Our very own Dr. Benjamin Barankin’s expertise was quoted in the recent issue of The Chronicle of Skin & Allergy. Dr. Barankin was quoted discussing the treatment of rosacea, and in particular the new subantimicrobial dose antibiotic therapy known as Apprilon. Experience has shown that this medication has far fewer side effects (e.g. less stomach upset, less yeast infections in women) than regular dose antibiotics for this chronic and stubborn skin condition.
Dr. Barankin also discussed a novel therapy for treated large or aggressive basal cell skin cancers (BCC) using the first ever oral medication for this type of skin cancer, the most common cancer in humans. Finally, Dr. Barankin is quoted discussing a new treatment for actinic keratoses (AK), pre-cancerous rough red lesions most commonly found in Caucasians on the face, back of the hands, and chest. A percentage of these lesions will develop into squamous cell cancer (SCC), a serious form of skin cancer, and so prevention is the key. For people with multiple or recurrent actinic keratoses, a home “field” therapy in addition to typically liquid nitrogen therapy by a dermatologist is advised.
A new gel called Picato (ingenol mebutate) is a 2-3 day application product for treating large areas of sun damage – existing actinic keratoses are cleared, and importantly, even lesions under the skin (“subclinical”) also improve or clear. Traditional home-based therapies ranged in duration from 2 weeks to 16 weeks, so the new 2-3 day application will have better compliance and similar successful results. Not only will the precancerous lesions clear or significantly improve, but the skin appearance and texture should greatly improve as well.