As 2025 draws to a close, it is clear that the past year has brought notable shifts across dermatology. To reflect on the developments that stood out most, members of our editorial board and recipients of our 2025 Future Leaders in Dermatology award share their perspectives, drawing on experience across subspecialties, regions and stages of career.

From internationally recognised clinician–scientists to emerging leaders shaping the future of the field, these contributors reflect on the advances that influenced their practice and thinking. Together, their insights offer a snapshot of the themes and innovations that helped define dermatology in 2025.

1. A breakthrough year for chronic hand eczema

Chronic hand eczema is often under-recognised, despite its significant impact on quality of life and work productivity. In 2025, new epidemiological insights and the approval of the first topical therapy specifically indicated for this condition marked a long-awaited turning point.

Dr Raj Chovatiya, Associate Professor of Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School and Founder and Director of the Center for Medical Dermatology and Immunology Research in Chicago, Illinois, USA:

“2025 was all about the hands! 

This year we saw a plethora of data come forward about chronic hand eczema (CHE), both epidemiological (CHE is way more common than you think!) and clinical (our patients struggle for disease control). The 2025 approval of our first topical therapy specifically indicated for CHE is poised to change much of this, and I’m looking forward to what comes next.”

2. Durability and disease modification took centre stage in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis

While biologics have transformed care in atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis over the past decade, 2025 signalled a shift in focus to potential long-term disease modification and treatment durability.

Prof. Tiago Torres, Professor of Dermatology at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Portugal:

“In AD, we are witnessing the emergence of new therapeutic classes with the potential to alter long-term disease trajectories. OX40 pathway inhibitors, including amlitelimab and rocatinlimab, have generated compelling evidence of durable disease control extending well beyond the dosing window. 

Additional first-in-class mechanisms are moving rapidly through development, such as REZPEG, a Treg-enhancing biologic designed to restore immune tolerance; IL-22R blockade, which targets a key downstream effector cytokine; and extended half-life biologics, engineered to reduce treatment burden while maintaining consistent, long-term efficacy.

In psoriasis, a field often viewed as ‘mature’ due to the success of current biologics, 2025 delivered a surprising resurgence of therapeutic innovation. New oral agents, including the new TYK2 inhibitors zasocitinib and envudeucitinib, as well as icotrokinra, the first IL-23 receptor antagonist, are expanding targeted oral options with impressive selectivity. On the biologic side, ORKA-001, an extended half-life IL-23 inhibitor, is emerging as a potentially transformative candidate aimed at achieving deep, durable remission with ultra-infrequent dosing.”

3. Game-changing approvals and emerging technologies in CSU, paediatric psoriasis and aesthetic dermatology

Several long-awaited regulatory approvals and technological advances reached the clinic in 2025, reshaping care across chronic inflammatory disease, paediatric dermatology and aesthetics.

Focusing first on chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), Dr Yi-Kui Xiang, clinical scientist at the Charité Institute of Allergology and the Fraunhofer Institute for Immunology and Allergology, with a clinical role at Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, China, highlights how new targeted therapies are redefining treatment goals:

“The most important advances in CSU this year have been the arrival of new targeted therapies, in particular BTK inhibitors such as remibrutinib and also the approval of dupilumab for CSU. These agents finally expand our options beyond antihistamines and omalizumab.

For many refractory patients, this means more sustained disease control and a realistic chance of complete symptom freedom. They are shifting our treatment paradigm from “coping with some hives” to aiming for full control and improved quality of life as the standard of care.”

Prof. Feroze Kaliyadan, Professor of Dermatology at Sree Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala, India, also reflects on recent advances in CSU, but also other key areas where treatments have progressed:

“Resistant chronic spontaneous urticaria remains an exceptionally frustrating condition for both patients and clinicians. The recent approval of remibrutinib, has the potential to be a true game changer. Its rapid onset of action and favourable safety profile offer a much-needed therapeutic breakthrough.

Managing pediatric psoriasis continues to pose unique challenges. The FDA’s approval of guselkumab for pediatric plaque psoriasis adds a valuable option to the dermatologist’s therapeutic armamentarium. Its convenient dosing schedule makes it particularly appealing and practical for use in children.

In aesthetic dermatology, newer approvals may herald a major shift toward home-based laser and light devices, especially clinical-grade cold-laser technologies designed to improve skin texture with greater ease and accessibility.

