Current laboratory monitoring may not be optimal.A retrospective chart review was performed on thelaboratory results of 246 patients who were treatedwith isotretinoin for acne over a 9-year period. Testsobtained were CBC, lipid panel, AST, ALT, CK, GGT,and C-reactive protein. Thirty-five patients had anelevated AST and 35 of these had an elevated CK; 32had an elevated ALT and 11 of these had an elevatedCK. Thirteen patients had an elevated GGT; in 5 thiswas the only abnormality, whereas 8 had a GGTelevation accompanied by an elevated AST or ALT.Two had an elevated GGT and an elevated CK withnormal AST and ALT. Fifty-two patients had a singleepisode of elevated CK, of which 22 were female.However, 57 had multiple CK elevations and only onewas female. Thirty-five patients had CK elevations <2 times normal; 38 had levels between 2 and 3 timesnormal, 18 had levels between 3 and 4 times normal,and 18 had levels greater than 4 times normal. Wesuggest that ALT and AST are not useful for monitoringisotretinoin therapy and that GGT and CK may be ofgreater value in managing patients.

Importance: Previous consensus articles on rosacea from the American Acne and Rosacea Society (AARS) have focused on pathophysiology, clinical assessment based on phenotypic expressions of rosacea, management guidelines, discussions of individual medical therapies, and reviews of physical modalities. Pathophysiologic mechanisms believed to be operative in rosacea have been covered extensively in the literature. Objective: This article updates the previously published consensus recommendations from the AARS on the management of rosacea, including systematic literature and evidence-based reviews of available therapeutic agents and physical modalities. Observations: This article includes discussions of available published data on topical ivermectin, topical oxymetazoline, combination therapy approaches, and physical devices for the management of rosacea. Consistent with what many publications on rosacea currently emphasize, clinicians are encouraged to define the clinical manifestations present in the patient and to select therapies that correlate with the optimal treatment of those manifestations. There are less data available on how to optimally integrate therapies; however, it appears that rationally selected medical therapies can be utilized concurrently. Conclusion: Due to the multifactorial pathogenesis of rosacea, its clinical presentation is heterogeneous. Rosacea is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory disorder, and clinical manifestations often vary in nature and severity over time, which might necessitate an adjustment in treatment. As new data become available, rosacea management approaches should be updated.

Importance: Previous consensus articles on rosacea from the American Acne and Rosacea Society (AARS) have focused on pathophysiology, clinical assessment based on phenotypic expressions of rosacea, management guidelines, discussions of individual medical therapies, and reviews of physical modalities. Pathophysiologic mechanisms believed to be operative in rosacea have been covered extensively in the literature. Objective: This article updates the previously published consensus recommendations from the AARS on the management of rosacea, including systematic literature and evidence-based reviews of available therapeutic agents and physical modalities. Observations: This article includes discussions of available published data on topical ivermectin, topical oxymetazoline, combination therapy approaches, and physical devices for the management of rosacea. Consistent with what many publications on rosacea currently emphasize, clinicians are encouraged to define the clinical manifestations present in the patient and to select therapies that correlate with the optimal treatment of those manifestations. There are less data available on how to optimally integrate therapies; however, it appears that rationally selected medical therapies can be utilized concurrently. Conclusion: Due to the multifactorial pathogenesis of rosacea, its clinical presentation is heterogeneous. Rosacea is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory disorder, and clinical manifestations often vary in nature and severity over time, which might necessitate an adjustment in treatment. As new data become available, rosacea management approaches should be updated.

Oral and topical antibiotics are commonly prescribed in dermatologie practice, often for noninfectious disorders, such as acne vulgaris and rosacea. Concerns related to antibiotic exposure from both medical and nonmedical sources require that clinicians consider in each case why and how antibiotics are being used and to make appropriate adjustments to limit antibiotic exposure whenever possible. This first article of a three-part series discusses prescribing patterns in dermatology, provides an overview of sources of antibiotic exposure, reviews the relative correlations between the magnitude of antibiotic consumption and emergence of antibiotic resistance patterns, evaluates the impact of alterations in antibiotic prescribing, and discusses the potential relevance and clinical sequelae of antibiotic use, with emphasis on how antibiotics are used in dermatology.

In this third article of the three-part series, management of skin and soft tissue infections is reviewed with emphasis on new information on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Due to changes in the evolution of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones, previous distinctions between healthcare-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are currently much less clinically relevant. Many nosocomial cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection are now caused by community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, with changing patterns of antibiotic susceptibility and resistance. Also reviewed are clinical scenarios where antibiotics may not be needed and suggestions for optimal use of antibiotic therapy for dermatologie conditions, including recommendations on perioperative antibiotic use.