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- Presentation
Pediatric Dermatology Advances and Patient Stories: Treating Atopic Dermatitis, Psoriasis, Vitiligo, Molluscum, Alopecia Areata, and Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Description
The speaker highlights recent advances in pediatric dermatology and uses patient stories to show how new therapies can transform lives. For atopic dermatitis, several non-steroid topicals and biologics/JAK inhibitors are described, including tapinarof, roflumilast, ruxolitinib, dupilumab, lebrikizumab, and emerging options, with examples of children whose itching, sleep, growth, confidence, and activities improved dramatically. The talk emphasizes that uncontrolled eczema can affect sleep, growth, and quality of life, and that treatment can restore normal childhood experiences. It then reviews progress in pediatric psoriasis, including icotrokinra and secukinumab, and shares a story of a teen cleared in time for Christmas. For vitiligo, a young boy improved with topical ruxolitinib plus polypodium leucotomos. For molluscum, berdazimer gel is presented as an effective new option. The speaker also discusses alopecia areata, showing striking regrowth with oral JAK inhibitors such as tofacitinib, baricitinib, and upadacitinib, including a patient with Crohn’s disease who benefited from treatment that addressed both conditions. Finally, hidradenitis suppurativa is framed as a severe condition but one with growing hope, especially with secukinumab dose optimization. The overall message is that pediatric dermatologic therapies are expanding rapidly and can profoundly improve patients’ lives and emotional well-being.
View moreConclusions
- Modern pediatric dermatology has multiple effective non-steroidal and biologic options that can dramatically improve disease control and quality of life in children.
- Better control of atopic dermatitis may reduce downstream harms such as sleep loss, growth disturbance, and bone-health problems, not just skin symptoms.
- Dupilumab appears to improve more than eczema severity, with evidence suggesting better growth and bone-growth biomarker outcomes in children.
- Newer biologics and JAK inhibitors are expanding treatment choices for pediatric eczema, psoriasis, alopecia areata, and hidradenitis suppurativa, including some age-down approvals.
- Many pediatric skin diseases are being undertreated or misdiagnosed, so earlier recognition and escalation of therapy are important.
- For pediatric psoriasis, new agents such as icotrokinra and guselkumab offer strong efficacy with reassuring safety profiles.
- Topical ruxolitinib and combination strategies can meaningfully help pediatric vitiligo, especially in cosmetically sensitive areas.
- Berdazimer gel provides a useful new at-home option for molluscum contagiosum with meaningful clearance rates.
- JAK inhibitors are becoming an important option in pediatric alopecia areata and may be especially attractive when children also have inflammatory comorbidities like Crohn’s disease.
- Although hidradenitis suppurativa remains a difficult disease, increasing biologic options such as secukinumab can provide hope and improved outcomes when dosing is optimized.
- Shi et al. (JAAD) DOI reference on ocular complications in atopic dermatitis.#10.1001/archdermatol.2011.102
- Rosmarin et al. Two phase 3, randomized, controlled trials of ruxolitinib cream for vitiligo. N Engl J Med. 2022;387:1445-1455.#10.1056/nejmoa2118828
- Dupilumab Increases Levels of Bone Growth Biomarker Irrespective of Prior Use of Systemic Corticosteroids in Children With Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis.#10.1093/bjd/ljae266.050
- Nemolizumab is associated with a low incidence of injection site reactions in the treatment of atopic dermatitis and prurigo nodularis.
- Guselkumab Pharmacokinetics and Immunogenicity in Pediatric Psoriasis: Phase 3 PROTOSTAR Study.#10.1016/j.jid.2025.09.126
- Effectiveness and tolerability of ritlecitinib in children with alopecia areata: A case series.#10.1016/j.jaad.2025.01.090
- Clinical response and safety of upadacitinib for alopecia areata: A retrospective study.#10.1016/j.jaad.2025.02.083
- A J Am Acad Dermatol figure on SALT score improvement over time in alopecia areata.
- Lancet article about secukinumab for moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa.