2024 Key Insights: Acne

As 2024 ends, many of us are looking back on the last year with fond remembrance, and some will be happy to say farewell. I have enjoyed watching my 4 children grow and thrive this year, and I was thrilled to be chosen as Dermatology Times’ editor in chief for summer 2024. I am happy, however, to say goodbye to the awful hurricane season that affected so many this year, and I will be happy to be done with the political commercials and text messages.

One skin condition I was very happy to help many of my patients say goodbye to in 2024 was acne vulgaris. I had great success this year for my patients with the release of the first triple-combination, once-daily topical therapy of clindamycin, adapalene, and benzoyl peroxide (Cabtreo; Ortho), which in clinical trials helped more than 50% of patients achieve clear or almost clear skin at just 12 weeks. I have seen this repeated in my practice many times this year, and it is so thrilling to see patients completely clear after using just 1 topical monotherapy. In 2024, the American Academy of Dermatology finally updated its acne treatment guidelines which had not been updated since 2016. Hopefully, providers will feel more confident treating acne given the new blueprint.

On the podium this year, many speakers taught new providers to treat the 4 pillars of acne pathogenesis: follicular hyperkeratinization, excess sebum production (driven by androgens), inflammation, and Cutibacterium acnes. Through these lectures, we have learned that combination therapy for acne is the best approach. Providers should try to treat as many of these 4 pillars as possible. I hope providers are paying attention to these valuable lessons, and I hope that someday providers will learn to embrace their specialty role and prescribe something better than generic tretinoin for their acne patients.

We may finally be able to say farewell to using so many topical steroids in our pediatric patient population. This year allowed many providers who treat pediatric patients to have access to new medications for younger age demographics for conditions such as atopic dermatitis. We are now getting comfortable prescribing dupilumab (Dupixent; Sano and Regeneron) down to 6 months of age. We also have a new injectable option for patients 12 years of age and older, which may allow fewer injections for our needlephobic teenagers. This year also brought some new “beyond steroidal” options for our atopic dermatitis patients: roflumilast 0.15% (Zoryve; Arcutis) for patients 6 years and older and pending approval in December, and tapinarof (Vtama; Dermavant), which the FDA was expected to approve by year’s end for patients 2 years and older for mild, moderate, and severe atopic dermatitis. These are in addition to ruxolitinib (Opzelura; Incyte), which is indicated for patients 12 years and older, and crisaborole (Eucrisa; Pfizer), which is indicated for patients 3 months and older.

As 2024 ends, I want to applaud all dermatology providers who are keeping up with the latest and greatest therapeutic trends. Kudos to so many of you who went to dermatology conferences this year or attended virtual learning sessions to improve your dermatology acumen. Thank you for reading articles like the ones in Dermatology Times and for striving to do your best to provide exceptional care for your patients. We are so lucky to be working in dermatology at a time when we have so many wonderful therapeutic options at our fingertips. I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2025.

Shanna Miranti, MPAS, PA-C, is a board-certified physician assistant at Riverchase Dermatology in Naples, Florida, and Dermatology Times’ summer 2024 editor in chief.