JMIR Dermatology

Large language models (LLMs) are becoming increasingly popular in clinical trial design but have been underutilized in research proposal development.

Understanding the burden of various skin diseases can help guide funding allocation for skin disease research. In 2015, Hagstrom and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study that found partial correlation between United States (US) skin disease burden according to the 2010 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study and National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding from 2012-13.

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in the United States, with rural populations facing disproportionate delays in diagnosis due to geographic isolation, workforce shortages, and limited access to dermatologic care. These delays contribute to higher rates of late-stage diagnosis and poorer outcomes. Teledermatology has emerged as a promising solution to expand access to dermatologic evaluation and treatment in underserved settings.

This narrative review examines the advantages and disadvantages of direct-to-consumer teledermatology for the treatment of male androgenetic alopecia, finding that this treatment modality improves access to care, ensures high adherence rates, and enhances patient satisfaction, while raising concerns about increased drug costs.

The VISIA camera is a device that captures images of the skin, offering a detailed look at skin health by detecting changes that are often missed on physical exam and to the naked eye. It can help identify changes in UV damage, pigmentation, texture, fine lines, and redness. In dermatology, it has become a useful tool to build targeted treatment plans and follow patient progress over time. We present a case of a male patient diagnosed with diffuse scalp actinic keratoses (AKs) who was treated with topical 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). VISIA images were taken before treatment, at one week, and again three months following therapy. The images were reviewed for changes in UV spots, texture, and other generalized spots. Results revealed a decrease in UV spots, a temporary improvement in texture followed by a later rise, and no significant change in generalized spots. This case highlights the value of VISIA imaging as an objective method for assessing treatment response and evaluating the effectiveness of 5-FU in the management of AKs.

Skin cancer is a global health concern due to its high and still increasing incidence and associated healthcare cost. Belgium is no exception as one in five people are diagnosed with skin cancer before the age of 75. A promising innovation, the VECTRA WB360, a three-dimensional total body photography system allows clinicians to objectively compare the totality of the skin on a macroscopic level on further appointments. The integrated lesion visualisation software allows automated detection, counts and assessment of skin lesions. And detailed comparison of individual lesions is possible through the attached digital dermatoscope.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into dermatology holds promise for education and diagnostic purposes, particularly through image generation, which has not been well studied.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the trends of synchronous teledermatology usage across different levels of clinical complexity and found that its increasing use for more complex visits highlights its potential as a long-term approach in dermatologic care.

Dermatology is an ever-evolving field; the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) offers promising avenues for enhancing clinical decision-making and improving patient outcomes. This study focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of DermGPT, an AI model specifically designed to address dermatological inquiries with precision, compared to ChatGPT-4o (OpenAI), an AI chatbot and virtual assistant developed by OpenAI. DermGPT was developed by a practicing dermatologist, and it is marketed as a superior alternative to general-purpose AI models like ChatGPT; it contains a curated database of authoritative sources tailored to the community of dermatological professionals.

TikTok, with over two billion users worldwide, has become an influential venue for health information, including dermatologic advice. However, concerns remain about the accuracy and impact of sunscreen-related content.

Laser hair removal is a non-invasive cosmetic procedure that targets melanin in hair follicles using selective photothermolysis

This single-center retrospective case series included 28 patients with alopecia (LPP, n =7; DLE, n =7; AA, =14). Trichoscopic markers were systematically compared across groups. Exclamation-mark hairs and yellow dots were characteristic of AA, whereas follicular ostia loss and white scarring were confined to LPP/DLE, providing a simple and practical distinction between nonscarring and scarring alopecias in routine practice.