ response to temperature. The study also did not account for other potential confounding factors such as sex, smoking status, psychosocial factors, and comorbid conditions like cardiovascular disease.

DISCLOSURES:

A variety of scleroderma-related patient advocacy groups helped to fund research on the SPIN cohort, in addition to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Arthritis Society, the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research of the Jewish General Hospital, the Jewish General Hospital Foundation, and McGill University. Two authors reported having financial ties with pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Cutolo, Dr. Smith, and Dr. Hysa had no disclosures.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

TOPLINE:

In systemic sclerosis, Raynaud phenomenon is more severe at both high and low temperature extremes, according to new research.

BACKGROUND:

• Raynaud phenomenon, a condition that causes decreased blood flow to extremities, occurs in about 95% of individuals with systemic sclerosis.
• Episodes of Raynaud phenomenon can be triggered by cold exposure and ambient temperature changes.
• In severe cases, it can cause permanent damage to tissues of the fingers and toes.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed data from 2243 participants with Raynaud phenomenon secondary to systemic sclerosis from the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) Cohort.
• Participants completed past-week Raynaud phenomenon severity assessments using a 0-10 numerical rating scale at enrollment and every 3 months.
• The study included data from 20,233 Raynaud phenomenon severity assessments between April 15, 2014, and August 1, 2023.
• Researchers used average daily temperature from a weather site close to the participant’s recruiting center and mapped these ambient temperature changes to Raynaud’s phenomenon outcomes.

TAKEAWAY:

• Raynaud’s phenomenon severity was highest at –25 °C (–13 °F), with assessment scores at 6.8 points out of 10.0, and lowest at 25 °C (77 °F), with scores at 2.6.
• Severity scores increased again at temperatures above 35 °C (95 °F), reaching a high of 5.6 out of 10 at 40 °C (104 °F).
• This spike at higher temperatures is presumably due to air conditioning, the authors said.
• In an accompanying commentary, Cutolo et al. posited that increased sweating and hypotension could also lead to a relative hypovolemic state in patients, causing Raynaud-like symptoms.

IN PRACTICE:

“Temperature-related variations in Raynaud’s phenomenon severity scores should be considered in clinical trials to account for normal within-season temperature fluctuations, enhancing the accuracy of treatment outcomes,” wrote Cutolo and colleagues in their commentary.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Gabrielle Virgili-Gervais, MSc, McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was published online on August 28 in The Lancet Rheumatology. The accompanying commentary, also published on August 28, was authored by Maurizio Cutolo, MD, and Elvis Hysa, MD, both of University of Genova, Italy, as well as Vanessa Smith, MD, PhD, of Ghent University in Ghent, Belgium.

LIMITATIONS:

The lower number of assessments at extreme temperatures (–25 °C and 40 °C) may affect the robustness of the findings at these ranges. The study did not account for vasodilator use, which could influence participants’ response to temperature. The study also did not account for other potential confounding factors such as sex, smoking status, psychosocial factors, and comorbid conditions like cardiovascular disease.

DISCLOSURES:

A variety of scleroderma-related patient advocacy groups helped to fund research on the SPIN cohort, in addition to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Arthritis Society, the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research of the Jewish General Hospital, the Jewish General Hospital Foundation, and McGill University. Two authors reported having financial ties with pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Cutolo, Dr. Smith, and Dr. Hysa had no disclosures.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA — Posting on social media may not be your cup of tea, but in the opinion of Jessica G. Labadie, MD, avoiding a presence on platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, or YouTube means missing an opportunity to educate patients about dermatologic procedures and to dispel misinformation from nonmedical influencers.

“Over the past 2 decades, there has been a surge in social media use,” Dr. Labadie, a dermatologist who practices in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, said at the Controversies & Conversations in Laser & Cosmetic Surgery symposium. “Most of our patients use social media to find their doctors, and it plays a role in how our patients form their decision about whether to have a cosmetic procedure or not. Doctors, especially dermatologists, continue to actively participate in this ‘skinfluencer’ trend.”

courtesy Dr. Jessica G. Labadie

According to a review of social media’s impact on aesthetic medicine, use of social media by American adults increased from 5% in 2005 to 72% in 2020, and 77% of patients search for a physician online. The review’s authors cited YouTube as the most popular platform among adults and noted that social media ranks as the sixth top factor for a patient deciding whether to have a laser procedure.