Meanwhile, the role of artificial intelligence in dermatology—spanning diagnostics, therapeutics, and research—continues to grow rapidly, reshaping how clinicians approach decision-making and patient care.”

4. AI moved from research to bedside in nail and hair disorders

Long reliant on subjective assessment, nail and hair disorders are beginning to benefit from objective, AI-driven diagnostic tools that have begun to reach clinical maturity in 2025.

Dr Shari Lipner, Associate Professor of Clinical Dermatology and Director of the Nail Division at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NY, USA, explains:

“In 2025, we saw major advancements in AI-driven nail and hair diagnostics; two subspeciality areas that have long relied on mostly subjective assessments. 

AI-enabled nail imaging platforms can help distinguish nail psoriasis from onychomycosis using pattern-recognition models, potentially reducing the need for histopathology, culture and PCR and allowing for expedited treatment decisions. 

Similar progress has occurred in hair disorders, where AI-powered trichoscopy can quantify density, caliber diversity, and miniaturization, and help to differentiate early scarring alopecia from androgenetic alopecia. These tools provide objective, reproducible metrics that help with baseline evaluation and treatment response monitoring. 

For nail and hair disease, AI is transitioning from a research concept to a practical bedside tool, thereby improving diagnostic accuracy and more timely care.”

5. A shift in aesthetic dermatology: from quick fixes to rejuvenation

Aesthetic dermatology in 2025 has seen a clear change in philosophy, moving away from short-term correction towards restoring skin structure and function.

Prof. Ashraf Badawi, President of the ESLD, Chair of the EADV Task Force for Laser Dermatology and Energy-Based Devices and Professor of Dermatology at the Laser Institute, Cairo University, Egypt, reflects:

“The biggest change I’ve seen in cosmetic dermatology in 2025 is a shift in mindset: people are beginning to realize that we should be targeting rejuvenation rather than relying on quick fixes. 

More people now understand that fillers, Botox, and other injectables are not the right way to improve the appearance of the skin on their own. If we use them without addressing the underlying structure and function of the skin, the end result can ultimately be worse than where we started, because the ageing process continues. Instead, we should be using technologies that work across different layers of the skin, with the goal of restoring the structure and function of those layers. 

So in 2025, we’re now seeing more patients adopting structured, non-ablative rejuvenation approaches that address multiple layers of the skin, integrating energy-based tightening, collagen stimulation and surface optimization through technologies such as fractional lasers, radiofrequency, microneedling and chemical peels”.

This approach aligns with a broader move toward regenerative dermatology, as also highlighted by Dr Neelam Vashi, Founder of Vashi Dermatology and former Associate Professor of Dermatology at Boston University:

“The most meaningful advancement has been the pivot toward regenerative dermatology rather than purely correctional aesthetics. We are witnessing a shift from filling, freezing, and ablating to restoring cellular signalling, collagen architecture, and dermal vitality. 

The refinement of PRF/PRFM, autologous gel matrices, and energy-assisted neocollagenesis has changed not just how we treat the face, but how we talk about ageing altogether. Patients are now embracing longevity-based interventions: gradual collagen rebuilding, subtle biostimulation, and natural facial continuity.”  

6. Spatial proteomics uncovered a promising therapeutic pathway in Stevens–Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis

In severe cutaneous adverse reactions, 2025 delivered important mechanistic insight with potential therapeutic implications.

Dr Ben Kaffenberger, Associate Professor of Dermatology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, OH, USA, comments:

“One of the most exciting developments this year has been a paper titled ‘Spatial proteomics identifies JAK inhibitors as a treatment for a lethal skin disease’. Led by Dr Mathias Mann and published online in Nature, late 2024.

Stevens–Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) remains one of the most severe of dermatologic emergencies and still lacks consensus on optimal treatments, let alone any FDA-approved therapeutics. This article utilizes spatial proteomics with cellular resolution to evaluate the interactions of infiltrating leukocytes and keratinocytes while comparing several different severities of adverse drug reactions including a standard low-risk morbilliform eruption with DRESS syndrome and with SJS/TEN. 

