JCD Editorial—March 2021 (2021)

Welcome to the March 2021 issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. We hope that it is now everyone’s go to source for all things cosmetic and aesthetic throughout the world. We are working harder than ever to assure that the articles that are before you each and every month represent the best work from around the globe. We recognize the contributions from the outstanding researchers and clinicians from near and far. First and foremost, let us hope that everyone reading this is safe and healthy. We hope that with the COVID-19 vaccinations becoming more and more available that either you are vaccinated or that day will be coming soon. We hope that the ravaging effects of COVID-19 have not affected you or your family personally. If they have, we wish that everyone has a speedy recovery. If anyone has lost a loved one, a colleague, or a friend, our hearts and prayers are with all of you. We can all agree that none of us ever imagined this past year. It was a year which changed our daily lives, our medical practices, and how we operate them. Our interactions with our patients, the times we were able to travel and learn from our colleagues. It affected our incredible medical meetings all over the world. We do hope that at some point later in the year, if the vaccine rollouts go well, that we will be able to resume some “normality” back into our lives. It is our wish that this happens sooner than later, in the meantime we must all do our part—wear masks, socially distance, wash hands, and clean surfaces regularly. As the vaccines begin their rollouts, we will hear of adverse events or problems that some may suffer as a result of receiving the vaccine. One of these which have surfaced is the reaction associated with having dermal fillers and the vaccine. For those that have not heard about this, there have been several reports in the vaccine trials with the Moderna vaccine, of recipients who had dermal hyaluronic acid fillers having pain and swelling in the sites that they have had fillers in the past. In the Moderna clinical trial, there were three reported cases. All of them were mild to moderate in severity and responded very quickly to treatments with antihistamines and or systemic corticosteroids. There were no associated reactions noted in the Pfizer clinical trials. Since the reports, others have also reported similar kinds of reactions, including to the Pfizer vaccine. Again, all of the cases that have been reported have been mild and all responded to therapy, quickly and easily. It has been felt that this is an immune response type of event, and similar to what has been reported with individuals who have received both the flu and shingles vaccines. The concerns need to be at the forefront of those who inject dermal fillers and hopefully more information will become available, as more studies are being done on these cases. Most authorities, and even a physician who was affected after she received the vaccine, had pain and swelling in her face. She has noted that she cannot wait for her second dose—and that every dermatology, dermatological surgery, and plastic surgical group has advocated for us to continue to endorse our patients to receive their vaccines. Do be aware that this has been reported and speak with your dermal filler patients about it. As of now, there are no long-term complications or untoward events from this immune reaction, so continuing recommending vaccination to our patients is vitally important. Again, welcome to the March 2021 JCD. We have an amazing line-up of wonderful articles to stimulate your reading interest and, to hopefully, bring some very helpful information to enhance the treatments to your patients. We have included some very important review articles, including a two-part review on Blue Light Protection, Part I – Effects of Blue Light on the Skin; and Part II – Ingredients and Performance Testing Methods, by JG Coats, B Maktabi, MS Abou-Dahech, and G Baki. The effects of blue light on the skin have become a major source of investigation in the past few years and we are glad to showcase the findings here. Next, SS Martins et al give us a very practical review entitled, Do You Know How to Recommend a Wig to Your Patient? So, do you? Read and then you shall. This is followed by AL Morocho-Jacome et al discussing In Vivo SPF from Multifunctional Sunscreen Systems Developed with Natural Compounds – A Review. Sunscreens are part and parcel to all we do and preach in dermatology, so better understanding them is a must for all of us. This is followed by a review by S Awad on Strategies for the Management of Depigmented Skin According to the Etiopathpogenesis. A very timely and important paper and one which will surely be useful each and every day. We end with a review by K Dopytalaska et al on Noninvasive Skin Imaging in Aesthetic Medicine – Why Do We Need Useful Tools for Evaluation of the Aesthetic Procedures. Once you have read this, you will know the answer posed in the title. What follows are incredible articles that have been selected to guide you through the myriad what we call aesthetic and cosmetic dermatology, as well as dermatologic surgery. We hope to expand your horizons, to challenge your intellectual knowledge, and to make you better clinicians. We hope we are succeeding. In closing, I want to thank the team behind what we do. We have an amazing and dedicated group of individuals, many still working from home, who have worked to make the JCD process seamless, even in this time where nothing is really seamless. Without them, we would not be able to provide this amazing journal to you each and every month. Stay safe, stay healthy, and get vaccinated as soon as possible.