Heather Goff, MD, MPH, is an associate professor of dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

2025 Society of Dermatology Physician Associates (SDPA) Fall Conference

 in San Antonio, Heather Goff, MD, MPH, associate professor of dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, presented a session titled ‘Lifestyle in Skin Health and Disease.’

, Goff highlighted takeaways from this session.

 In this segment of her discussion, Goff touched on how to advise patients regarding the use of sunscreen and inform them on its long-term skin health impacts.

Impacts of Sunscreen and Diet on Skin Health and Lifespan, With Heather Goff, MD, MPH

“Keeping their skin looking even in tone, in texture, and keeping it looking young and wrinkle-free, is one of the biggest reasons that people adopt the use of sunscreen and sun protective behaviors,” Goff explained. “It’s that they just don't want their skin to look old or look bad. It's not skin cancer that's making people use sunscreen. It's making their skin look good. So I think [we should approach] exercise from the same perspective, [stating that] your skin will actually look younger if you begin to exercise.”

Goff highlighted the reasons many patients choose to do various healthy behaviors, noting these reasons as elements clinicians may use in their advice to patients. Goff also spoke about environmental pollutants’ impact on skin health, noting ways to address such issues.

“What we can do is we can use topical antioxidants, because things like cigarette smoke and air pollution do oxidize the lipids that are in our skin,” Goff said. “It's called lipid peroxidation, and one of the major lipid peroxidation end-products is something called malondialdehyde. Topical antioxidants mitigate the formation of lipid peroxidation products…When you apply topical antioxidants, or you're eating more antioxidant-rich foods such as blueberries, for instance, you are consuming or applying electron donors.”

Goff also highlighted a notable element to lifespan increases among older adults, noting the value of exercise and social activity.

“If you reach the age of 60 and you haven't died…the biggest thing that is going to play a role in life expectancy from age 60 to age 80 is actually one’s level of physical activity and lean muscle mass,” Goff said. “But once you reach age 80, interestingly enough, the role of exercise and sociability flips, and how social you are actually tends to be the biggest predictive factor when it comes to achieving a long life expectancy and a life that feels rich and full.”

View Goff’s full video for more information. For any further information on topics such as these, presented at SDPA, check out the latest conference coverage page.

The quotes implemented in this video summary were edited for the purposes of clarity.

Goff had no relevant financial disclosures to include.

Goff H. Lifestyle in Skin Health and Disease. Presented at the Society of Dermatology Physician Associates (SDPA) Fall Conference, November 5-9, San Antonio, TX.

Goff H. Tips on Advising Dermatology Patients on Diet and Lifestyle Choices, With Heather Goff, MD, MPH. HCPLive. November 6, 2025. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/tips-advising-dermatology-patients-diet-lifestyle-choices-heather-goff-md-mph

Videos

This segment of Goff’s SDPA Fall 2025 interview features a discussion of dietary changes and sunscreen use as a means to improve skin health.

Dermatology

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Discussion on differentiating spontaneous from inducible urticaria, identifying triggers, and streamlining diagnosis in dermatology and primary care.

Navigating Guideline Recommendations for CSU Management in Real-World Settings

series focuses on optimizing management for 

 through evidence-based and individualized care. 

, highlighting diagnostic distinctions between spontaneous, inducible, and secondary forms. She emphasizes the importance of structured disease assessment using standardized tools such as the

 to track response and inform timely escalation. The discussion outlines key predictors of poor response to antihistamines and the critical need for proactive, rather than reactive, treatment decisions to prevent chronic disease burden.

The program then explores therapeutic innovation, particularly the rise of 

, which demonstrated rapid, durable symptom control and sustained remission through 52 weeks in the 

 trials. Armstrong examines how these findings may redefine long-term management goals and reshape patient expectations around control vs remission. She provides guidance on communicating treatment transitions, addressing concerns about injectables vs oral therapies, and balancing efficacy with adherence and accessibility—particularly as small molecule therapies expand options beyond traditional biologics such as omalizumab.

Finally, the conversation looks ahead to 

, envisioning a shift from rigid stepwise algorithms to 

. Armstrong discusses emerging biomarkers that could predict treatment response as well as how dermatologists and allergists may increasingly share roles in CSU management as therapeutic categories converge. She closes by highlighting the promise of new oral targeted therapies and the importance of integrating patient-reported outcomes and shared decision-making to achieve lasting control and improved quality of life.

Video Series

Dr.Amanda Armstrong, MD, MPH, introduces the evolving CSU landscape and outlines key objectives: guideline alignment, treatment optimization, and integration of new targeted agents.

