—by Colleen Hutchinson

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Hello and welcome to Day 1 of the 25th Las Vegas Dermatology Seminar!

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With renowned faculty and informative presentations on atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, cutaneous malignancies and more, Las Vegas Derm brings you the latest dermatological advancements—with presentations that define the latest proven breakthrough treatments for your hardest patient cases. A robust and comprehensive agenda targets new developments and covers all your CME needs in one meeting. And all of this from the stunning backdrop of the brand-new Fontainebleau in Las Vegas!

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Co-chairs Adam Friedman, MD, and Lawrence Eichenfield, MD, both look forward to this year’s robust agenda.

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“First and foremost,” Dr. Adam Friedman shared, “At LVD, I look forward to the people I see. “Focusing on the conference content, the extended case discussions and Q&A offers unparalleled organic interactions between expert faculty...who knows what will be said or learned next (and those sofa chairs are wonderfully comfortable so hard to complain about much!)”

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Dr. Lawrence Eichenfield shares: “The co-chairs and I are excited about the 25th Las Vegas Dermatology Seminar starting Thursday September 19 at the Fontainebleau Hotel. We have an incredible set of faculty and a tremendous program!”

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“We will start the program off with discussion on important common conditions, in a session titled The Usual Suspects: What You Need to Know About… Dr. Julie Harper will be updating us on acne and rosacea, Brandi Kenner-Bell on cutaneous infections, and they will join Jim DelRosso and Adam Friedman for a discussion of challenging cases.”

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Dr. Brandi Kenner-Bell presents in Session 1 with her talk, Cutaneous Infection Update. “There are now 2 FDA-approved treatments for molluscum contagiosum, 0.7% cantheridin and berdazimer 10.3% gel,” shared Dr. Kenner-Bell. “This is significant progress considering we've had no FDA-approved treatment for one of the most common childhood dermatologic conditions.”

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“We move onto a great session on hair and dyspigmentation, along with a talk on So Many Drugs, So Little Time with a great set of renowned leaders in the field,” Dr. Eichenfield said about Session 2 today. “I am looking forward to the Dermatitis Forum where we will be reviewing what state of the art is for atopic dermatitis topical, biologic, oral drug therapies, as well as an approach to contact dermatitis and What Else Itches?  Our faculty panel will then discuss challenging AD cases, as we translate research and experiences into practice approaches.”

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Dr. Andrew Alexis has two presentations he will open Session 2: Hair, Dyspigmentation, and Other Updates with today, the first of which is Distinguishing Dyschromias and Dealing With Them.

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“While melasma is the most prevalent disorder that would present with symmetrical hyperpigmented patches on the face,” Dr. Alexis shares, I’ll speak on how it is important to consider other disorders in the differential diagnosis. In particular, identifying a bluish-gray or violaceous hue helps point to disorders such as lichen planus pigmentosus, erythema dyschromicum perstans, photodistributed lichenoid drug reactions, or exogenous ochronosis. A detailed history, dermoscopy, and when necessary, a small punch biopsy are helpful in differentiating these disorders.”

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Regarding his second presentation, Disorders of Hypopigmentation and Depigmentation, Dr. Alexis states: “I will discuss hypopigmentation associated with seborrheic dermatitis in patients with skin of color, progressive macular hypomelanosis (PMH), and vitiligo. Treatments include topical roflumilast foam for seborrheic dermatitis (with improvement in hypopigmentation); topical clindamycin and phototherapy for PMH; and topical ruxolitinib, phototherapy, as well as emerging oral and procedural therapies for vitiligo.”

So what else is not to be missed on Day 1 of Las Vegas Derm?

• Acne: Updates in Management and Treatment—Julie C. Harper, MD
• Update on the Treatment of Scarring Alopecias—Ginette Okoye, MD
• Biologics for Atopic Dermatitis: What's the State of the Art?—April Armstrong, MD
• Identifying and Treating Contact Dermatitis—Jonathan Zippin, MD
• Rosacea: Practical Diagnostic and Management Pearls— Julie C. Harper, MD
• What’s New in Acne—Andrew F. Alexis, MD
• And more!

Today Session 3: The Dermatitis Forum showcases Dr. Adam Friedman’s presentation, What Else Itches and What to Do About It?

