Keeping up with the trends in skin care and beauty
The most common dermatological conditions reported in the country today include allergic dermatitis, psoriasis, vitiligo, and hair and nail diseases according to Dr Fatima al Balushi, President of the Oman Dermatology Society and senior consultant dermatologist at Al Nahdha Hospital.
From October 20 to 21, top dermatologists in the country gathered at the Grand Millenium Hotel for the Muscat Derm III conference — a biennial event considered the biggest in the country dedicated to dermatology and skin care and also serving as a platform where specialists share and exchange knowledge as well as latest developments and updates related to dermatological science.
“Oman has been following the international guidelines in treating skin diseases. We had the first Muscat Derm in 2014 and this third conference is a continuation that banked on the success of the previous conferences,” Dr Fatima said.
She added that the success has been due to the unified cooperation of the Oman Dermatology Society, the Dermatology Department at Al Nahdha Hospital & the Ministry of Health.
“What we do is gather all dermatologists under one roof and during this conference, the specialists are given an opportunity to meet with international experts and speakers,” she shared.
“What we do is exchange and update knowledge in the field of dermatology, cosmetology, laser and dermatosurgery. In addition, this platform was also created to become an educational environment for junior doctors including residents under Oman medical specialty board, medical students and paramedics staff,” she added.
With knowledge and information evolving every year, Dr Fatima outlined that the content of the scientific programme is focused on updates in the management of skin diseases commonly reported in the country.
“We discuss treatment updates for cases like psoriasis, vitiligo, atopic eczematous dermatitis, hair and nail diseases, paediatric dermatology including geno and bullous dermatosis and allergic contact dermatitis. We also cover laser and dermatosurgery and updates in the therapeutic management of skin diseases especially in biologic treatments of psoriasis, atopic eczema and alopecia,” she explained.
Dr Fatima shared that skin conditions need to be taken seriously recommending that “whenever they have skin issues, they have to consult a dermatologist right away.”
She also said that the great thing about Oman, the ‘Ministry of Health has employed primary, secondary and tertiary care for skin diseases.”
She said that they also tackle developments in the field of cosmetology especially in injection techniques of botox, fillers and face lifting. She emphasised that all procedures should meet with the criteria of international standards.
“We invited 14 speakers coming from Oman, GCC, UK, Holland, Malaysia, India, Italy and Germany. The two-day event was attended by over 200 delegates not only from Oman but GCC as a whole,” she reported.
“Along with the conference, we also conducted four workshops on cosmetology and laser,” specifying that this included body contouring, personalised aesthetic treatment, life injection and live injection.