Discovering Dermatology Times: June 2023

The June issue of Dermatology Times® includes a collection of thought-provoking articles and topics ranging from harmful social media skin care trends to advances and educational opportunities to improve vitiligo outcomes. Be sure to take a look at the highlights from the issue below. Also, don’t miss a moment of Dermatology Times by signing up for our eNewsletters and subscribing to receive the print issue each month.

Harmful Social Media Skin Care Trends: Viral Doesn’t Mean Safe

There is no doubt that TikTok has been a boon to cosmetic dermatology, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are hundreds of accounts discussing skin care issues; some come from well-respected brands and clinicians, whereas others are self-proclaimed “skinfluencers” who share their expertise without any real credentials. Their reach is overwhelming, with a top skinfluencer boasting 4.5 million followers.

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Considerations to Best Serve Transgender Patients Seeking Aesthetic Care

Dermatology is occupying an increasingly important role in the provision of gender-affirming care to transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people seeking to align their gender expression and identity. This care can take on a variety of forms, ranging from social and legal affirmation to medical and procedural therapy, including numerous aesthetic and minimally invasive procedures. As of 2022, approximately 1.3 million US adults identify as transgender. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery, over 16,000 gender affirmation surgeries were performed in 2020, nearly 2000 more than the year prior.

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Crucial Conversations Are Needed to Address Racism in Medicine

“In order to really call ourselves experts in skin color, the difference is that we don't just take care of brown and black bodies, a lot of people do. You have to be thinking about health equity and the things that I'm talking about [today] when you're in the exam room with your patient,” said Candrice Heath, MD, FAAP, FAAD, assistant professor of dermatology and director of pediatric dermatology at Temple University. Heath spoke at the 2023 Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis conference in Washington, DC, to discuss the crucial conversations dermatologists need to consider to help combat racism in medicine.

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Advances and Educational Opportunities to Improve Vitiligo Outcomes

Since 2011, June has been widely recognized as Vitiligo Awareness Month within the community of patients with the disorder, their families, and their loved ones. That same year, the first annual World Vitiligo Day celebrations began, organized by the Vitiligo Research Foundation and the Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation, propelling June 25 forward as a day of awareness, recognition, and education. In the time since the inaugural holiday, World Vitiligo Day has become an integral part of a global movement to spread information and look ahead to groundbreaking research and transformative therapies in the works for the nearly 70 million2 individuals with vitiligo.

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