Dr. Labadie, who is also an assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, said several factors should be considered when establishing and maintaining a social media presence, starting with personal ones. “Your followers are not your patients yet, and just because you may have thousands of followers does not necessarily mean that you’re busier in the clinic,” she said. “Be careful if you combine professional and personal accounts; be careful of those parasocial relationships that can form. Your followers tend to learn a lot about you. Posting can take a lot of time; it can take away from your clinical duties. Do you want to make your account private or public? There are pros and cons to both.”

Ethics also play a role. “Be transparent in your disclosure forms, especially if you’re posting ‘before’ and ‘after’ images of patients,” advised Dr. Labadie, who described herself as a social media minimalist. “Stay true to yourself in your posts, and always prioritize safety over posting.”

Don’t forget legal obligations. “Social media can facilitate a passive income, but make sure this isn’t impacting any conflicts of interest, and make sure that you meticulously follow any Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations,” she said. She also cautioned against violating intellectual property rights and making false claims about a product or procedure.

Deciding which platforms to use and what voice or tone to adopt requires some soul-searching. “What is your brand?” Dr. Labadie asked. “How do you want to portray yourself? Does your social media brand match your office brand? Does it match who you are as a provider and the type of patient you wish to attract? Would you prefer to have one collective social media presence as an office or multiple provider accounts?”

Being mindful of how your patients perceive and use social media in relation to their dermatologic concerns is also important. “What are your patients viewing on social media, and how is it affecting their decisions?” Dr. Labadie asked. “Are they coming in asking for something that is not right for what they need? At the end of the day, you are their doctor, and it’s your duty to treat the patients and not the trend.”

She encouraged dermatologists to “aim for high value and accurate posts coupled with high popularity and reach.” She added that “this is really the future of getting our research out there to the public. Academic notoriety is not enough. Our professional societies and skinfluencer colleagues need to get involved to help promote our expert research.”

Dr. Labadie reported having no financial disclosures.

A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA — Posting on social media may not be your cup of tea, but in the opinion of Jessica G. Labadie, MD, avoiding a presence on platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, or YouTube means missing an opportunity to educate patients about dermatologic procedures and to dispel misinformation from nonmedical influencers.

“Over the past 2 decades, there has been a surge in social media use,” Dr. Labadie, a dermatologist who practices in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, said at the Controversies & Conversations in Laser & Cosmetic Surgery symposium. “Most of our patients use social media to find their doctors, and it plays a role in how our patients form their decision about whether to have a cosmetic procedure or not. Doctors, especially dermatologists, continue to actively participate in this ‘skinfluencer’ trend.”

courtesy Dr. Jessica G. Labadie

According to a review of social media’s impact on aesthetic medicine, use of social media by American adults increased from 5% in 2005 to 72% in 2020, and 77% of patients search for a physician online. The review’s authors cited YouTube as the most popular platform among adults and noted that social media ranks as the sixth top factor for a patient deciding whether to have a laser procedure.

Dr. Labadie, who is also an assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, said several factors should be considered when establishing and maintaining a social media presence, starting with personal ones. “Your followers are not your patients yet, and just because you may have thousands of followers does not necessarily mean that you’re busier in the clinic,” she said. “Be careful if you combine professional and personal accounts; be careful of those parasocial relationships that can form. Your followers tend to learn a lot about you. Posting can take a lot of time; it can take away from your clinical duties. Do you want to make your account private or public? There are pros and cons to both.”

Ethics also play a role. “Be transparent in your disclosure forms, especially if you’re posting ‘before’ and ‘after’ images of patients,” advised Dr. Labadie, who described herself as a social media minimalist. “Stay true to yourself in your posts, and always prioritize safety over posting.”

