Dermatologist Shares Insights on Saving the Nail at Annual Meeting

Although superficial mucoid pseudocysts are considered one of the most common benign degenerative lesions of the nail, currently, there are no consensus treatment guidelines and etiology remains uncertain. Mucoid psuedocysts, also known as myxoid pseudocyst or synovial cyst, are associated with inflammatory disease and osteoarthritis, specifically; they generally present after the age of 40.

What can be done to help patients who present with mucoid pseudocysts? Christoph R. Loeser, MD, IFAAD, deputy director at the Skin Cancer Center in Ludwigshafen, Germany, chatted with Dermatology Times^® ahead of his session at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting.

“[Mucoid psuedocysts] can be a bothersome problem for the patient, even though it's benign,” Loeser noted.“Make sure you know what sort of mucoid psuedocysts you have and then you [can] adjust your treatment accordingly.”

“The biggest challenge in treating mucoid psuedocysts is to decide if there is a need to treat at all, and then to decide how you can treat them with minimal trauma for the patient,” he added.

Ultimately, he explained, the diagnostic process is key to helping patients. First, Loeser said, dermatologists need to ensure they are making the correct diagnosis, and then classify the pseudocyst correctly.

Loeser’s talk is part of a larger session on minimally invasive nail surgery, which is scheduled for Friday, March 17, 2023, as part of the annual meeting. Other topics in that session include nail biopsy and histology, subungual melanoma & melanonychia, and erythronychia.

Dermatology is a little different in his native Germany than the United States, Loeser told Dermatology Times. While dermatology is largely practiced as outpatient in the United States, much of dermatology in Germany is inpatient, he said.

Loeser has presented on clinical issues of nail disease at the meeting previously, and has received positive feedback on his work.

In addition to his clinical expertise, Loeser has a passion for the history of dermatology. “I'm most excited meeting American friends and friends from abroad and to connect [with them], especially in my field of history of dermatology and nail diseases and nail surgery,” he said.

Meanwhile, Loeser is excited about the future of dermatology, noting there has been great progress, and there is more to come.

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