Insights From the 16th 5CC World Congress

The 16th 5CC World Congress was recently held in Lisbon, Portugal from June 13 to 16. The international conference brings together medical and cosmetic dermatology experts from around the world. At this year’s meeting, Naiem Issa, MD, PhD, presented sessions on the 1726 nm laser for acne, atopic dermatitis disease modification, advances in hidradenitis suppurativa, and microneedling techniques for vitiligo. Issa, a board-certified dermatologist at Forefront Dermatology in Vienna, Virginia, and an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Miami in Florida and the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington DC, recently spoke with Dermatology Times to review his sessions and key highlights from the meeting.

“This year was the 16th annual 5CC meeting. It was held in the beautiful city of Lisbon, Portugal, and it was a great turnout. We had medical dermatologists, cosmetic dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and anatomists. What was great is that we had highlights from Dr. Sebastian Cotofana, and he is a famous anatomist and aesthetic surgeon. He gave us a lot of great techniques, and it was a fun-filled and educational venue where every year we meet with partners from all over the world,” said Issa.

Congress president, Michael Gold, MD, describes the meeting as having a “long and rich history as being an all-inclusive dermatology and aesthetic medicine conference – along with having truly one of the most outstanding faculties seen in global meetings.”¹

“Every year I go to 5CC because I'm in love with the medical dermatology aspect, and I have the pleasure of chairing the sessions for medical dermatology,” said Issa.

Highlights From 5CC

1) Microneedling for Vitiligo

Issa: With regards to microneedling and vitiligo, I love this technique, because microneedling is a type of procedure where you boost regeneration. So, for those folks who have really recalcitrant vitiligo, you may want to try to wake up those melanocytes. What I found, as well as in the literature and in my own practice, is that if you microneedle in the vitiligo lesion, as well as in the outskirts of the periphery and a little bit past the periphery, you may be able to wake up those growth factors that jump-start the melanocytes and melanoblasts, so that you can try to repigment.

2) Global Hot Topics

Issa: What I find really interesting is that the 5CC is a global Congress, right? So, we have attendees from all over the world, and depending on where they come from, they have different resources to use to treat the same diseases that we treat here in the United States, but they have limitations. While we may have the latest and greatest, they may not, but they love to read about them and hear about them. Also, they like to ask, given what medications and what tools they have in their toolbox, what can they use given our experiences here? For example, when it comes to vitiligo and microneedling, they may not have necessarily the same microneedlingdevices as we have here. However, everybody has a needle, right? So, we can kind of MacGyver it, if you will. And then use what's called the poor man's technique and manual microneedle by hand and still obtain similar outcomes. This is the kind of group think that we like to have in 5CC because while resources may be limited in different places, we can help people become creative in order to have optimal care.

3) Top Audience Engagement

Issa: There are 2 things that really come to mind in terms of audience engagement. One is always vitiligo, and I know I keep mentioning the microneedling. However, there was the aspect of antioxidants in vitiligo, because there's a lot of data on antioxidants, but folks just don't know about it. That usually is a hot-button item that people like to talk about. The second is atopic dermatitis. As we move the needle in terms of inflammatory skin diseases, it’s great that we have all these wonderful medications and people like to learn about that, but now we're getting more interested in terms of what happens when you're off drug and is it possibly disease-modifying? That has also been a hot-button topic that people like to discuss.

Reference

1. Gold M. Dear colleagues. 5CC World Congress. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.5-cc.com/en/2024/home/