Women's Dermatologic Society

  Advances in Dermatology: 2024 in Review  By Cather McKay, MD The past year has been another exciting one in the field of dermatology! New medications and expanded indications give us more options than ever to care for our patients.   Atopic dermatitis and prurigo nodularis More topical options for atopic dermatitis (AD) became available this year with the approval of roflumilast 0.15% cream (Zoryve) in patients aged 6 years and up and tapinarof 1% cream (Vtama) in patients aged 2 years and up. 1,2 Approval of the pan-JAK inhibitor delgocitinib cream for adults with chronic hand eczema is expected based on phase 3 trials. 3 Ruxolitinib cream (Opzelura) is currently approved for ages 12 and up, but has shown safety and efficacy in patients as young as 2 years. 4 IL-13 inhibitor lebrikizumab (Ebglyss) was approved in September for moderate to severe AD in patients 12 years and up who weigh at least 40 kg. 5 Another IL-13 inhibitor, cendakimab, is in develo...

  Compassion and Medicine Sara Hylwa-Deufel, MD As we all know, February is the month dedicated to love. And while we may not always feel love for our jobs, colleagues, patients, or even ourselves, offering compassion is a prerequisite for being a physician. Compassion entails recognizing the suffering of others and being motivated to help. Compassion has both feeling and acting components, distinguishing it from similar feelings like sympathy, empathy, and concern (1). While compassion is foundational for the physician, little research has been conducted on the subject. However, a recent study from 2022 attempted to address this gap by asking patients what actions physicians take to make them feel cared for. The study found 7 behavioral themes: listening and paying attention (far and beyond the most important behavior in this survey with a whopping 71% of responses), following-up and running tests (11%), continuity and holistic care (8%), respecting preferences (4%), genuine unde...

Dr. Arisa Ortiz, MD Arisa Ortiz, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and director of laser and cosmetic dermatology at UC San Diego Health. She specializes in the latest noninvasive procedures, including laser skin resurfacing, dermal filler and toxin injections, body contouring, skin tightening, and the treatment of scars. Dr. Ortiz is a frequent speaker at the American Academy of Dermatology, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, and currently serves as chair of a national aesthetic meeting. She was a guest editor for Journal of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine and serves as a reviewer for Dermatologic Surgery Journal. In addition, she has published over 30 original medical articles and chapters on new innovations in cutaneous laser surgery. She completed a laser and cosmetic dermatology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Wellman Center for Photomedicine. She acquired ad...