The authors analyzed over 5,000 different proteins expressed by keratinocytes and infiltrating leukocytes, and discovered increased Type I and Type II interferon expression and STAT1 activation in TEN. They then used both in vitro and mouse modelling to demonstrate the benefit of JAK inhibitors in TEN. Finally, 7 patients underwent treatment with targeted JAK inhibition with good results. Overall, this is a big advancement for SJS/TEN and inpatient dermatologists.

While I am not convinced that JAK inhibitors are the single-specific treatment for this disease, they are likely one of many drugs and mechanisms that work for this condition if it is caught early enough.”

7. Advances in hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriasis, recessive dystrophic epidermolysis, squamous cell carcinoma and the WHO List of Essential Medicines

This year saw practice-changing advances across inflammatory, genetic and neoplastic dermatology, alongside developments that could expand access to important biologic therapies.

Dr Jonathan Ho, Consultant Dermatologist and Dermatopathologist, University Hospital of the West Indies, Jamaica, notes:

“In inflammatory dermatoses, JAK inhibitors continue to demonstrate expanding therapeutic potential. Recent phase 2 trials have shown that upadacitinib significantly reduces inflammatory disease activity in hidradenitis suppurativa compared with placebo. These findings are particularly encouraging in a condition that remains difficult to manage.

Biologics for psoriasis continue to deliver excellent results for patients living with extensive disease. However, results from the ongoing VISIBLE trial examining efficacy of the IL-23 inhibitor guselkumab in skin of colour patients (who are often underrepresented in clinical trials) confirms efficacy across skin types. The VISIBLE model may also serve as a framework for improved clinical trial design to capture diverse populations.

For genodermatoses, this year, a new FDA approval continues to expand options for treating patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis (RDEB). Topical prademagene zamikeracel (autologous cell sheet-based gene therapy) significantly accelerates healing and decreases pain in RDEB wounds.

In neoplastic dermatology, in addition to its use for locally advanced/metastatic basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, in 2025 we learnt that adjuvant cemiplimab (high affinity PD-1 inhibitor) significantly increases disease-free survival compared with placebo in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma at high risk for recurrent disease. The data earned it FDA approval for this indication.

Finally, in a decisive win for global health, adalimumab and ustekinumab have been added to the 2025 update of WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. This addition is particularly important for advocating for inclusion of biologics on government formularies in low and middle-income countries potentially significantly expanding access to effective care. 

Other consequential additions include sunscreens for persons with albinism and upcoming inclusion of urea and glycerol-based moisturizers.”

8. Skin disease recognized as a global public health priority

We end with what may prove to be the most far-reaching development of the year: the formal recognition of skin disease as a global public health issue, adopted on 24 May 2025.

Dr Zenas Yiu, Clinical Senior Lecturer in Dermatology and Pharmacoepidemiology and MRC Clinician Scientist, University of Manchester, UK, explains:

“The declaration by the WHO of skin diseases as a global public health priority has the highest potential to shift resources for the care of many people with skin diseases, so it is definitely the most “game-changing” development in dermatology this year and possibly for many years to come, depending on how countries respond to this call.

It has the most potential to change care for people living in the Global South.”

Dr Niraj Parajuli, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Bir Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal adds:

“The adoption of the World Health Assembly resolution reframes the skin diseases from low-priority issues to a critical global public health challenge with associated deep social, psychological and economic impacts. It lays the foundation for better resource allocation, training and capacity building and policy integration particularly in low-resources settings”.

We hope you enjoyed reading this expert-led overview of the developments that defined dermatology in 2025. Our sincere thanks go to all contributors for sharing their insights and reflections. We look forward to continuing the conversation and to sharing further expert analysis of the advances shaping dermatology in the year ahead.

Related content

• #AAD25: Essential updates in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis
• Remibrutinib: New data demonstrates compelling immunomodulatory effects in CSU
• Latest updates in atopic dermatitis treatment and research
• Polish up: What’s new in diagnosing and treating onychomycosis
• Beyond technology: How can we address the new challenges in laser and energy based dermatology?
• Encouraging results for topical 1.5% ruxolitinib cream in milder cases of hidradenitis suppurativa

This content has been developed independently by Touch Medical Media for touchDERMATOLOGY. Views expressed are the speaker’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Touch Medical Media.

Editor: Gina Furnival, Senior Editorial Director

Support: No funding was received in the publication of this short article.

Cite: What had us talking in 2025: 8 defining developments in dermatology. touchDERMATOLOGY December 16, 2025.