Dr Gerd Gauglitz is a head of the Department of Aesthetic Dermatology and Lasermedicine in the Department of Dermatology and Allergology at the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. Dr Gauglitz has a particular interest in scar healing, and has been studying the topic since his PhD thesis.

On 27 September 2017, Dr Gauglitz took part in a live IMCAS Academy webinar on current and novel approaches to prevent and treat pathological scarring. We asked him a few questions about scar treatments, and his feelings about e-learning tools.

1. The webinar focused on approaches to prevent and treat pathological scarring. How have scar treatments developed over the last few years?

The big change is that over the last few years the treatment of scars has become a bigger concern. Scar treatments used to be mainly directed towards symptomatical and functional concerns, however, more and more people ask for cosmetic enhancement today. Due to media and communication among doctors and patients I have seen a great increase in patient requests for scar treatments.

As the demand grows, and more and more studies are being done, we nowadays do have an increasing number of tools for treatment of different scar types available.

Technologies like laser and EBD are becoming more popular, as they are able to treat scars that couldn’t be treated before, such as mature scars or additional improvements of excessive scars.

2. Your presentation ass about lasers and EBD to treat scarring – what makes these technologies stand out as treatments for scars?

Laser and EBD are just some of the technologies we use to treat scars. These tools currently complete our portfolio in scar treatments and represent a big step forward for scar treatments, particularly for cosmetic improvements.

They allow us to improve the texture, color and pliability of scars. Especially for larger areas, they represent an interesting additional tool or alternative to other conventional techniques, due to relatively moderate side effects, such as for the treatment of widespread burn scars.

Laser and EBD will also play an important role in the prevention of unpleasant scarring when applying them early after wounding.

3. What developments would you like to see in the near future for scar treatments?

I believe the next step is to develop more in depth protocols for the different treatments that are currently out there.

More in depth protocols will mean the technologies are accessible to a wider range of doctors, who will be in turn be able to help a larger number of patients, including those with different skin types and scar thicknesses.

We have the technologies, and the results are looking great, just need to make sure we can use them.

4. What is to be gained from participating in an IMCAS Academy webinar?

This is my first IMCAS Academy webinar but I have participated in several others.

Webinars are a very up-to-date method of exchange. They allow you to reach out to colleagues that otherwise couldn’t join in on the discussion due distance.

They are also a great invention because they allow you really focus only on the topics that interest you. You can pick and choose which conversations to join.

5. How do you think e-learning resources will develop in the future? What would you like to see?

I want to see more e-learning tools that allow you to learn practical techniques in aesthetic dermatology, and other aesthetic fields.

The conferences that are held around the world every year are invaluable for learning and networking, but it is not always possible to attend all the ones that are out there. We have to be able to stay educated, without the need for intense travelling.

In addition, intercultural communication has been missing in the past in the aesthetic medicine field, and e-learning resources can help change this.