“Is it an itch that rashes or a rash that itches?” asks Dr. Friedman. “This seemingly simple question was posed to me as a resident by Dr. Michael Fisher (founding director of dermatology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine) and reminds us that itch is anything but.” Dr. Friedman went on to explain that whether it be the eye-popping pathophysiology or broad branching differentials, pruritus is always impactful (and not in a good way) regardless of association or cause.

He cautions on these points in particular:

• Itch (without a primary rash) as a marker for systemic disease, from malignancy to organ dysfunctionsome text
  • Pointer: Bullous pemphigoid and be blister free with an itching spree
• Not all itch is created equal some text
  • Is it an itch that feels good to scratch versus hurts?
  • Does it burn—does it feel like insects crawling (formication)?
• Not all pruritic diseases get podium time (so now they do)some text
  • Prurugo nodularis – It’s a real disease with two FDA approved picks
  • Lichen Planus - New Ps -  please remember comorbidities, pick oral retinoids for moderate to severe disease, and pray for the first fda approval for this pruritic disease
  • Lichen Amyloidosis - "Too much itch" is a giveaway, IL-31 may be the one, and topical steroids + topical retinoids are a Tinder match made in heaven!

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For So Many Drugs, So Little Time: A Plethora of Perpetual Publications, Dr. James Del Rosso explained what to expect:  "Information on pathophysiology and therapeutic advances are happening in dermatology at lightning speed. Keeping up is a constant challenge. This presentation provides a succinct overview of newer information that is clinically relevant and should help the listener keep pace with newer developments."

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Dr. Del Rosso, serving as a panelist on What Happens in Vegas Doesn't Stay in Vegas: Cases in Common Conditions, remarks: "Management of acne sounds straightforward but that is not always the case. This case study walks through the 'journey' of success followed by repeated setbacks until finally getting to the underlying cause of this patient's acne."

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Dr. Tina Bhutani, also Co-chair, shared a bit about her first talk, A Practical Guide to Oral Systemic Therapies for Atopic Dermatitis?

“We will discuss how to incorporate the use of newer oral JAK inhibitors into your practice for the treatment of atopic dermatitis,” she explained. “These drugs provide a valuable addition to our treatment toolbox. I will walk you through how to pick the right patient and how to safely counsel and monitor your patients while on treatment.”

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Attending Las Vegas Dermatology Seminar enables you to return to work with the most current treatment armamentarium to date, and with the knowledge to manage the most challenging and cases.

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“At Las Vegas Derm, I look forward to hearing helpful pearls from expert faculty and networking with dermatology colleagues from around the country,” states Dr. Alexis. Las Vegas Derm has a lot packed into each session, with every minute used wisely by presenters to cover compelling, critical information for practicing dermatologists.

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Consider next year attending in person if you are reading this from home. Aside from the Las Vegas Fontainebleau backdrop, our interactive Q&A sessions, Welcome Reception, Exhibit and Poster Hall make it easy to gain knowledge, exchange ideas, meet new colleagues, and catch up with everyone in your professional circle. Plan for next year!

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Look for our daily newsletter tomorrow morning in your inbox that will detail Day 2’s events. Following that, Day 3 will be dedicated to cutaneous malignancies, including two unique presentations and a dermoscopy course. Have a great day, from the faculty and leaders at MedscapeLIVE!

—by Colleen Hutchinson

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Don’t miss these events!

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ODAC Dermatology, Aesthetic & Surgical Conference | January 17 - 20, 2025 | Orlando, FL
ODAC is the premier CE dermatology conference expertly curated to provide comprehensive updates and fresh practical pearls in medical, aesthetic and surgical dermatology. Register Now.

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Pigmentary Disorders Exchange Symposium | June 6 - 7, 2025 | Chicago, IL
The 2nd Annual Pigmentary Disorders Exchange Symposium is starting soon! World-renowned dermatology experts will spend two full days diving deep into pigmentary disorders in the full spectrum of skin tones, from lightest through darkest. Save Your Seat!

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Check out this webinar happening soon!

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Join us for a special ODAC Session: Make SILIQ® (brodalumab) injection, 210 mg/ 1.5 mL Your BIO-Logical Next Step

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Register here: https://ow.ly/J6t850Tir9R