Ilya Petrou, M.D.

A recent study has shed some light on the genetic predisposition of rosacea as well as other associated environmental factors, which could lead to improved treatment and management of the disease.

Current advances in the science of innate immune defense are helping to further elucidate the role of P. acnes, sebocytes and keratinocytes in the development of acne.

The psychological distress caused by scarring and PIH following long-term acne disease can be devastating, begging the need for more effective therapeutic options.

Biofilms are increasingly implicated as the reason why currently available acne treatments sometimes prove ineffective in acne vulgaris patients, begging the need for more effective targeted therapies directed against biofilm formation.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a challenging disease to treat; however, a better understanding of the disease and continued research has led to more clear-cut therapeutic options, according to an expert who spoke at the North American Clinical Dermatologic Society meeting.

Recent head-to-head clinical trial results with secukinumab (Novartis) and etanercept (Enbrel, Amgen) show a significant superiority of secukinumab in the treatment and management of patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, perhaps heralding a new standard of care for this patient population.

Although the symptoms of acne and rosacea are well established, clear and definitive etiologies of these conditions have largely been unknown. Recent research, however, has shed new light into the pathophysiology of these conditions, paving the way for more targeted therapies.

While topical and oral therapies remain the gold standard approach for treating acne, laser and light sources are effective for acne lesions and scarring, and can be particularly useful in cases recalcitrant to standard therapeutic approaches.