{"title":"Keratosis Pilaris Rubra Faciei: Assessing the Unmet Therapeutic Need.","authors":"Katherine Snow, Irene Ryan, Sheilagh Maguiness, Elaine Siegfried","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Keratosis pilaris rubra faciei (KPRF) is a clinical variant of keratosis pilaris characterized by prominent facial erythema and follicular papules that can cause significant aesthetic concern. The condition is underrecognized, frequently self-diagnosed, and lacks established evidence-based treatment guidelines.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To characterize the demographics, diagnostic pathways, treatment experiences, and psychosocial impact among individuals with KPRF and to explore perceived responses to commonly used therapies, including topical sirolimus.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A 24-item survey was distributed to members of a Reddit-based KPRF support group. Survey domains included demographics, diagnostic history, symptom triggers, treatments trialed, and mental health impact. Descriptive statistics were calculated using RStudio.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Seventy-nine respondents completed the survey. Most were men (73.4%) aged 18 to 30 years (70.9%) and resided outside the United States (69.6%). Symptom onset typically occurred before age 18, though diagnosis was frequently delayed; 38% reported self-diagnosis with social media input. The face was the most affected site (98.7%). Nearly all participants (98.7%) reported a negative impact on mental health. Common treatments included pulsed dye laser, topical keratolytics, retinoids, and topical sirolimus. Among participants who used compounded topical sirolimus, 75% reported improvement during treatment.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>The primary limitations of this study include the relatively small sample size and potential response bias inherent in self-reported survey data.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>KPRF is associated with delayed diagnosis, frequent reliance on social media for information, and substantial psychosocial burden. Self-reported improvement with topical sirolimus highlights the need for controlled studies and greater clinical awareness of this underrecognized condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":53616,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology","volume":"19 9","pages":"50-53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668079/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
James Q Del Rosso, Lauren Lam, Diego Ruiz Dasilva, Joshua Burshtein, Christopher G Bunick, Lara Shqair, Andrea Murina, Katrina H Lee, Jennifer Hsiao, Tiffany Mayo, Graham Litchman, Andrew Ferrier, Michael Payette, Steve Daveluy, Victoria Farley, Vivian Shi
{"title":"Advancing Our Understanding of Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Comprehensive Guide for Clinicians Designed to Improve Therapeutic Outcomes for Patients-Part 1.","authors":"James Q Del Rosso, Lauren Lam, Diego Ruiz Dasilva, Joshua Burshtein, Christopher G Bunick, Lara Shqair, Andrea Murina, Katrina H Lee, Jennifer Hsiao, Tiffany Mayo, Graham Litchman, Andrew Ferrier, Michael Payette, Steve Daveluy, Victoria Farley, Vivian Shi","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory cutaneous disorder that usually starts in the second or third decade of life and has a profound negative impact on quality of life of those who are affected. HS presents with both inflammatory and cicatricial lesions that are often markedly symptomatic, including pain and purulent discharge, and commonly affect areas that are intertriginous, resulting in additional frictional and mechanical discomfort. The pathophysiology is complex and incompletely understood and results in changes that are transcutaneous, involving the epidermis, superficial dermis, and deep dermis with inflammation, scarring, and sinus tract (tunnel) formation. Effective treatment warrants a timely, accurate diagnosis with early intervention with systemic therapy needed to prevent progression of disease in cases that do not remain as mild, well managed, and stable. The goal of this 4-part article series on HS is to be practical, reasonably comprehensive, and clinically useful as a \"guidance tool\" to assist clinicians in managing HS. This first article of the series includes a disease overview of HS, an overview of pathophysiology, important details of physical examination, suggested laboratory evaluations, and the significance and rational assessment of potential comorbidities.</p>","PeriodicalId":53616,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology","volume":"19 8","pages":"20-29"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668087/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Diego Ruiz Dasilva, Graham Litchman, Harrison Nguyen, David Cotter
{"title":"Applying the 487-Gene Expression Profile Test When Choosing a Systemic Agent to Treat Atopic Dermatitis: A Practical Perspective.","authors":"Diego Ruiz Dasilva, Graham Litchman, Harrison Nguyen, David Cotter","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":53616,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology","volume":"19 8","pages":"14-15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668081/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faraz Yousefian, Megan Khajeh-Afzaly, Gabriella Resnick, Naiem T Issa, Erik Domingues
