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Skin of Color Society Scientific Symposium
February 17, 2005
Hilton New Orleans Riverside
Oak Alley Room
#2 Poydras Street
New Orleans, Louisiana

The first SOCS scientific symposium, held on February 17th, 2005, was a success, and enjoyed by the enthusiastic audience. Speakers from all over the world presented fascinating information regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of skin diseases in patients with skin of color. There was ample time for questions and socialization during the breaks and reception.

The meeting began with a welcome message from the SOCS president, Dr. Susan Taylor. Dr. Taylor has been the driving force behind the SOCS, and responsible for its inception and overall success. She thanked the audience and speakers for attending the symposium, and gratefully acknowledged the sponsors, including Galderma, L’Oreal, and Skin Medica at the Gold level, Allergan, Fujisawa, Medicis, Connetics, and Novartis at the Silver level, and Aventis, Bioglan, Doak, and Health Point at the Bronze level.

Dr. Amit G. Pandya from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, USA, then presented a lecture on cultural competence. With the rapidly changing demographics of the United States and increase travel worldwide, it is more important than ever to be aware of cultural issues in the clinic setting. Demographic information along with facts regarding health care disparities was presented. A 15 minute video highlighting issues that arise when the patient is of a different culture from health care providers was then presented. This was followed by information on how cultural competence can be taught and improved among health care providers. Finally, a method to assess the influence of culture on decision making in the clinic setting was reviewed.

Next, mini-presentations from residents, fellows, and students were heard. Dr. Adolfo L. Benitez, fellow at Dr. Marta Rendon’s center in Florida presented a study on the treatment of recalcitrant melasma in men with a mixture containing mequinol 2% and tretinoin 0.01%. This was followed by a presentation by Dr. Cristiane Benvenuto-Andrade, a resident from Brazil working with Dr. Tania Cestari, on sun exposure habits among youth in Brazil. The next mini-presentation was from Dr. Holly Kerr, a resident at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, USA, who presented a study which compared photosensitive disorders in African Americans to these disorders in Caucasians. Arturo Dominguez, a fourth-year medical student from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, USA, then presented a study on Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of a Quality of Life Questionnaire for Spanish-speaking Latina Patients with Melasma. Finally, Dr. Don Mehrabi, a resident at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, USA, presented a study on the treatment of vitiligo with tacrolimus and narrow-band UVB. All the presentations were interesting, and generated numerous questions from the audience. Dr. Holly Kerr won the award for having the best overall presentation, which was accompanied by a $500 prize.

Dr. Henry H.L. Chan from the University of Hong Kong gave an update on Laser surgery for Asian skin. This lecture thoroughly reviewed treatment of both epidermal and dermal pigmentation with laser. The issue of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, so often seen in these patients, was addressed by Dr. Chan, along with strategies to prevent and treat this side effect. Newer therapies, such as intense pulsed light and Fraxel to treat lentigines and other disordes were then discussed, as well as diagnosis and treatment of Hori’s nevus and nevus of Ota.

Dr. Ivonne Arellano from the Hospital General in Mexico City, Mexico then presented a lecture on pigmentary disorders among Latinos. She began with an overview of the history of Latinos, and the complex mixture of races over the centuries that resulted in the present-day situation in Latin-American countries. It became clear that the word “Latino” represented patients of all skin types, making it impossible to make generalizations regarding diagnosis and treatment. She then presented a review of pigmentary disorders based on a large database of patients from her hospital. She also gave a summary of some quality-of-life studies in patients with melasma which have recently been concluded at her center. Less common types of pigmentary disorders, such as primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis and frictional melanosis were then presented, along with suggestions regarding treatment.

Overall, the meeting covered a broad range of topics, including information that would be of interest to any physician caring for patients with skin of color. The organizing committee would like to thank the sponsors and the audience members for attending this symposium, and looks forward to the next symposium in 2006.

Amit. G. Pandya, MD