INTRODUCTION
A recent literature review suggested that the ef fectiveness of sebaceous hyperplasia (SH) treatment was attributed to lesion severity, patient-specific qualities, and cost, rather than a specific treatment modality.1 Ambiguity surrounding the effectiveness of SH treatments stems from the limited comparative potential of studies in the current literature due to varying primary outcomes, study designs, parameters for determining lesion improvement, and literature reviews focusing on a sole treatment method.1 This study investigates the variability of SH treatment approaches among dermatologists and aims to identify the most cost-effective, first-line treatment option.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
An IRB-approved (protocol NCR213612) 19-question survey was designed using the online platform, SurveyMonkey, and sent via a single email to dermatologists on the Orlando Dermatology Aesthetic and Clinical Conference listserv in August 2021. The email included a brief description of the study's objectives, the voluntary nature of the survey, and a direct link to the questionnaire.
The mean total cost of pharmacologic-based therapy for SH took into account medication dosage, administration frequency, and treatment duration provided by participating dermatologists in combination with the average daily medication price. The cost of each specific pharmacologic agent was obtained from Medi-Span Price Rx using UpToDate. All costs are presented in United States dollars.
The mean total cost of procedural-based treatments for SH was estimated using survey responses, which included procedure-specific cost per session and the average number of sessions to achieve lesion clearance. Weighted averages were used to compare values. Number of sessions rather than the duration of treatment was investigated given that there is greater interval variability between treatment sessions.
The mean total cost of pharmacologic-based therapy for SH took into account medication dosage, administration frequency, and treatment duration provided by participating dermatologists in combination with the average daily medication price. The cost of each specific pharmacologic agent was obtained from Medi-Span Price Rx using UpToDate. All costs are presented in United States dollars.
RESULTS
The demographics and clinical practice descriptions of respondents are detailed in Table 1. The majority of respondents were female (59.4%) and worked in a private practice (69.6%), with 24% of participants practicing outside of the United States.