{"title":"Lichen Planus Pigmentosus Refractory to Topical Corticosteroids and Calcineurin Inhibitor, Successfully Treated With Roflumilast Cream 0.3%: A Case Report.","authors":"Faraz Yousefian, Megan Khajeh-Afzaly, Gabriella Resnick, Naiem T Issa, Erik Domingues","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lichen planus pigmentosus (LPP) is an uncommon variant of lichen planus, characterized by dark-brown to gray-toned macules and papules and often accompanied by mild-to-moderate pruritus, that is often difficult to manage with conventional therapies. Topical corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors are commonly used but are often ineffective or associated with adverse effects, particularly in intertriginous areas. We report the case of a 36-year-old man with pruritic LPP of the proximal medial thighs refractory to topical corticosteroids and a calcineurin inhibitor. Monotherapy with roflumilast cream 0.3% was initiated. After 3 months of treatment, the pruritus resolved, with some initial lightening of the hyperpigmented macules. After another 4 months, there was near-complete resolution of the lesions, with the patient reporting significant improvement and satisfaction. This case highlights roflumilast as a promising nonsteroidal therapeutic option for refractory LPP, offering potential advantages in efficacy, safety, and patient adherence. Further studies are warranted to confirm its long-term outcomes and establish its role in the management of this condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":53616,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology","volume":"19 8","pages":"30-32"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668092/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexandra DeVries, Alec Lawson, Aysham Chaudry, Wilhelmina Lam, Mark S Nestor
{"title":"Curcumin (<i>Curcuma longa</i>): Applications in Clinical, Regenerative, and Aesthetic Dermatology.","authors":"Alexandra DeVries, Alec Lawson, Aysham Chaudry, Wilhelmina Lam, Mark S Nestor","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Curcumin (CUR), the principal polyphenol in <i>Curcuma longa</i>, has gained increasing interest in dermatology because of its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, photoprotective, and regenerative properties. Despite versatile biological activity, its clinical use has been limited by poor bioavailability and significant product variability across formulations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A targeted PubMed search was conducted using a combination of the following keywords: \"curcumin,\" \"turmeric,\" and \"dermatology.\" Only articles in English and relevant to this review were included. Additional articles were included through citation tracking and the authors' clinical expertise.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The search yielded 375 results, and 94 articles and 2 webpages were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>CUR modulates multiple intracellular pathways, resulting in reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, improved oxidative balance, and enhanced tissue repair. Despite an extremely favorable safety profile, the clinical use of CUR remains limited by poor bioavailability; however, newer formulations, including US Food and Drug Administration-recognized medical foods, have substantially improved absorption and product consistency. Clinically, CUR has shown immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects applicable to cutaneous conditions including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and photodamage and has exhibited antimicrobial activity in acne. Aesthetically, CUR reduces melanogenesis and provides firming effects by limiting oxidative stress and matrix metalloproteinase activity. Regeneratively, it modulates key longevity-associated pathways involved in cellular senescence, wound healing, and anti-aging.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>CUR represents a safe and multifaceted agent with clinical, aesthetic, and regenerative dermatologic benefits. Emerging medical food formulations offer improved bioavailability and product consistency, though larger clinical trials are needed to define optimal dosing and long-term efficacy.</p>","PeriodicalId":53616,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology","volume":"19 8","pages":"57-66"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668093/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Misuse of Drug Compounding in the United States.","authors":"Marc Brown, Stefan Weiss","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This commentary examines the regulatory, clinical, and ethical aspects of pharmaceutical drug compounding misuse in the United States (US), with a focus on dermatologic practice and associated patient safety risks. Drug compounding remains an essential component of clinical care when US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapies are unavailable, unsuitable, or discontinued. However, expansion of compounding beyond these limited indications has been accompanied by documented quality failures, inconsistent regulatory oversight, commercialization pressures, and avoidable patient harm. In the US, a hybrid federal-state framework governs compounding, creating regulatory gaps that can be exploited by high-volume compounders operating at the boundary between pharmacy practice and manufacturing. Evidence from statutory history, regulatory actions, clinical studies of compounded topical preparations, and public health investigations demonstrates that compounded products often lack validated manufacturing consistency, stability, labeling standardization, and systematic safety surveillance. Dermatology illustrates these risks because compounded combination topical therapies are frequently promoted as cash-pay alternatives, sometimes with physician dispensing and inadequate disclosure of limitations in safety, efficacy, costs, and conflicts of interest. Compounded drugs should be reserved for patient-specific indications when approved therapies cannot reasonably meet clinical needs. Policies that clarify the boundary between 503A compounding and 503B outsourcing, strengthen enforcement consistency, and require meaningful informed consent and disclosure can reduce preventable harm while preserving appropriate access.