Andrew F Alexis, MD, MPH

2025 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference

 interview on-site in Las Vegas, Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, interviewed with 

 regarding his talk ‘Melasma and Other Hyperpigmentation Disorders.’

Alexis is known for his work as both a professor of Clinical Dermatology and as vice-chair for Diversity and Inclusion at Weill Cornell Medicine. He spoke in this segment on the topic of melasma and hyperpigmentation in general, disorders particularly affecting patients with melanin-rich skin.

Clinical Pearls for Melasma and Other Hyperpigmentation Disorders, With Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH

“In fact, so many of our patients might have an inflammatory disorder like acne or atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and others, and be just as concerned about the hyperpigmentation as they are by the primary disorder that caused it,” Alexis explained. “So having tools to be able to address hyperpigmentation for our patients is extremely valuable and leads to better patient outcomes.”

Alexis highlighted some of the most notable takeaways from his session, noting the value of topicals and photoprotection.

“Among our topical therapies, photo protection is step one,” Alexis said. “When it comes to photo protection, we are protecting against both UV radiation and visible light, to the extent that we can. We can do that with tinted sunscreens containing iron oxide. We can do that with some sunscreens that contain free radical quenchers and potent antioxidants. We can even add an oral agent with potent antioxidant effects, such as oral polypodium leucotomos extract.”

Then, Alexis noted, treatment of the hyperpigmentation can be done a variety of ways. He added that clinicians have a growing list of topical therapies available for hyperpigmentation disorders.

“We have our traditional prescription agents, most notably hydroquinone, which inhibits tyrosinase, but we have a host of non-hydroquinone agents that we can consider for longer-term management,” Alexis explained. “Hydroquinone is suitable for three to six months of therapy, depending on the concentration used, but it's not suitable for long-term continuous therapy because of the risk of exogenous ochronosis. So what are our alternatives? We have topical azelaic acid. We have a number of novel ingredients that have recently come to the market, such as Thiamidol, Cysteamine, and Melasyl.”

Later, Alexis also highlighted the growing awareness about the need to focus on unmet needs related to pigmentary disorders in patients with skin of color. These unmet needs can particularly be seen in acquired dermal macular hyperpigmentation (ADMH), which can require immuno-regulatory and pigment-reducing treatments, including low-dose oral isotretinoin.

To learn more about the topics highlighted in Alexis’s session, view his interview posted above.

 from the Fall Clinical Dermatology meeting for further information on recent topics in dermatology.

Alexis has previously reported grants from Leo, Amgen, Galderma, Arcutis, Dermavant, AbbVie, Castle, and Incyte; advisory board/consulting fees from Leo, Galderma, Pfizer, Sanofi-Regeneron, Genzyme, Dermavant, Beiersdorf, Ortho, L’Oréal, Bristol Myers Squibb, Bausch Health, UCB, Arcutis, Janssen, Allergan, Almirall, AbbVie, Amgen, VisualDx, Eli Lilly, Swiss American, Cutera, Cara, EPI, Incyte, Castle, Apogee, Canfield, Alphyn, Avita Medical, Genentech, and Boehringer Ingelheim; speaker fees from Regeneron, Sanofi-Genzyme, Bristol Myers Squibb, L’Oréal, Janssen, J&J, and Aerolase; royalties from Springer, Wiley-Blackwell, Wolters Kluwer Health, and Elsevier.

Alexis A. Melasma and Other Hyperpigmentation Disorders. Session presentation at the 2025 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct 23-26, 2025.

Videos

Alexis spoke in this segment of his Fall Clinical interview on takeaways from his presentation titled ‘Melasma and Other Hyperpigmentation Disorders.’

 in Las Vegas, Nevada, the editorial team spoke with Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, regarding his segment of the session titled ‘30 Tips in 30 Minutes.’

Alexis, professor of Clinical Dermatology and vice-chair for Diversity and Inclusion at Weill Cornell Medicine, touched on some of the tips included in his portion of the group panel at Fall Clinical. He first highlighted a tip regarding using liquid nitrogen cryotherapy for treating keloids.

Tips for Clinicians on Keloids and Other Conditions in Dermatology, With Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH

“As we all know, intralesional triamcinolone injections are really a mainstay in the management of keloids,” Alexis explained. “But in some instances, adding light cryotherapy before injection has a few advantages. It can increase the efficacy of the result. Also, it can reduce the amount of force needed for the injection due to tissue edema post-cryotherapy. It also reduces the pain of injection for our patients. The biggest limitation, of course, is dyschromia.”

Alexis noted that one can end up inducing hypopigmentation as a complication of the liquid nitrogen, so he encouraged caution when using cryotherapy.

