Interview during the Dermatologic Days in Paris
The Paris Dermatological Days conference (JDP) took place from 12 to16 December 2017. It provided the perfect occasion for Bertrand Chuberre, Philippe Beaulieu and Sophie Seité to sit down for an interesting conversation. Listen in as they introduce themselves:
Bertrand Chuberre: Hello from the Paris Dermatological Days conference. My name is Bertrand Chuberre and I am the Medical Relations and Communications Director for L’Oréal Active Cosmetics International.
Philippe Beaulieu: Hello, I’m Philippe Beaulieu. I’ve been running my own dermatological practice in Pontoise, near Paris, for 25 years. I divide my time between general consultations and more technical dermatological treatments involving lasers, wrinkle-filling injections and phototherapy.
Sophie Seité: Hello. My name is Sophie Seité and I am the International Scientific Director at La Roche-Posay.
S.S.: La Roche-Posay is rather unique because it’s a brand that truly caters for dermatologists and works with dermatological procedures. Our products can be used alone to treat from light to moderate cases but can also be used as a complement for medications used to treat pathologies like atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, rosacea and several other skin conditions. They also have beneficial effects when used as follow-up to prescription treatments.
B.C.: Dr Beaulieu, when do you recommend dermocosmetics to your patients?
P.B.: I would say I recommend them for almost all of the pathologies and issues I treat, including acne, psoriasis, UV protection, eczema of course, and skin ageing. Over the last few years, dermocosmetics products have made remarkable strides and have become increasingly sophisticated. They are now important allies for our treatments.
B.C.: Sophie Seité, what unique benefits do dermocosmetics have when compared with traditional moisturising products?
S.S.: Most importantly, dermocosmetics comply with strict formulation standards – we can’t put whatever ingredients we like in them. We aim for minimalistic formulas free of unnecessary ingredients. We also use ingredients at concentrations that have been clinically proven to produce effective results. Lastly – and this is a crucial point for both dermatologists and patients – before bringing products to market, we test and evaluate the effectiveness and safety on all of the target groups they may be prescribed for.
B.C.: Dr Beaulieu, do you participate in clinical trials for dermocosmetics?
P.B.: We need quality, scientific, clinical trials. To convince people of the effectiveness of these products, it’s crucial that the clinical trials be done in the real-life conditions of dermatology as practised in clinics or in hospitals.
B.C.: Sophie Seité, since we’re talking about clinical trials, how many do you do? With how many patients? And how do you work with dermatologists on these trials?
S.S.:The La Roche-Posay Science Department is entirely devoted to conducting clinical trials. We run 20 to 30 clinical trials a year, mostly on skin presenting various pathologies. We work with dermatologists to develop protocols for the trials to ensure the end-results are reliable and recognised by medical communities, and to make sure the trials focus on topics that are in line with dermatologists’ expectations. Those are the clinical trials we run before launching products, but we also conduct surveys to get a better idea of how products are used on the ground. We want to know how dermatologists use products we launch on their patients as part of their everyday routine.
B.C.: To conclude, I have one last question for both of you. What does the future hold?
S.S.: For laboratories, I think the future is about better fulfilling patient expectations. What exactly are they looking for? Patients now want cosmetics that are suited to them personally, so we’re moving toward personalised dermocosmetics as well as tools that make patients’ lives easier.
P.B.: I think there is still much to be done in one particular segment, and that is UV protection. We are waging a real battle against skin cancers of all types, most notably melanoma. The ideal product would provide 24-hour protection with a single daily application, regardless of what the user is doing or their environmental conditions (whether they’re on a beach, in the mountains, etc.).
S.S.: La Roche-Posay is committed to meeting dermatologists’ expectations: we will do our best, but I’m afraid it will take a bit more time!
B.C.: Thank you both very much for your time! Enjoy the conference!
