Most Dermatology Residency Programs Offered Cosmetic Training

Welcome back to my blog. My name is Sudhir Polisetty and I am a dermatologist practicing in New Albany, Indiana. Although I do not address cosmetic dermatological procedures, I recognize that it is a very important dermatology specialty. According to a new article in JAMA Dermatology, cosmetic dermatological surgical training is offered by most dermatology residency programs in the United States.

Researchers conducted the study by e-mailing a survey to 114 American dermatology residency program directors (PDs). The primary goal of the survey was to determine which resources are available for cosmetic dermatology training in the United States, though it also sought to gauge overall PD attitudes towards cosmetic dermatology training during residency. Other questions focused on strategies that training programs used to overcome all barriers seen in resident-performed cosmetic dermatology procedures, such as discounted prices.

46 percent of the contacted group responded to the survey (53 PDs). According to the results, all but three programs (94%) provided cosmetic dermatology training using botulinum toxin while 47 of the 53 (89%) offered training with hyaluronic acid fillers. 60 percent of the surveyed programs offered discount pricing for some cosmetic procedures, with the most frequently discounted procedures being:

• Botulinum toxin (94% discounted)
• Hyaluronic acid fillers (84%)
• Vascular lasers (53%)
• Hair removal lasers (38%)

When asked for their general attitudes on cosmetic dermatology training in residency programs, 38 percent of respondents believed it should be necessary. 17 percent of respondents believed it was appropriate for residents to gain hands-on training with cosmetic dermatology procedures while only 27 percent said residents should not be required to perform any cosmetic procedures.

The researchers concluded that while most programs offer hands-on cosmetic dermatology training, there are several barriers to training. They believed procedural competency is imperative to ensure patient safety. Ideally I would like to see a survey with a higher response rate, as 53 PDs is a small sample size.

You can learn more about the survey and its findings on Healio: http://www.healio.com/dermatology/aesthetic-cosmetic-surgery/news/online/%7B0325e9df-5b1b-4bce-a29e-e78df23dacde%7D/most-dermatology-residency-programs-offered-cosmetic-training

Thanks for reading,

Sudhir Polisetty

Learn more about me on my about.me page, or by viewing my MD.com profile: http://sudhirpolisetty.md.com/