Editorial

Dermato-venereology has undergone enormous advance in recent decades. Few, if any, specialty has changed so much due to scientific progress. A hundred years ago, syphilis was a major part of the work of a dermato-venereologist. Treatment consisted of arsenic derivatives, which were introduced in 1909. The introduction of penicillin revolutionized the treatment of syphilis. At that time dermato-venereology clinics had hundreds of beds; scientific progress has resulted in a significant reduction in their numbers. Dermato-venereology is a good example of how scientific research has led to more efficient healthcare.

The spectrum of diseases has also changed significantly. The incidence of skin cancer has increased rapidly in recent years. Atopic dermatitis is much more common now than some decades ago, but it is evident that new drugs will significantly improve therapy. Contact allergies can be investigated and treated much more efficiently due to research.

New treatments have revolutionized psoriasis therapy; tar and dithranol are less used now than before. The ideal antipsoriatic treatment is easy to use and involves no messy ointments. Nowadays, we have an almost ideal psoriasis treatment, and new ones are being developed, which may be cheaper.

Tumour treatment has substantially changed the outcome for many patients. Despite a 10-fold increase in the incidence of melanoma the treatment outcome is much better than only a few years ago due to improvements in the treatment of metastatic disease. Ten years ago, we could not have dreamt of the current positive outcome concerning malignant melanoma.

With the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), we are now on the threshold of a new era. AI has already changed practice slightly, and more changes will come. It is likely that AI will be of great help in the diagnosis of several skin diseases.

During the last 100 years, Acta-Dermato-Venereologica (ActaDV) has been at the forefront of dermatological research. We try to stimulate the reporting of translational research, as we consider that dermato-venereologists’ skills are improved by both experimental and clinical knowledge. The total output of dermato-venereological research is very high, and it is important for clinicians to gain a better knowledge of all aspects of the specialty.

ActaDV is an international journal that welcomes contributions from all over the world. We hope that this contributes to international cooperation. Also, with worldwide information, the impact of climate change will become evident, as this will affect the spread and incidence of several skin diseases.

To celebrate the 100^th anniversary of ActaDV, we will publish a number of theme issues during 2020 (Table I) and on 15 May 2020 we will hold a symposium in Stockholm, Sweden. Please save the date in your calendar and join us to listen to the interesting lectures (Fig. 1).