Diagnostic Challenges and Triggers of CSU

Amanda Armstrong, MD, MPH, introduces the evolving CSU landscape and outlines key objectives: guideline alignment, treatment optimization, and integration of new targeted agents.

 in San Antonio highlighted tips for clinicians in advising patients about exercise, diet, and lifestyle shifts to improve skin health.

Heather Goff, MD, MPH, associate professor of dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, presented this session and spoke with the 

 editorial team on-site about the biggest takeaways for clinicians. She was first asked why she felt this topic was important to share with attendees at the SDPA meeting.

Tips on Advising Dermatology Patients on Diet and Lifestyle Choices, With Heather Goff, MD, MPH

“One of the reasons that I chose to talk about lifestyle and skin health and disease is that we may be some of the only physicians that a patient may interface with in a year or two years, and a lot of the things that we actually see our patients for end up being something like a routine, benign skin check,” Goff said. “...But in my opinion, any opportunity to interface with a patient is an opportunity to engage with that patient and do things to help them extend their lifespan and their health span.”

Goff highlighted several major points noted in her SDPA session, including misconceptions among patients regarding exercise and its connection to skin health. As she points out, weightlifting and aerobic exercise can make skin appear younger and healthier.

“The big takeaways from a lifestyle and skin health and disease [perspective] would be that you should move around as much as you can, and the age at which not moving around really starts to seem to make an impact is around age 40,” Goff explained. “If you don't pick up those lifestyle choices by then, it's not to say that you never will…It's just that these are the big opportunity years that we have to increase our muscle mass, to maintain our muscle mass, to maintain our health, and to do things while we're still healthy, so we're not trying to do things after disease has already set in.”

Goff noted the value, among patients of all ages, of exercising to improve body health and skin health at the same time.

“We have a need for the pharmaceutical industry, and we have a need for what that can offer us, because it helps in situations where simple fixes don't do the trick,” Goff said. “But there's never going to be a pill that does what exercise does. Exercise is going to hit multiple domains. For instance, weightlifting improves dermal elasticity. It improves the thickness of the dermis, so your skin will look younger if you begin weightlifting or even doing aerobic activity. It also helps with indices of depression. It lowers blood pressure, and it lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease.”

For any additional information on topics like these presented at SDPA, view the 

The quotes used in this summary were edited for the purposes of clarity.

Oizumi R, Sugimoto Y, Aibara H. The Potential of Exercise on Lifestyle and Skin Function: Narrative Review. JMIR Dermatol. 2024 Mar 14;7:e51962. 

In this interview at SDPA Fall 2025, Goff highlights several takeaways from her session on lifestyle and diet choices among patients in the dermatology space.

Victoria Johnson joined the MJH Life Sciences in 2020 and has written for NeurologyLive, CGTLive, and now HCPLive. You can reach her at vjohnson@mjhlifesciences.com

October 2025 brought a range of important updates across rheumatology, highlighting advances in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), lupus nephritis (LN), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjögren disease (SjD), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). New data from the 

American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence 2025

 underscored progress in both established and investigational therapies, from dual B-cell targeting in SLE and SjD to novel T-cell and JAK-targeted approaches in RA, as well as head-to-head biologic comparisons in PsA.

In SLE and LN, telitacicept and obinutuzumab demonstrated robust disease-modifying effects, while in RA, rosnilimab and upadacitinib offered evidence for deeper, upstream disease control and optimal post–TNF inhibitor sequencing. In SjD, telitacicept and monthly ianalumab provided clinically meaningful improvements in disease activity and patient-reported outcomes, and in PsA, secukinumab outperformed ustekinumab in TNFi-experienced patients, reinforcing new strategies for biologic treatment selection.

Check out this October 2025 rheumatology month in review for a recap of HCPLive’s coverage of the top news and research from the past few weeks:

1. Telitacicept Significantly Improves Lupus Response Rates Above SOC Alone

The dual BAFF/APRIL inhibitor telitacicept achieved more than double the clinical response of placebo in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) when added to standard therapy, according to results from a phase 3 trial. At week 52, 67.1% of patients receiving telitacicept met the modified SRI-4 response versus 32.7% with placebo, though higher rates of treatment-related adverse events, including infections and reduced immunoglobulin levels, were observed.