</p>","PeriodicalId":53616,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology","volume":"19 8","pages":"67-71"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668097/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Umer Nadir, Maria Bao-Loc-Trung, George M Jeha, Thomas Rohrer, Deirdre Hooper, Stanislav N Tolkachjov
{"title":"A Dermatologist's Guide to Nonsurgical Rejuvenation of the Neck and Jawline.","authors":"Umer Nadir, Maria Bao-Loc-Trung, George M Jeha, Thomas Rohrer, Deirdre Hooper, Stanislav N Tolkachjov","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Rejuvenation of the neck and jawline is an increasing concern for patients seeing dermatologists and aesthetic providers. This review aims to provide a comprehensive narrative review of evidence on nonsurgical neck and jawline rejuvenation techniques.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Multiple databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science) were queried with the assistance of 2 health science librarians. Searches were based on a combination of keyword terms related to nonsurgical modalities of neck and jawline rejuvenation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our search identified 1,225 studies, with 451 relevant to review. Injectable options include deoxycholic acid for fat reduction; neuromodulators to smooth dynamic wrinkles, sharpen the jawline, and reduce lower face volume; fillers to address volume loss, enhance contours, and improve skin quality; and thread lifts to improve skin elasticity. Energy-based options include ablative and nonablative lasers, helium plasma devices, plasma exeresis, radiofrequency (RF), cryolipolysis, and ultrasound to address skin laxity and submental fullness and to promote collagen production. Mechanical stimulation options include microneedling, RF microneedling, and microcoring to stimulate elastin synthesis. Office-based liposuction is also an effective modality for submental fullness.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>As a hybrid narrative review, this study is limited by the lack of formal quality assessment of individual studies but strengthened by systematic inclusion criteria.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Improved cosmetic outcomes with overall low rates of complications have been reported with neck and jawline rejuvenation therapies discussed in this review. Appropriate patient selection and managing expectations are paramount when considering treatment plans.</p>","PeriodicalId":53616,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology","volume":"19 8","pages":"50-56"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668086/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amber Khalil, Hiva Fassihi, Mark A Birch-Machin, Jonathan Brookes, Amy Bowman, Gewei Zhu, Megan Hughes, Florence McDermott, Emma Craythorne
{"title":"A Randomized Clinical Trial: Daily Photoprotection With a Combined Sunscreen-Antioxidant Formulation Preserves Mitochondrial DNA Integrity in Human Facial Skin In Vivo.","authors":"Amber Khalil, Hiva Fassihi, Mark A Birch-Machin, Jonathan Brookes, Amy Bowman, Gewei Zhu, Megan Hughes, Florence McDermott, Emma Craythorne","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate whether a daily antioxidant-enriched sunscreen preserves mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) integrity vs vehicle, whether habitual sunscreen users gain additional protection from antioxidants, and whether mtDNA swabs can detect individual-level responses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Adults completed a randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled 12-week trial. Cheek swabs collected at baseline and Week 12 underwent blinded quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays. mtDNA damage was expressed as ΔCt, where higher values indicate greater damage and a negative change reflects improved integrity. The primary outcome was change in ΔCt.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Forty-one participants provided valid samples (antioxidant sunscreen: n=19; vehicle: n=18). Mean ΔCt change favored the antioxidant sunscreen (-0.48 vs 0.35; <i>P</i>=0.06; Mann-Whitney <i>U</i>, <i>P</i>=0.07). Responder rates were higher with antioxidant sunscreen (73.7% vs 38.9%; Fisher exact, <i>P</i>=0.05). Among habitual sunscreen users, mtDNA integrity improved with antioxidant enrichment (median ΔCt: -0.67; <i>P</i>=0.04) and worsened with vehicle (median ΔCt: 0.58; <i>P</i>=0.03). In this subgroup, responder rates were also higher with active treatment (75% vs 25%; <i>P</i>=0.03). mtDNA integrity demonstrated a clear individual-level sensitivity to change.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>This was a single-site pilot study and lacked a no sunscreen-only comparator arm.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Daily use of an antioxidant-enriched sunscreen produced consistent molecular evidence of reduced mtDNA damage, including statistically significant within-participant improvement among habitual sunscreen users.</p>","PeriodicalId":53616,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology","volume":"19 8","pages":"34-40"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668096/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Potluri Sri Harshitha, Anupama Damarla, Vangala Bhargavi, Tedla Sai Charan, Batchu Sai Karthik, Karthika, Sumathi D, Gouranga Mandal
