Heartbeat: Dermatology wins prestigious national award

April 16, 2021

The dermatology department has been receiving lots of praise after their award winning poster at the British Association of Dermatologists Meeting.

The team were given the accolade for Best Psychodermatology Poster Presentation Award at the British Association of Dermatologists Meeting which is one of the most highly commendable meetings made up of authors from across the globe who submit their work every year.

All the posters are original pieces of research with the best pieces put forward by a specialist abstract selection committee based on the quality of the content. These pieces are then also later published in the British Journal of Dermatologists Supplement.

“We were inspired to create the poster following inspiration from our patients,” said Dr Sara Mirhadi, Study Principal Investigator.

“Our patients have been telling us about the impact of skin disfigurement on their psychological wellbeing and how laser treatment has changed their lives. There is limited literature on the impact of laser therapy in psychological burden.

“With this in mind we decided to lead this study and presented our results at the British Association of Dermatologists Meeting to highlight the psychological burden of skin conditions and the role of laser therapy in reducing this burden all in a conscious effort to help better improve the quality of life of patients.”

In regards to participation, adult patients with various medical skin conditions, symptomatic skin lesions and cosmetic skin lesions took part in the study. These included red marks, brown marks, scars and hair removal. Common symptoms may include pain, discomfort, irritation or impact on breathing and daily activities including body movements.

Sara’s study showed that the majority of patients were suffering from moderate or high psychological distress with laser treatment leading to a more than 50 per cent reduction in at least one of the anxiety or depression scores. The aim is that the study can help increase awareness of the psychological burden of various disfiguring skin conditions.

Sara and the study investigators could not have completed this work alone and are thankful to all that helped them along. Sara was especially thankful to Dr Anthony Abdullah, the Study Chief Investigator, for his continued support in helping design and conduct of this study and all his guidance throughout the study.

She added: “I would like to say a huge thank you to our patients for taking part in our study and the research and development team, especially Anne Rutland.

“I would also like to give a special thanks to the Birmingham Skin Laser Centre team especially Ann Weaver who went above and beyond for all her help and extend my gratitude to our sponsor and Research Ethics Committee.”