2. REGENCY: Obinutuzumab’s Deep B-Cell Depletion in Kidney Supports Benefit for Lupus Nephritis

In the phase 3 REGENCY trial, obinutuzumab (Gazyva) achieved near-complete B-cell depletion (−98%) and significantly reduced plasma cells within kidney tissue in patients with lupus nephritis (LN), marking the first demonstration of intra-renal B-cell and plasma cell depletion by an anti-CD20 agent. The data further support obinutuzumab’s October 2025 FDA approval for adults with LN.

3. Rosnilimab: A New Era of Upstream RA Disease Control, With Jonathan Graf, MD

In a phase 2b trial presented at ACR 2025, rosnilimab, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting PD-1–high pathogenic T cells, significantly reduced disease activity in patients with moderate to severe RA, achieving greater DAS28-CRP improvements versus placebo (–2.06 to –2.12 vs –1.69; 

 < .01). The therapy depleted over 90% of disease-driving Tph and Tfh cells while sustaining clinical and patient-reported benefits through 28 weeks.

4. Switch, Don’t Cycle: Upadacitinib Outperforms Adalimumab in RA Post-TNFi, With Eduardo Mysler, MD

The phase 3b/4 SELECT-SWITCH trial demonstrated that upadacitinib (Rinvoq) achieved significantly higher rates of low disease activity (43.3% vs 22.4%) and remission (28.4% vs 14.5%) than adalimumab (Humira) at week 12 in patients with RA who failed a prior TNF inhibitor (

 <.001 for both). These findings provide the first direct evidence favoring a mechanism switch over TNF inhibitor cycling.

5. Telitacicept Improves Sjögren Symptoms Over Placebo in Phase 3 Trial

In a phase 3 trial of 381 patients with SjD, telitacicept significantly improved disease activity and symptom severity versus placebo at both 80 mg and 160 mg doses through 48 weeks, with the higher dose yielding the greatest benefit. The therapy maintained a favorable safety profile and demonstrated consistent clinical improvements across key endpoints.

6. NEPTUNUS-1 and 2: Monthly Ianalumab Significantly Improves Sjögren Disease Activity

Subcutaneous ianalumab achieved significant reductions in disease activity across both phase 3 NEPTUNUS-1 and NEPTUNUS-2 trials, meeting primary endpoints in patients with SjD. Monthly ianalumab 300 mg led to greater improvements in ESSDAI scores, patient- and physician-reported outcomes, and salivary function compared with placebo, with a favorable safety profile and consistent efficacy across key secondary endpoints.

7. AgAIN: Secukinumab Outperforms Ustekinumab in Post-TNFi Psoriatic Arthritis, With Frank Behrens, MD

Secukinumab demonstrated superior efficacy to ustekinumab in TNFi-experienced patients with psoriatic arthritis in the phase 3b AgAIN trial. At week 28, 57.1% of patients receiving secukinumab achieved HAQ-DI response versus 27.0% with ustekinumab (

 = .002), with greater improvements across joint, skin, and pain outcomes, and fewer discontinuations due to loss of efficacy.

Articles

October 2025 saw significant advancements in rheumatology, particularly in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), lupus nephritis (LN), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjögren disease (SjD), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Key developments included dual B-cell targeting therapies like telitacicept and obinutuzumab for SLE and LN, and novel T-cell and JAK-targeted approaches for RA, such as rosnilimab and upadacitinib. In SjD, telitacicept and ianalumab showed promising results, while secukinumab outperformed ustekinumab in PsA, suggesting new strategies for biologic treatment selection.

The rheumatology month in review emphasizes new data presented at the 2025 ACR Convergence.

Rheumatology

Rheumatology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on rheumatologic disease. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for arthritis, gout, nr-AxSpA, and more.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

The HCPLive rheumatoid arthritis page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on arthritis. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for RA, and more.

Lupus

Psoriatic Arthritis

On the HCPLive psoriatic arthritis page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into PsA can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on arthritis, and more.

7 Rheumatology Headlines You Missed in October 2025

Thomas Wallach, MD, Chief, Pediatric Gastroenterology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, New York, New York.

Thomas Wallach, MD, discusses phase 3 safety data of tenapanor in pediatric patients with IBS-C, presented at the 2025 NASPGHAN Annual Meeting. 

Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on digestive and GI conditions. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for 

, IBS and IBD, Crohn's disease, and more.

Discussing Safety, Tolerability of Tenapanor in Pediatric IBS-C patients, with Thomas Wallach, MD

Jonathan Barratt, MBChB, PhD, discusses 36-week atacicept data from ASN Kidney Week 2025.

IgA Nephropathy

The HCPLive Berger disease page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on IgA nephropathy. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments in Berger disease, and more.