{"title":"Optimizing Skin Lesion Segmentation With Robust Regularization and Boundary-Aware Techniques.","authors":"Potluri Sri Harshitha, Anupama Damarla, Vangala Bhargavi, Tedla Sai Charan, Batchu Sai Karthik, Karthika, Sumathi D, Gouranga Mandal","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Skin segmentation of lesions can be challenging because it relies on numerous factors such as size, shape, and position. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) have shown exceptional efficacy in automating image segmentation. The inability of current CNNs to maintain local features and emphasize pertinent information restricts decision-making ability. To achieve more precise medical image segmentation, this research suggests a CNN with a spatial feature mechanism (UCMNet). The UNet architecture serves as the foundation for UCMNet. To retain an image's local features during downsampling and increase the relevance of the feature maps supplied to the upsampling module relative to the ground truth, a spatial multiple-scale characteristic (SA) module is included in the decoder. Comprehensive tests were conducted on the 3D-TBP dataset. The suggested UCMNet outperformed UNet in skin lesion tissue segmentation, with an average Dice score improvement of 0.82% and 0.85%, respectively. The suggested UCMNet outperformed UNet in skin lesion tissue segmentation, with an average Dice score improvement of 0.03 and the Intersection over Union also rose by 0.08. The pixel error fell from 0.7132 to 0.6083 pixels, indicating better segmentation performance. When the segmentation area contains interference factors and the initial image of skin lesions has an indistinct boundary, UCMNet can achieve better results. It demonstrated strong segmentation ability by incorporating attention mechanisms into the encoder and applying comprehensive attention methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":53616,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology","volume":"19 8","pages":"41-49"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668098/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Toan S Bui, Mei Hong Liu, Kijung Kwak, Emily R Nadelmann, Caroline P Halverstam
{"title":"Barriers to Securing Dermatology Research Fellowships Among Medical Students and a Review of Existing Literature.","authors":"Toan S Bui, Mei Hong Liu, Kijung Kwak, Emily R Nadelmann, Caroline P Halverstam","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Dermatology is a highly competitive specialty and one of the least diverse fields in medicine. As research experience has become increasingly important for dermatology residency applications, particularly following the transition of United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 to pass/fail scoring, the barriers that medical students, especially those underrepresented in medicine (URiM), face in securing research fellowships remain understudied.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To identify barriers to securing research fellowships to inform efforts promoting equity and inclusivity in dermatology.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An anonymous 34-question national survey was distributed through the Dermatology Interest Group Association from March to June 2024. The survey assessed demographics, interest in dermatology, barriers to securing research fellowships, and fellowship characteristics. Descriptive statistics and χ<sup>2</sup> tests were used to compare URiM and non-URiM respondents.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 115 respondents, 94 completed the survey (completion rate: 81.7%). Among 73 participants who were currently in or had completed research fellowships, 23 (31.6%) identified as URiM and 50 (68.4%) as non-URiM. URiM students reported significantly higher barriers, including lack of a home dermatology program (52.2%; <i>P</i><0.001), lack of guidance or mentorship (91.3%; <i>P</i><0.01), and lack of knowledge on how to find a fellowship (87.0%; <i>P</i><0.01). A significantly greater proportion of non-URiM students reported no barriers compared to URiM students (<i>P</i>=0.0421). Funding, personal obligations, and lack of research interest were not statistically significant barriers.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>URiM students face disproportionate structural barriers to dermatology research fellowships, particularly related to mentorship and institutional access. Addressing these inequities through early mentorship, expanded funding, and centralized, transparent fellowship application processes is essential to promoting diversity and equity in dermatology.</p>","PeriodicalId":53616,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology","volume":"19 8","pages":"16-19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13668083/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}