Dermatologist Days 2026: innovation, shortages and digitisation at centre stage

On 16 and 17 April, Dutch dermatologists gathered for the annual Dermatologist Days, organised by the NVDV (Dutch Association for Dermatology and Venereology). This year's congress was extra festive: the NVDV is 130 years old. Dick van Gerwen, dermatologist at Bravis Hospital and co-founder of Webcamconsult, attended and shares his main impressions.

An explosion of new treatments

Dermatology is experiencing a veritable golden age when it comes to drug innovation. The number of new drugs that have appeared in the past five years, and are still expected in the next five, almost exceeds the total of the previous 50 years. From psoriasis and atopic eczema to urticaria, alopecia areata, vitiligo, blistering diseases, hidradenitis suppurativa and skin cancer: new, more effective treatments are available or imminent for almost every major skin condition. This makes the profession more complex, but also more beautiful.

One area of concern with these new biologicals is vaccination. For some medications, it is advised to have certain vaccinations administered before starting. While taking certain drugs, live (attenuated) vaccines cannot be given. Good information and coordination between practitioners is essential here.

Shortage of dermatologists calls for smarter care

At the same time, the profession is under pressure. The shortage of dermatologists is an ongoing bottleneck. At the Dermatologist Days, therefore, there was a lot of focus on appropriate care: how to organise care as efficiently as possible without compromising on quality?

A concrete example: in skin cancer, especially basal cell carcinomas, there appears to be much to be gained by reducing the number of follow-up visits. Relaxation of follow-up guidelines is well defensible on the basis of available evidence, provided it is made measurable and secured in practice. Fewer unnecessary consultations means more room for patients who really need care, and that is exactly where teledermatology can play a key role.

Digitisation and AI: promising, but not yet fully developed

Digitisation of care featured prominently on the agenda. A digizorg app that gives patients more insight into their medical pathway and care plan was positively received as a means of better patient communication. The SkinVision app, one of the few medical AI apps with CE certification for skin cancer detection, generated interest but also scepticism. Doubts about reliability and effectiveness in daily practice remain. Finally, large language models (LLMs) that can record doctor-patient conversations and automatically record them in the EHR were discussed, allowing doctors to fully focus on the patient during the consultation.

This fits perfectly with the vision behind Dermatology2go.online, the international online dermatology care platform recently launched by Webcamconsult. Teledermatology can increase the accessibility of dermatological care, reduce waiting times and ease the workload for specialists.

Allergology: misunderstandings and real shifts

In the field of allergology, some striking insights were shared. One persistent misunderstanding was corrected: food allergy rarely plays a role in skin diseases, including atopic eczema, although many patients suspect otherwise. Allergy tests can only confirm whether someone is sensitive to a substance, but say nothing about causality. Ninety per cent of people with true food allergy experience the first reaction at the mouth or lips, usually within two hours of contact.

Contact allergies do involve real shifts in the pattern. Nickel, perfume and preservatives remain the most common allergens, but in recent years the prevalence of acrylates has been increasing. These are resins and adhesives used in artificial nails, dentistry and medical devices attached to the skin. Preservatives and acrylates change composition regularly as the cosmetic industry replaces known allergens with alternatives that in turn can cause new sensitisations. Standard contact allergy test kits should therefore be reviewed annually to remain relevant.

My conclusion

The 2026 dermatologist days showed that the profession is in full swing: therapeutically, organisationally and technologically. The combination of a wave of new treatments, growing demand for care and limited capacity makes finding smart, digital solutions more urgent than ever. Webcamconsult and Dermatology2go.online actively respond to that need, aiming to make dermatological care more accessible, efficient and future-proof.