Nephrology

The HCPLive nephrology page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on kidney disease. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments in nephrology, and more.

Understanding Atacicept & 36-Week ORIGIN 3 Data from Kidney Week 2025, With Jonathan Barratt, MBChB, PhD

Tim Smith joined the MJH Life Sciences team as an assistant editor for HCPLive in August 2022. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in political science, working in multimedia journalism as a staff writer prior to joining MJH. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, watching TV, listening to podcasts, and rock climbing. You can contact him at 

In a session presented at the 2025 SDPA Fall Conference, a review was given of common genetic syndromes with cutaneous manifestations.

Guidelines Presented on Managing Genetic Skin Disorders and Referring Patients

New findings reveal sparsentan significantly reduces proteinuria in FSGS patients, offering hope for improved kidney health and lower failure risk.

Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis

The HCPLive focal segmental glomerulosclerosis page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on FSGS. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments in FSGS, and more. 

DUPLEX: Sparsentan Outperforms Irbesartan in Reaching Key Proteinuria Threshold in FSGS

Alex Hillenbrand is an assistant editor for 

. She earned her BA in English from Lafayette College in 2023 and went on to write for pop culture, entertainment, and sports media outlets before joining MJH Life Sciences in 2025. In her free time, Alex enjoys cooking, going on walks, and meeting new people. Contact her at mjhlifesciences.com.

Findings showed anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders were highly prevalent among ESRD patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis

Chronic Kidney Disease

Anxiety, Depression Linked to Poor Sleep Quality in ESRD Patients on HD

Patrick Campbell is the editorial director of HCPLive. Patrick has spent years spearheading coverage surrounding cardiometabolic health and rheumatic disease for MJH Life Sciences. Before joining MJH Life Sciences in 2019, he spent time as a beat reporter and/or multimedia specialist with the Pocono Record, Star News Group, and NJ Advance Media. He is the executive producer for multiple HCPLive podcasts, including Diabetes Dialogue, Don't Miss a Beat, Kidney Compass, Medical Ethics Unpacked, The Medical Sisterhood, and Skin of Color Savvy. 


Follow him on Twitter @RealPatCampbell or reach him via email at PCampbell@mjhlifesciences.com.

Finerenone significantly reduces UACR in type 1 diabetes patients with chronic kidney disease, offering new hope for treatment.

Type 1 Diabetes

FINE-ONE: Finerenone Proves Benefit in Type 1 Diabetes and CKD

At NASPGHAN 2025, investigators presented 52-week safety data from an ongoing phase 3 trial of linaclotide, the first approved treatment for patients aged 7 and older with IBS-C. 

FDA News

NASPGHAN 2025: Newly-Approved Linaclotide's Long-Term Safety Data

Ryan Livingston joined the MJH Life Sciences team in March of 2025, shortly after graduating from TCNJ with a bachelor’s degree in English. He enjoys creative writing, reading, and scuba diving. He can be reached at rlivingston@mjhlifesciences.com.

Eli Lilly and Company’s investigative therapy provided effective and safe weight loss treatment with limited adverse events.

Endocrinology

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Obesity Management

Obesity Management condition center page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into clinical weight management can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on obesity research, treatment, and drug development.

Investigative Amylin Agonist Eloralintide Proves Superiority to Placebo in Weight Management

Podcasts

Discover groundbreaking insights from the ORIGIN 3 study on IgA nephropathy, showcasing promising results and future treatment possibilities.

Kidney Compass: Navigating Clinical Trials

Hosted by Brendon Neuen, MBBS, PhD, and Shikha Wadhwani, MD, MS, Kidney Compass: Navigating Clinical Trials is a regular podcast exploring and breaking down the latest updates and nuances of clinical trials in nephrology. By listening to Kidney Compass, you'll get the guidance you need to navigate the changing landscape of clinical trials across the spectrum of kidney disease. 

Kidney Compass: Atacicept and ORIGIN 3 at Kidney Week 2025, with Richard Lafayette, MD

Phase 3 trial results reveal atacicept significantly reduces proteinuria in IgA nephropathy, paving the way for potential FDA approval in 2026.

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Impacts of Sunscreen and Diet on Skin Health and Lifespan, With Heather Goff, MD, MPH

Navigating Guideline Recommendations for CSU Management in Real-World Settings

Diagnostic Challenges and Triggers of CSU

Tips on Advising Dermatology Patients on Diet and Lifestyle Choices, With Heather Goff, MD, MPH

7 Rheumatology Headlines You Missed in October 2025