ACD meeting is a fortnight away

The Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD) will be holding its 53rd annual scientific meeting as a virtual conference from 9-11 April. Originally intended as a face-to-face meeting  in Adelaide, the digital platform will include sessions on issues such as biologics, melanoma and contact dermatitis. It will also feature international keynote speakers including Professor  John McGrath of St John’s Institute of Dermatology in London talking about precision diagnostics and new treatments for inherited skin diseases, Professor Celia Moss  from Birmingham University, UK, speaking on dermatological presentations of genetic mosaicism and Associate Professor Ruth Ann Vleugels from Harvard Medical School talking about and novel systemic therapies for autoimmune skin diseases.

Nomogram to predict recurrence in patients with Thin (T1) Melanomas

A Thin Melanoma Recurrence Risk Calculator has been made available for clinician use by Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA).

According to MIA, around seven out of every 10 primary melanomas are ≤1.0mm in Breslow thickness when they are diagnosed and number of patients diagnosed with thin melanomas is steadily increasing worldwide.

“Identifying which patients will progress is of great importance and our understanding of the factors that predict ultimate outcome has historically been unclear,” said Associate Professor Serigne Lo, a develope of the nomogram.

“The development of this online tool will help inform discussions between clinicians and their patients, ultimately guiding more personalised risk-based management decisions.”

More information is available in Journal of Clinical Oncology.

What acne information is available on Youtube?

People with acne who turn to Youtube for advice on treatment can expect to see videos promoting everything from toothpaste and honey to diets that exclude dairy products and carbohydrates. Dermatologists in the US searched YouTube for “how to get rid of acne” and found that the most common videos in the top 100 results were for natural and household therapies, such as aloe vera and tea tree oil. Most of the videos were produced by consumers, with only 15% of acne advice coming from dermatologists.

Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid were the most common active ingredients discussed (25%), and only 7-8% recommended included information on isotretinoin and antibiotics.

The findings are published in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology