Conferences and the Dedication to Learning

I don’t surprise myself when I tell everyone that I am always a bit ambivalent about going to conferences. Part of this hesitancy has to do with being introverted, a trait that always make conference attendance a bit challenging for the simple fact that I feel compelled to engage fully the whole time I am at a convention or conference. Sometimes that becomes overwhelming, but for those who know me, you know that going to conferences is actually one of my favorite things to do. I am able to see friends and colleagues and make new ones, to travel to exciting destinations, and more importantly to learn about my favorite topics from experts. Truthfully, going to conferences excites a part of my brain that is different from my day-to-day job responsibilities. I am energized by a good educational event. Each year, I write an editorial summarizing what I’ve recently learned at the annual Dermatology Nurses’ Association (DNA) Convention. I think I do this in part for me, since I have the opportunity to look over the notes that I actively took during the conference and re-live the excitement of the learning event. I also do this for you. For those of you who were unable to attend, I want you to also glean some of the information shared with attendees. Here are some of the notes I took during the 2024 DNA Convention that was held in San Diego, CA: Be an advocate because speaking for themselves can be difficult for patients with chronic diseases. Think about volunteering in your community or other countries; be sure you give back because you are fortunate to be here. Psoriasis has many comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, obesity, and smoking. Nail psoriasis can be associated with psoriatic arthritis. Patients with severe psoriasis need intensive management of cardiovascular risk factors and appropriate psoriasis therapy. Normal skin pH is 4.7–5.75. Neonatal acne is more common in males than females (5:1). Neonatal acne affects up to 20% of newborns. Neonatal acne occurs in the first 4 weeks of life. Neonatal acne does not present with comedones. Infantile acne period is 0–12 months; usually 4–5 months. Infantile acne has comedones present and persists longer. Infantile acne is more common in males and may predispose to severe teenage acne. If there is severe nodulocystic component, it could cause scarring. If this occurs, pay more attention to this. Young children can be given isotretinoin when really necessary. Since puberty is occurring earlier in patients, acne is occurring earlier also, but make sure to check medication history, family history, and medical history so as not to miss other causes of acne. Acne dulminans can get worse with isotretinoin. There have been outbreaks of measles lately; we need to be on the lookout for this. At the time of the DNA convention in March 2024, there had been 35 cases of measles in the United States in 2024. Measles infection will present with fever, malaise, cough, coryza, and conjunctivitis and will see onset of rash 14 days after exposure. Measles is very contagious; nine of 10 unvaccinated persons will get this infection. Measles infections are contagious 4 days before rash presentation and 14 days after. Can see Koplik spots with measles, which look like tiny oral pustules and can be on soft palate, but usually near second and third molars. Measles can be serious: One of five will be hospitalized with the infection, one of 1,000 will have brain swelling, and one to three of 1,000 will die of the infection. Measles vaccines are 93% effective. Fungal infections are becoming more common, in part because of warming temperatures. Molluscum contagiosum infections can take a long time to resolve. Alpha-gal syndrome can occur after being bitten by a lone star tick. In this diagnosis, people will develop allergy to meat products and can develop angioedema 2–6 hours after eating meat. Ticks are not our friends. Pediatric atopic dermatitis does not just affect the skin; it can cause increased anxiety, obesity, and malignancies. Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is chronic and associated with pain, itch, drainage, odor. HS has a female predominance and is more common in Black patients. HS patients have high rates of unemployment; often affects employment. HS is often bilaterally symmetric and is an inflammatory condition. Ask about quality of life and problems with activities of daily living in patients with HS. In HS, drainage and odor are isolating; may have to write a letter about these concerns for their employment. Make treatment recommendations that are reasonable and supported by science. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and HS Foundation have letter templates to help with insurance coverage of medications. Use the AAD letter for Humira and the HS Foundation letter for other medications. In your letters for patients, be sure to speak earnestly and write letters aggressively, explaining the outcomes if the patient does not receive appropriate therapies. In HS, diet is good for adjunction treatment but not enough on its own. In HS, pain management and wound care are important parts of a complete management plan. There is a lot of hope in the field of HS. These education pearls are just a snapshot of what was presented during the annual convention; there were many excellent sessions with expert presenters. With this in mind, I personally would like to invite you to attend the March 2025 Annual DNA Convention in Florida. I am confident there will be similarly well-presented educational topics of interest for the dermatology nurse. Will you be a dedicated learner and consider joining us for this annual education and networking event? I welcome the opportunity to see my dermatology nursing colleagues at this premier educational event; please come. As always, looking forward to hearing from you, Angela L. BorgerEditor-in-Chief[email protected]