Fully 99% of dermatology residents believe that sensitive skin should be included in their residency training, yet less than half reported receiving specific education on sensitive skin, and 51% received non-specific education in the context of other skin diseases, according to a new survey in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.
Sensitive skin, characterized by symptoms such as redness, itching, burning, and stinging in response to innocuous stimuli, affects roughly 70% of the global population, with 40% of those who have sensitive skin as their only skin condition. Despite its prevalence, there is a lack of consensus on its diagnostic criteria and management approaches.
The survey, conducted by fourth-year medical student Erika T. McCormick and Adam Friedman, MD, FAAD, chair of the Department of Dermatology at George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (GW SMHS) in Washington, DC, was completed by 214 residents at all levels of training, and residency program locations varied among all regions of the United States.
The survey found that residents with specific education on sensitive skin were significantly more likely to report being “very knowledgeable” about sensitive skin diagnosis, clinical evaluation, and management compared to those without specific education.
There was a lack of consensus among residents regarding the primary etiology of sensitive skin, with 69% attributing it to skin barrier alteration and others considering external/environmental factors, immune dysregulation, or other dermatoses as the primary cause.
What’s more, management approaches to sensitive skin were heterogeneous, indicating a need for standardized guidelines.
The authors suggest that a crucial step in improving sensitive skin education during dermatology residency is to bolster research on the topic and develop evidence-based guidelines. This will not only benefit the residents in their training but also improve the quality of care provided to patients with sensitive skin, they write.
The GW SMHS Department of Dermatology offers the Galderma Sensitive Skin Translational Research Fellowship Program to prepare the next generation of dermatologists to better address the full spectrum of inflammatory skin diseases.
