Discovering Last Month's Psoriasis Spotlight

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The September issue of Dermatology Times® featured a thought-provoking and insightful collection of content centered around the care of patients with psoriasis and skin of color, including recent studies, advances, breakthroughs, and research. Discover insights from expert clinicians, including Mona Shahriari, MD, FAAD; Nicole A. Negbenebor, MD; Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH; Christopher G. Bunick, MD, PhD; and Shawn Kwatra, MD.

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Treating All Skin Tones

Mona Shahriari, MD, FAAD, introduces the topic of psoriasis care in patients with skin of color. She discusses how despite the vast ethnic diversity and multiculturalism experienced in the Unite States, psoriasis may be underreported in patients with more melanin-rich skin. This may be due to health care providers either misdiagnosing or overlooking this patient population when they present with psoriasis.

Shahriari then delves into the importance of beginning equitable psoriasis care, and dermatologic care in general, at early stages, such as in medical education and residency.

"We need to be aware that diagnosing and managing psoriasis in patients with skin of color comes with unique challenges," Shahriari writes. "It is through education on the diagnostic and treatment nuances of this disease in melanin-rich skin, awareness of the social determinants of health that affect patients with skin of color, and cultural awareness and sensitivity toward patients from diverse ethnic backgrounds that we can enable them to receive high-quality health care in an inclusive society that recognizes them for their unique selves."

Accurately Recognizing and Diagnosing Psoriasis in Patients With Skin of Color

Mohs micrographic surgery and cutaneous oncology fellow Nicole A. Negbenebor, MD, discusses the role of recognizing clinical variations in patients with skin of color and psoriasis in accurately diagnosing and treating patients.

Negbenebor provides a 6-point checklist of important considerations for clinicians when it comes to clinical variations of psoriasis. These may include increased postinflammatory hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation in areas of previous skin involvement, more subtle patterns of erythema, mimicking overlapping papulosquamous conditions, greater body surface area affected, thicker or more severe scaling, and more frequent presentations of pustular psoriasis in Asian and Hispanic patients.

VISIBLE Study Paves Way for More Equitable Psoriasis Research

Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, discusses the significance of Janssen's VISIBLE study (NCT05272150) and its role in expanding the landscape of equitable psoriasis research. The groundbreaking study seeks to explore the role of guselkumab in patients with skin of color and a moderate to severe plaque or scalp psoriasis diagnosis. Furthermore, the study is the first of its kind to generate prospective insights into the role of skin conditions in racial and ethnic minority groups on a large scale.

“The VISIBLE study will broaden our understanding of the range of clinical features (at baseline and over the course of treatment) in patients with skin of color,” Alexis said. “This in turn will help to improve the quality of care we provide to our patients.”

GRAPPA Continues Efforts to Advance Care for Patients With Plaque Psoriasis

Arthur Kavanaugh, MD, professor of medicine at the University of California at San Diego; and GRAPPA Research Committee Co-chairs Vinod Chandran, MD, DM, PhD, MBBS, FRCPC and Wilson Liao, MD; discuss the role of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis, or GRAPPA, in furthering the clinical care, education, and resources available for those living with psoriatic disease.

The organization recently celebrated 20 years of education, funding, and initiatives centered around advancing medical knowledge of psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis.