I recently attended the annual Dermatology conference held by the Cosmetic Dermatology Society of India, Cosderm 2013. It is one of the conferences that every Cosmetic Dermatologist in the Indian Subcontinent looks forward to.
For those who wonder what happens at conferences that doctors attend.. Well basically it involves learning new advances in treatments, understanding changing trends in disease patterns, sharing problems that dermatologists are encountering in treating certain conditions and lots of such enriching learning and sharing with other national and international dermatologists.
The main discussions this season were focused on
Hormonal Acne and PCOD.
To my surprise, it was unanimously agreed upon that all dermatologists in India are seeing increased cases of hormonal acne across age groups.
1. Increasing numbers of hormonal acne patients across all age groups
2. Acne in pre-teens i.e. 9-12 yr old children
3. Acne that requires hormonal treatment in addition to topical medications, oral antibiotics and chemical peels despite a normal hormonal blood profile
The discussion then went on to ‘Dermatoendocrinology’, the need of the hour. As neither an Endocrinologist nor a Gynecologist can address dermatology related hormonal issues the way a Dermatologist is equipped to.
Platelet Rich Plasma in Androgenetic Alopecia and Hair Regrowth
Again it was stressed upon that PRP treatments are very effective in achieving hair regrowth in both male pattern baldness as well as female pattern alopecia. Results will continue to improve in the future with better understanding of processing parameters.
Stress was laid upon processing of blood samples by the treating dermatologist to ensure best quality of PRP, rather than sending it to a processing laboratory.
Facial Pigmentation and Acanthosis Nigricans
Theory of free radical damage and reactive oxygen species in causing pigmentation saw Vitamin C serums in high strength emerge as the hero in addition to continued sun protection through life.
Hydroquinone is still considered the gold standard in pigmentation treatment topicals. It has been banned as an over the counter drug in certain countries due to abuse and is available through prescription only.
Alpha Lipoic Acid and Glutathione supplementation was thought to have a definite role in the future of acanthosis nigricans related pigmentation.
Acne scars and Stretch Marks
Fractionated CO2 lasers were considered to offer best results in acne scar treatment when done at 4-6 month intervals. Down time varied from 1-3 weeks and post laser pigmentation was considered as an inevitable after effect. This pigmentation was required to be addressed by a combination of Hydroquinone and other tyrosinase inhibitors and mild chemical peels.
Microneedling with dermaroller and Fractionated RF was believed to provide similar results with no pigmentary disturbances and with a down time of 1-3 days. But number of sessions required was somewhat higher.
Autumn and winter is the season dermatologists enjoy most due to numerous interesting conferences. Looking forward to the International Master Course in Aesthetic Surgery (IMCAS – India 2013) which I will be attending in November this year 😉
Keep looking beautiful,
xoxo
Dr Niketa Sonavane.
Call 9930993600 to book your consultation with Dr Niketa Sonavane.
