Journal of Dermatological Treatment

Advances in Acne and Disorders of the Pilosebaceous Unit

The pilosebaceous unit is the anatomical and functional basis of acne vulgaris and a range of related follicular and sebaceous disorders. As acne affects both adolescents and adults, and is a major contributor to dermatologic disease burden, this Article Collection aims to highlight the recent advances in treatment for these disorders. Even hidradenitis suppurativa, folliculitis, and rosacea involve the follicular or sebaceous apparatus through distinct but partially overlapping mechanisms that include androgen signaling, sebaceous gland biology, follicular keratinization, the cutaneous microbiome, and immune activation. The understanding of these pathways has advanced considerably through structural biology, microbiome sequencing, and single cell approaches, and the same time, treatment has evolved through new topical and systemic agents, fixed dose combinations, device based approaches, and biologic therapies for hidradenitis suppurativa, while important questions remain regarding treatment selection, sequencing, durability of response, and long term management.

These conditions are encountered frequently in clinical practice and can have substantial physical and psychosocial consequences, including recurrent inflammation, scarring, postinflammatory pigment change, and long term treatment burden. Antibiotics remain an important component of therapy for inflammatory acne, rosacea, and selected follicular disorders, while their widespread use also highlights the need to optimize agent selection, duration, combination strategies, and antimicrobial stewardship. Hidradenitis suppurativa continues to present challenges related to delayed diagnosis, disease heterogeneity, and long term treatment. Across these disorders, therapeutic response varies considerably, comparative effectiveness data remain limited, and access to treatment differs across health systems and patient populations. Integrating advances in disease biology with clinical and therapeutic evidence may help support more effective, individualized, and sustainable treatment strategies.

This Article Collection welcomes original research, reviews, brief reports, and discussion articles on the following (but not limited to):

• Sebaceous gland biology and androgen signaling
• Follicular keratinization and barrier function
• Cutaneous microbiome and Cutibacterium acnes phylotypes
• Innate and adaptive immune mechanisms
• Acne scarring and postinflammatory pigment change
• Epidemiology and disease burden
• Comparative effectiveness and head-to-head studies
• Topical and systemic antibiotic therapy, including optimal selection, duration, combination strategies, resistance, and antimicrobial stewardship
• Hormonal therapy
• Isotretinoin dosing, monitoring, and safety
• Emerging topical and systemic therapies
• Biologic and small molecule therapy for hidradenitis suppurativa
• Procedural and device-based approaches
• Treatment considerations in skin of color
• Adherence, access, cost, and real-world treatment patterns
• Registry analyses and studies from underrepresented regions

Keywords: Acne vulgaris; Cutibacterium acnes; Hidradenitis suppurativa; Rosacea; Therapeutics

­­All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 20 May 2027.

Please contact Thalia Geiger at thalia.geiger@taylorandfrancis.com with any questions or requests for discount codes relating to this Article Collection.

Please be sure to select the "Advances in Acne and Disorders of the Pilosebaceous Unit" from the drop-down menu in the submission system.

Meet the Guest Advisors

Dr. Ayman Grada

Ayman Grada, MD, MHA, is Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and a senior leader in the regulated pharmaceutical and biotech industry. His evidence generation expertise spans topical and systemic dermatologic therapies, including small molecules and biologics, with a focus on immune-mediated skin disorders, wound healing and dermato-epidemiology. He serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and the International Journal of Dermatology, Specialty Chief Editor for Dermatologic Drugs at Frontiers in Drug Discovery, and Director at Large on the Board of Directors of the Society for Investigative Dermatology. He is a senior collaborator with the Global Burden of Disease Study and has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications. He completed dermatology specialty training and a postdoctoral fellowship on cutaneous wound healing at Boston University School of Medicine.

Dr. Christopher Bunick

Christopher G. Bunick, MD, PhD, is Associate Professor of Dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, where he leads a structural biology research program focused on atomic resolution dermatology. He uses X ray crystallography and cryo electron microscopy to define the structure and function of proteins central to the skin barrier and to the action of dermatologic drugs, including the mechanism by which tetracycline antibiotics engage the bacterial ribosome. He is Editor in Chief of Dermatology Times and practices general medical dermatology and dermatologic surgery at Yale Dermatology Associates. He serves as an investigator on dermatology clinical trials and holds an MD and PhD from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.