Dermatology

Summary

Dermatology addresses the biology, diagnosis and treatment of skin, hair and nail disorders, reflecting both local and systemic health. The skin’s complex structure—comprising epidermis, dermis and subcutis with adnexal appendages—serves as a barrier against environmental challenges, regulates temperature and mediates immunological and neurogenic responses. Cutaneous diseases range from common inflammatory conditions such as atopic eczema and psoriasis to benign and malignant tumours, pigmentary disorders, genetic syndromes and systemic manifestations like vasculitis or connective-tissue disease. Advances in molecular genetics and immunology have clarified pathogenetic pathways, including the role of keratinocyte differentiation, cytokine networks (Th1, Th2, Th17) and microbial dysbiosis, which underpin targeted therapies. High-frequency ultrasound, dermoscopy and non-invasive imaging complement clinical examination and are increasingly integrated into multidisciplinary care. Globally, the burden of skin disease is immense, affecting quality of life, mental health and economic productivity. Preventive measures—sun protection, vaccination for human papillomavirus, screening for melanoma—and novel therapeutics, including biologics, small-molecule inhibitors and advanced drug-delivery systems, are transforming outcomes. Dermatology continues to expand its horizon by harnessing translational research, precision medicine and equitable access to care.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent whole-exome analyses of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) tumours have unveiled a novel mutational signature linked to chronic azathioprine exposure and defined recurrent driver mutations in genes controlling ultraviolet-induced DNA damage responses. Integration with patient immunosuppression data has highlighted new candidate targets for precision inhibitors and provided a rich panel of cSCC-derived cell lines for preclinical validation. In the realm of rare skin cancer, an authoritative review of Merkel cell carcinoma synthesised current understanding of virus-driven versus UV-mediated pathogenesis, and documented the high immunogenicity of both virus-positive and virus-negative tumours. The remarkable clinical success of PD-1/PD-L1 immune-checkpoint blockade has been contextualised alongside ongoing basic and translational research priorities, emphasising the need for durable responses and strategies to overcome resistance.

Research from all publishers

Single-cell transcriptomics applied to keloid lesions treated with intralesional triamcinolone acetonide plus 5-fluorouracil has mapped cellular reprogramming events. The combination disrupts profibrotic fibroblast differentiation, inhibits fibroblast growth factor signalling and induces senescence programmes in Schwann cell subsets, while T-cell clusters up-regulate secreted globulin genes that may serve as immunotherapeutic targets. Novel topical nanomedicine comprising azelamide-functionalised gold nanoparticles has demonstrated enhanced skin penetration and stability over conventional formulations. In murine models of psoriasis- and rosacea-like dermatitis, these nanoparticles attenuate keratinocyte-derived proinflammatory mediators, boost antioxidant enzyme activity and suppress matrix metalloproteinase-9 without systemic toxicity. A network meta-analysis of intralesional and topical treatments for hypertrophic scars and keloids ranked combination regimens of corticosteroids with botulinum toxin A or 5-fluorouracil as most effective, guiding evidence-based selection of multimodal antifibrotic therapies.

Dermatology publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in dermatology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Mutational signature: A characteristic pattern of somatic DNA alterations reflecting specific mutagenic processes, such as ultraviolet exposure or drug therapy.

Immune-checkpoint blockade: Therapeutic inhibition of regulatory molecules (e.g. PD-1, PD-L1) to restore antitumour T-cell activity.

Th17 cells: A subset of CD4+ T lymphocytes that secrete interleukin-17 and are implicated in psoriasis and other inflammatory disorders.

Nanomedicine: The use of nanoscale carriers or particles to enhance drug delivery, stability and tissue targeting.

Surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA): A statistical measure used in network meta-analysis to rank the relative efficacy of multiple treatments.

References

  1. The biology and treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma: current understanding and research priorities. Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology (2018).
  2. The genomic landscape of cutaneous SCC reveals drivers and a novel azathioprine associated mutational signature. Nature Communications (2018).
  3. Deciphering the single-cell transcriptome network in keloids with intra-lesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide combined with 5-fluorouracil. Frontiers in Immunology (2023).
  4. Skin-permeable gold nanoparticles with modifications azelamide monoethanolamine ameliorate inflammatory skin diseases. Biomarker Research (2024).
  5. Network Meta-Analysis of Different Clinical Commonly Used Drugs for the Treatment of Hypertrophic Scar and Keloid. Frontiers in Medicine (2021).

About these summaries

This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.

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