Cosmetic Dermatology: An Evidence Based Update

Following last year’s very successful meeting on evidence-based dermatological surgery, you (the audience) proposed that we tackle cosmetic dermatology in and evidence-based way. My initial reaction was that this topic was way out of my comfort zone, but then I came to conclusion that if patients are being offered “cosmetic” procedures on the NHS and in the private sector, why shouldn’t such procedures be informed by the best evidence? And so we have grasped the nettle and found some fabulous topics and speakers different disciplines from all over the world to come together to present and discuss the latest evidence and where the big research gaps are. We are also grateful to Sean Lanigan and colleagues from the British Cosmetic Dermatology Group and the plastic and aesthetic surgery community for their advice on assembling the programme.

We will feature three Cochrane systematic reviews that have summarised the best evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) covering the topics of acne scarring (Alison Layton), melasma (Ratna Rajaratnam who is making a special visit from Singapore to be present) and hirsutism (Esther van Zuuren from Leiden who has recently published a nice summary in JAMSA on this topic). Then Berthold Rzany from the Cosmetic Science Centre in Hamburg will present their team’s results on a recent RCT of oncobotulinumtoxinA for upper facial lines – I feel some of those lines coming on already! Full programme here .

As always, we encourage a strong patient voice at these meetings, and we are delighted that Elizabeth Allen from the British Association of Skin Camouflage will address the question of whether skin camouflage still has a place in 2016. The effects of skin disease are often very significant in people with dark skins, yet the evidence is poor in this field. As a result of partnership between Sharon Aryiku and Douglas Grindlay (our CEBD information specialist), a new resource on dermatological problems in skin of colour has been created for the CEBD website and will be launched at the meeting.  Sharon will address some of the common cosmetic dermatology in skin of colour problems as well as practical advice of what to do or not to do with them.

Throughout the meeting, we will also pay attention to the importance of evaluating patient factors that might determine good outcomes for cosmetic procedures. When searching for recent evidence on this topic, we came across a fascinating paper by Jasmijn Herruer and colleagues from Nijmegen on satisfaction predictors for those seeking cosmetic facial surgery. I wrote to Jasmijn inviting her to come and present her work and she has kindly agreed. You see, we do systematically search for relevant new research and don’t just invite our cronies to come to the meeting.

As always, we include our very popular “ask the expert” panel, where delegates are invited to submit practical questions before the meeting that will them be discussed by the expert panel. We are lucky to have a good mix of the top dermatologists and plastic surgeons interested in cosmetic dermatology share their vast experiences with us. Like Heineken beer, the expert panel tries to address the gaps where the evidence does not reach. This meeting is a must for all dermatologists, plastic and aesthetic surgeons and all involved in delivering and supporting cosmetic dermatological advice and care. Many will say that the topic is an evidence-free zone – our speakers will clearly show that good work has been done in the field on many fronts but much more is needed. The challenge is implement the findings of good studies that have already answered some key questions and to identify and prioritise the next research questions. It is timely to raise awareness for an evidence-based approach for assessing and treating cosmetic dermatology procedures. That time is May 12th 2016. Please book early as we are likely to sell out quickly for this topic.

This meeting has been awarded 5 CPD credits by the Royal College of Physicians.