Don’t forget legal obligations. “Social media can facilitate a passive income, but make sure this isn’t impacting any conflicts of interest, and make sure that you meticulously follow any Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations,” she said. She also cautioned against violating intellectual property rights and making false claims about a product or procedure.

Deciding which platforms to use and what voice or tone to adopt requires some soul-searching. “What is your brand?” Dr. Labadie asked. “How do you want to portray yourself? Does your social media brand match your office brand? Does it match who you are as a provider and the type of patient you wish to attract? Would you prefer to have one collective social media presence as an office or multiple provider accounts?”

Being mindful of how your patients perceive and use social media in relation to their dermatologic concerns is also important. “What are your patients viewing on social media, and how is it affecting their decisions?” Dr. Labadie asked. “Are they coming in asking for something that is not right for what they need? At the end of the day, you are their doctor, and it’s your duty to treat the patients and not the trend.”

She encouraged dermatologists to “aim for high value and accurate posts coupled with high popularity and reach.” She added that “this is really the future of getting our research out there to the public. Academic notoriety is not enough. Our professional societies and skinfluencer colleagues need to get involved to help promote our expert research.”

Dr. Labadie reported having no financial disclosures.

A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA — Posting on social media may not be your cup of tea, but in the opinion of Jessica G. Labadie, MD, avoiding a presence on platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, or YouTube means missing an opportunity to educate patients about dermatologic procedures and to dispel misinformation from nonmedical influencers.

“Over the past 2 decades, there has been a surge in social media use,” Dr. Labadie, a dermatologist who practices in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, said at the Controversies & Conversations in Laser & Cosmetic Surgery symposium. “Most of our patients use social media to find their doctors, and it plays a role in how our patients form their decision about whether to have a cosmetic procedure or not. Doctors, especially dermatologists, continue to actively participate in this ‘skinfluencer’ trend.”

courtesy Dr. Jessica G. Labadie

According to a review of social media’s impact on aesthetic medicine, use of social media by American adults increased from 5% in 2005 to 72% in 2020, and 77% of patients search for a physician online. The review’s authors cited YouTube as the most popular platform among adults and noted that social media ranks as the sixth top factor for a patient deciding whether to have a laser procedure.

Dr. Labadie, who is also an assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, said several factors should be considered when establishing and maintaining a social media presence, starting with personal ones. “Your followers are not your patients yet, and just because you may have thousands of followers does not necessarily mean that you’re busier in the clinic,” she said. “Be careful if you combine professional and personal accounts; be careful of those parasocial relationships that can form. Your followers tend to learn a lot about you. Posting can take a lot of time; it can take away from your clinical duties. Do you want to make your account private or public? There are pros and cons to both.”

Ethics also play a role. “Be transparent in your disclosure forms, especially if you’re posting ‘before’ and ‘after’ images of patients,” advised Dr. Labadie, who described herself as a social media minimalist. “Stay true to yourself in your posts, and always prioritize safety over posting.”

Don’t forget legal obligations. “Social media can facilitate a passive income, but make sure this isn’t impacting any conflicts of interest, and make sure that you meticulously follow any Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations,” she said. She also cautioned against violating intellectual property rights and making false claims about a product or procedure.

Deciding which platforms to use and what voice or tone to adopt requires some soul-searching. “What is your brand?” Dr. Labadie asked. “How do you want to portray yourself? Does your social media brand match your office brand? Does it match who you are as a provider and the type of patient you wish to attract? Would you prefer to have one collective social media presence as an office or multiple provider accounts?”

Being mindful of how your patients perceive and use social media in relation to their dermatologic concerns is also important. “What are your patients viewing on social media, and how is it affecting their decisions?” Dr. Labadie asked. “Are they coming in asking for something that is not right for what they need? At the end of the day, you are their doctor, and it’s your duty to treat the patients and not the trend.”

She encouraged dermatologists to “aim for high value and accurate posts coupled with high popularity and reach.” She added that “this is really the future of getting our research out there to the public. Academic notoriety is not enough. Our professional societies and skinfluencer colleagues need to get involved to help promote our expert research.”

Dr. Labadie reported having no financial disclosures.

A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.