iS Skin Source 2021 Q4 | Page 25

Advances in atology

The world of dermatology has come a long way in recent years . While there is no way to tell how much further it will evolve , new advances in dermatology have helped set the stage for the future of this specialty of medicine .

by Dr . Alpesh Desai

The world of dermatology has come a long way in recent years . While there is no way to tell how much further it will evolve , new advances in dermatology have helped set the stage for the future of this specialty . One could argue that skin cancer is on the rise , but is it because it truly is on the rise , or has our threshold for suspicious lesions become lower ? Either way , we treat skin cancer dramatically differently . Overall awareness and education regarding skin protection has definitely improved . The FDA has tweaked requirements for products containing sunscreen in the United States . Provisions include active ingredient safety , dosage forms , SPF and broad-spectrum requirements , and how products are labeled . In addition , sun-protective clothing options have become more widespread and available to consumers .

Superficial radiation therapy ( SRT ) is just one of the many advancements . It is a proven , non-surgical , non-invasive method used to treat non-melanoma skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma practically anywhere on the body . This type of radiation preserves the healthy tissue surrounding and adjacent to the cancerous cells while penetrating the skin approximately 5mm . This relatively painless procedure results in minimal to no scarring , requires no anesthesia , www . iSSKINSOURCE . com 25