March 11, 2026
IN THIS ISSUE / March 11, 2026
Does home-use low-level laser therapy improve androgenetic alopecia?
DermWorld What’s Hot: Is an oral IL-23 inhibitor on the way for psoriasis?
Does home-use low-level laser therapy improve androgenetic alopecia?
A study published in Dermatologic Therapy evaluated the 12-month effectiveness and safety of a home-use low-level laser therapy (LLLT) device in men and women with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) over 48 weeks. The study participants used a helmet-style LLLT device with 250 laser and LED light sources emitting red light to penetrate the scalp and reach the hair follicle level. The device was used for 20 minutes per session three times per week on non-consecutive days.
[Photobiomodulation: The most popular and effective applications of red-light therapies. Read more.]
Mean hair density at 48 weeks rose significantly from 99.2 ± 27.7 hairs/cm² from baseline to 124.2 ± 33.1 hairs/cm². They noted hair shaft thickness also increased about 15%. There were no device-related adverse events documented. The authors concluded that the findings support incorporating LLLT into routine management of AGA, although further research is needed to refine treatment parameters and potential combination with other therapeutic modalities.
Is red light therapy right for your skin? Share this information with your patients.
DermWorld What’s Hot: Is an oral IL-23 inhibitor on the way for psoriasis?
Injectable biologics remain the gold standard for achieving optimal clinical responses in psoriasis, but fear of injections leads many patients to choose less-effective therapies. Against this backdrop, oral icotrokinra — a targeted peptide that selectively binds the interleukin-23 receptor — is a compelling development. Read more from Harry Dao Jr., MD, FAAD.
Safety of the use of concomitant GLP-1 and biologic therapy
Authors of a Brief Report published in JAAD conducted a retrospective chart review to assess the tolerability and safety of concurrent GLP-1 and biologic therapies. Across 250 patients taking both treatments, 58% continued co-therapy with an average duration of 19 months. Just over 20% discontinued biologic therapy with an average prior co-therapy duration of 20 months, and 20% discontinued GLP-1 therapy with an average prior co-therapy duration of 14 months.
[Dermatologists discuss how GLP-1s offer potential new avenues for patients with chronic inflammatory skin diseases. Read more.]
Of the patients that discontinued either therapy, 19% (biologic) and 39% (GLP-1) of patients reported therapy-related side effects, most of which were attributable to an individual therapy rather than an interaction from combining. The discontinuation rate for biologics in dermatology ranges from 18-46%, while that of GLP-1s is around 40-60% during the first two years. The authors found that co-treatment with both medications had a favorable tolerability and safety profile.
Dermatologists weigh in on cutaneous side effects of GLP-1 agonists. Read more.
TNF-alpha inhibitor therapy for granuloma annulare
A study published in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment reviewed current literature on the use of TNF-alpha inhibitor therapy for the treatment of granuloma annulare (GA). In most studies, GA improved with TNF-alpha inhibitors, particularly with adalimumab and etanercept. This may be due to their ability to target membrane-bound TNF-alpha, which reduces the inflammatory cascade and inhibits cytotoxicity, the authors noted. While there is clinical evidence to suggest the benefits of TNF-alpha inhibitor therapy for treating GA, treatment of other diseases with TNF-alpha inhibitors can cause GA.
Get the latest treatment strategies and clinical advice for managing patients with cutaneous granulomatous diseases. Read more.
Do patients understand skin cancer-related terminology?
Authors of a Research Letter published in JAMA Dermatology assessed patient understanding of commonly used cutaneous skin cancer-related words and phrases. The researchers surveyed 166 patients to assess their comprehension of 13 common skin cancer-related terms: topical, skin biopsy, benign, malignant, melanoma, metastatic, basal cell carcinoma, excision, pathology results, clear margins, squamous cell carcinoma, dysplastic nevus, and actinic.
[Take the Making Sense of the Expanding Molecular Toolbox for Skin Cancer Diagnosis course and earn 6 CME credits.]
Results showed that 82-95% of respondents understood the terms metastatic, melanoma, malignant, benign, skin biopsy, and topical. A substantial proportion of patients did not know that squamous cell carcinomas (30%), basal cell carcinomas (40%), and melanomas (20%) were types of cancer. Only 21.6% understood the term dysplastic nevus and 13.6% correctly defined actinic. Nearly one-third of respondents did not understand terms frequently used by dermatologists such as clear margins (35.8%) and pathology results (38.5%).
What is a skin biopsy? Share this member-approved resource with your patients.
