Eyelash serums: A comprehensive review.

BACKGROUND: Eyelash serums, both prescription and over-the-counter, are gaining popularity for enhancing the appearance of eyelashes through various biologically active molecules. Categorized into prostaglandin analogs and non-prostaglandin analogs, these serums claim increased strength, length, luster, and thickness. Current United States law also requires no efficacy or safety assessments by the Food and Drug Administration before approving products for consumer use, potentially posing health risks for patients seeking over-the-counter eyelash enhancements. AIMS: Our aims include exploring proposed benefits and adverse effects associated with eyelash serums, while providing evidence-based clinical recommendations on their use. We aim to contribute valuable insights to the understanding of eyelash serums and their respective safety considerations. METHODS: The authors conducted a comprehensive electronic search across databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central, and Google Scholar to evaluate eyelash serum ingredients. Articles were evaluated by two independent researchers for relevance, and the ingredients discussed were analyzed and given clinical recommendations for eyelash serums based off the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. RESULTS: Results highlight bimatoprost's efficacy, supported by numerous studies evaluating safety and adverse effects. Other prostaglandin ingredients show potential benefits, but further studies are encouraged to enhance the understanding of respective safety profiles. While non-prostaglandins ingredients show promising data, more studies are needed due to a lack of formal evidence in eyelash serum use. CONCLUSION: As the cosmeceutical market for eyelash serums is growing, dermatologists need to be knowledgeable about evidence-based information regarding prescription and over-the-counter eyelash serum products before making recommendations to patients.

The development of non-scarring alopecia in women who wear the hijab.

Little is known about hair loss associated with wearing the hijab, a religious head covering worn by Muslim women. We performed a single-center analysis to investigate the association between various forms of non-scarring alopecia and wearing the hijab. This study included 125 patients who wore the hijab and 40 race/ethnicity-matched women who did not wear the hijab. Among the 165 total patients diagnosed between January 2015 and March 2022, 71 had telogen effluvium, 78 had female pattern hair loss, and 16 had traction alopecia. We found patients who wore the hijab had a younger mean age of alopecia onset than patients who did not wear the hijab (31.5 vs. 37.3 years; P = 0.02). Our study suggests that vitamin D deficiency (OR 4.1; 95% CI 1.2-14.1; P = 0.02) and seborrheic dermatitis (OR 2.9; 95% CI 1.1-8.1; P = 0.03) may significantly impact the development of telogen effluvium in patients who wear the hijab. Targeting these risk factors among patients who wear the hijab may be considered to prevent hair loss.

Dermatological considerations and culturally sensitive recommendations for women who wear the hijab.

Currently, there is little guidance in the literature on how to advise patients who wear the hijab on hijab-related dermatoses. This manuscript describes hijab-related dermatoses and provides culturally sensitive recommendations that can be used in conjunction with standard treatments to provide more holistic care for these patients.

Applying to dermatology residency without a home program: Advice to medical students in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Dermatology has historically been one of the most competitive residencies to match into. One commonly overlooked factor is the importance of having mentors in the field, as they have experience guiding successful applicants and can provide great insight into what residency programs are looking for. Given that many students without home dermatology programs may struggle to find mentors in the field, we share advice on how these students can obtain the mentorship and guidance needed to match into dermatology.

A review of topical vitamin C derivatives and their efficacy.

Vitamin C is a popular ingredient in over-the-counter cosmeceuticals due to its many biological functions in maintaining and improving skin health by treating UV damage, improving discoloration, and boosting collagen production. Several chemically modified derivatives of vitamin C have been developed in an attempt to increase the stability, percutaneous absorption, and overall activity of this ingredient in topical formulations. The goal of this review is to evaluate the differences between vitamin C derivatives that have been designed for cosmeceutical use and their efficacy.

Popular over-the-counter cosmeceutical ingredients and their clinical efficacy.

The cosmeceutical market is a vast and rapidly growing global industry with hundreds of new products introduced each year. Patients often turn to cosmeceuticals to address their skin problems since these products are more accessible and affordable than prescription products. Unlike most drugs, cosmeceuticals do not undergo strict safety or efficacy testing by the FDA since they are classified as cosmetics. While the marketed properties of some ingredients are thoroughly researched and supported by clinical studies, not all ingredients have been tested to this standard, with some having only molecular or in vitro evidence and hardly any clinical authentication to support their use. Given these characteristics of the industry, dermatologists need to be familiar with cosmeceuticals in order to provide appropriate recommendations to their patients. The goal of this review was to explain the mechanism of action and evaluate the efficacy of popular cosmeceutical ingredients.

New insights into microRNAs in skin wound healing.

Chronic wounds are a major burden to overall healthcare cost and patient morbidity. Chronic wounds affect a large portion of the US, and billions of healthcare dollars are spent in their treatment and management. microRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding double-stranded RNAs that post-transcriptionally downregulate the expression of protein-coding genes. Studies have identified miRNAs involved in all three phases of wound healing including inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Some miRNAs have been demonstrated in vitro with primary keratinocyte wound healing model and in vivo with mouse wound healing model through regulation of miRNA expression to affect the wound healing process. This review updates the current miRNAs involved in wound healing and discusses the future therapeutic implications and research directions.