Letter from the Editor

Dear Reader,

The 2019 AAD Annual Meeting was filled with broad innovations covering the entire field of dermatology. In this report, you will find several highlights.

Innovation in dermatology is no longer limited to a few areas. For example, innovations in psoriasis have expanded to atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, urticaria, and vitiligo. Important innovations are biologics with different targets but also small molecules, including Janus kinase inhibitors. In particular, several IL-17 and IL-23 blockers have opened new perspectives for long-term control of psoriasis. Anti-IL-4 and IL-13 are the new options for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

Also covered in this conference report are new leads on hair loss, vitiligo, and non-melanoma skin cancers. The classical treatments and low-level laser light therapy for alopecia androgenetica, as well as the value of dermatoscopy in hair diseases were highlighted. Janus kinase inhibitors for vitiligo offer new options in this frequent disease, which often is so difficult to treat. For the treatment of acne, there was a focus on hormone therapy and a new narrow-spectrum tetracycline: sarecycline.

The AAD 2019 was a large educational event where new innovations were presented and classical treatments were positioned in the perspective of personalised treatment.

Peter CM van de Kerkhof

Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, the Netherlands

Biography

Peter C.M. van de Kerkhof is emeritus Professor of Dermatology and immediate past chairman of the Department of Dermatology of Radboud University Nijmegen. He is currently the coordinating Medical Officer of the International Psoriasis Council and chair of the scientific advisory board of the Dutch burn association. He has been working for many years on the pathogenesis and treatment of psoriasis. He has published more than 700 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has given many presentations on invitation at international conferences. He has served as president of the ESDR, EDF, and the International Psoriasis Council, and was board member of various international societies. Current interests are: pathogenesis and development of biomarkers for psoriasis; real clinical practise research; and personalised medicine.

Conflict of Interest Statement:

Consultancy services for: Celgene, Almirall, Amgen, Pfizer, Philips, AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Galderma, Novartis, Janssen Biotech, Janssen-Cilag, LEO Pharma, Sandoz, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Sandoz, Bristol Meyer Squibb, UCB, Dermavant. Speaker services for: Celgene, Almirall, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Jansen-Cilag, LEO Pharma, Sandoz, Bristol Meyer Squibb.



Posted on 23 April 201916 March 2021