Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects 20% of children and almost 3% of adults and is associated with considerable impairment of quality of life for both patients and their families. While the condition resolves spontaneously after puberty in over 75% of cases, it can persist into adulthood. Furthermore, in young children severe forms can have serious health consequences and affect social development. There are no appropriate guidelines on how to handle cases that do not respond to routine treatment. In this article, we review the current treatments for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, describe our experience with this disease, and propose a management algorithm.

Actinic keratosis (AK) is a chronic skin condition that may progress to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. We conducted a systematic review of efficacy and safety for key treatments for AK of the face and scalp, including the novel 5-day tirbanibulin 1% ointment. MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, clinical trial registries and regulatory body websites were searched. The review included 46 studies, of which 35 studies included interventions commonly used in Europe and were sufficiently homogenous to inform a Bayesian network meta-analysis of complete clearance against topical placebo or vehicle. The network meta-analysis revealed the following odds ratios and 95% credible intervals: cryosurgery 13.4 (6.2–30.3); diclofenac 3% 2.9 (1.9–4.3); fluorouracil 0.5% + salicylic acid 7.6 (4.6–13.5); fluorouracil 4% 30.3 (9.1–144.7); fluorouracil 5% 35.0 (10.2–164.4); imiquimod 3.75% 8.5 (3.5–22.4); imiquimod 5% 17.9 (9.1–36.6); ingenol mebutate 0.015% 12.5 (8.1–19.9); photodynamic therapy with aminolevulinic acid 24.1 (10.9–52.8); photodynamic therapy with methyl aminolevulinate 11.7 (6.0–21.9); tirbanibulin 1% 11.1 (6.2–20.9). Four sensitivity analyses, from studies assessing efficacy after one treatment cycle only, for ≤25 cm² treatment area, after 8 weeks post-treatment, and with single placebo/vehicle node confirmed the findings from the base case. Safety outcomes were assessed qualitatively. These results suggest that tirbanibulin 1% offers a novel treatment for AK, with a single short treatment period, favourable safety profile and efficacy, in line with existing topical treatments available in Europe.

Facial angiofibromas are hamartomatous growths that are closely associated with tuberous sclerosis complex and, in fact, they constitute one of the main diagnostic criteria for that disease. These lesions composed of blood vessels and fibrous tissue appear on the face at an early age. Since they have important physical and psychological repercussions for patients, several treatment options have been used to remove them or improve their appearance. However, the lack of treatment guidelines prevents us from developing a common protocol for patients with this condition. The present article aims to review the treatments for facial angiofibromas used to date and to propose a new evidence-based treatment protocol.