Dermatologist Talks About the ABCs of Wounds and HS Support at Annual Meeting

It is an exciting time for dermatology, Hadar Lev-Tov, MD, told Dermatology Times® following session on wounds at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting in New Orleans.¹

The goal of the session was to review updates and discuss “wounds and wound care and what it means to dermatologists,” explained Lev-Tov, who is an associate professor of clinical dermatology and cutaneous surgery at the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Florida. The topic is important, he explained, because dermatologists “[create] wounds as a result of biopsies, excisions, and micro-needling.” In addition, many skin diseases can be viewed as superficial or deep wounds, so “it’s very important for dermatologist to stay up to speed as to what's going on in wound healing and wound care topics.”

“A new thing that we discussed in my session was how to treat infantile hemangiomas,” Lev-Tov said. He discussed recent research examining the advantages of β blockers. “The bottom line is that using systemic β blockers seem to reduce the incidence of ulceration in these lesions that are really troublesome to the babies and parents alike. But it seems like once the ulcer has occurred, adding a systemic β blocker may help but not as much—surprise, surprise—as good wound care.”

While Lev-Tov’s talk focused on what’s new in wound healing, his colleagues also tackled important topics, he noted. Robert S. Kirsner, MD, PhD, director of the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics Wound Center, gave tips and insights on wounds and infections. Meanwhile, Daniel Brian Eisen, MD, director of dermatologic surgery and professor in the division of clinical dermatology at University of California, Davis, reexamined the dogma on primary surgical wounds closure. Rounding out the talk, Afsaneh Alavi, MD, medical lead for dermatology clinical trials at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, shared special considerations in the management of pyoderma gangrenosum.

In addition to his work in wound care, Lev-Tov shared his passion for the Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) Foundation. “I'm really proud to serve on the Board of Directors for the HS Foundation, and we are really pumped to include more teaching awards for dermatologist and people who want to investigate HS,” he told Dermatology Times. “The foundation has put out a record $250,000 just this year for research awards.”

“I encourage everybody go to our website,” he added. In addition to resources for patients, the Foundation provides tools to support dermatologists caring for patients with HS. “Have you ever tried to get coverage for biologics or other medications from insurances and got a denial? Well, we have appeal letters ready for you,” he told Dermatology Times. “It's a quick Word download that your staff can do… Just sign it, and it's good to go, with all the citations and all the rationales right there.”

Disclosures

According to the presentation, Dr Lev-Tov’s disclosures include: consultant (fees): AbbVie, Alumis, Molynlycke, Next Science, Novartis, Pfizer Inc.; investigator (grants/research funding): BSN Medical; investigator (no compensation received): Incyte Corporation, Pfizer Inc., TissueTech, UCB; founder (stock options): DermVeda; founder (stock): LearnHealth/LearnSkin; speaker (honoraria): BSN Medical, Molynlycke, Pfizer Inc., SAWC; advisory board (honoraria): Pfizer Inc.

Reference

1. Lev-Tov H. What's new in wound healing. Wounds, wounds and more wounds! Presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. March 17-23, 2023.