“One particular area where it's quite useful is for keloids that are located on the posterior earlobe, as an example of an area that's more hidden,” Alexis said. “So any dyschromia that occurs there is usually quite acceptable for patients. I showed a quick case of a before-and-after of a nodular keloid on the posterior ear lobe that was treated very successfully with a combination of cryotherapy, lightly, and intralesional triamcinolone, 40 milligrams per cc.”

Another tip Alexis highlighted related to the treatment of truncal acne. Alexis mentioned the value of using fourth-generation trifarotene, a retinoid for truncal acne.

“But in my tip, I show a patient who has truncal acne with acne on the back and severe post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and I show the multi-pronged approach to treating that patient, which included the retinoid, trifarotene, but also benzoyl peroxide wash and at some intervals, fluconazole for concomitant piterosporum folliculitis,” Alexis said. “[This] was noted on examination as multiple monomorphous, one to two millimeter follicular papules. This too can contribute to the overall neoform picture of an individual with neoform papules on their back. Don't forget to also look for pyterosporin folliculitis, and that can be treated with an oral antifungal.”

Alexis noted this patient had been treated with a series of salicylic acid-containing chemical peels to achieve a result of significant reduction in the acneiform papules and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
For more about the content highlighted in Alexis’s session, view his video interview above.

latest coverage of Fall Clinical Dermatology

 for additional information on topics like this in dermatology.

Elewski B, Alexis A, Glick B, Kaufmann M, Lio P, Song J. 30 Tips in 30 Minutes. Session presentation at the 2025 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct 23-26, 2025.

In this Fall Clinical interview, Alexis highlights several tips for clinicians covered in his session at the conference titled ‘30 Tips in 30 Minutes.’

Significance of ADmirable Data on Lebrikizumab Use for Atopic Dermatitis in Skin of Color

2025 Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis (RAD) Conference

 team spoke with a trial investigator from the phase 3b ADmirable study about the impact of lebrikizumab (Ebglyss) on atopic dermatitis in adult and adolescent patients with skin of color.

The team interviewed Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, an ADmirable investigator, professor of clinical dermatology, and vice-chair for diversity and inclusion at Weill Cornell Medicine, on the 

 and its significance for those with atopic dermatitis who are also patients with skin of color. Alexis was asked how he sees the ADmirable data contributing to the broader effort to improve diagnosis, treatment, and representation in atopic dermatitis care for patients with skin of color.

Alexis noted that he believes the data contribute to the overall understanding of atopic dermatitis across diverse patient populations, adding that they help to fill a historic data gap with respect to patients with skin of color. In addition, Alexis highlighted that there were many clinical photos that were taken as part of the study, which in turn could serve as educational tools and give us even further insight into the variable morphology of atopic dermatitis across different time points.

Alexis has reported advisory/consulting fees from companies including Lilly.

Alexis A, Moiin A, Waibel J, et al. Efficacy and safety of lebrikizumab in adult and adolescent patients with skin of color and moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis: final 24-wWeek results from the phase 3b, open-label ADmirable study. Presented at: 2025 Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis (RAD) Conference; June 6-7, 2025; Nashville, TN.

FDA Approves Lilly's EBGLYSS™ (lebrikizumab-lbkz) for Adults and Children 12 Years and Older with Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis. September 13, 2024. Accessed June 18, 2025. 

https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/fda-approves-lillys-ebglysstm-lebrikizumab-lbkz-adults-and

This interview with Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, highlights his team’s findings in the phase 3b ADmirable trial on lebrikizumab for atopic dermatitis in patients with skin of color.

Discussing Significance of Delayed Response to Lebrikizumab in Initial Nonresponders 

An interview was conducted following the release of new data at the 

 on the impact of of lebrikizumab (Ebglyss) on atopic dermatitis in adult and adolescent patients with skin of color. The 

 editorial team spoke with Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, ADmirable investigator, professor of clinical dermatology, and vice-chair for diversity and inclusion at Weill Cornell Medicine, about the new phase 3b findings on lebrikizumab in atopic dermatitis for patients with skin of color.

The study’s main efficacy measure had been 75% or greater improvement in patients’ Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) scores. EASI-75 response rates were noted by the investigators as having increased through Week 24, particularly in participants with skin phototype VI. Alexis highlighted that in a cohort of subjects who were considered non-responders at Week 16, when these patients remained on treatment with lebrikizumab every 2 weeks, almost half of them went on to be responders at the 24-week mark.

Given this substantial proportion of initial nonresponders achievement of response with continued Q2W dosing, Alexis highlighted what might this suggest about persistence with therapy when treating patients who do not respond to lebrikizumab treatment early.

Andrew F Alexis, MD, MPH

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