Episode 200: The Skin Barrier and Lessons from Ant Venom

What does ant venom have to do with our skin? We’re glad you asked. This week, we’re joined by Dr. Jack Arbiser as he discusses what’s needed for an intact skin barrier and how ant venom can improve skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. Each Thursday, join Dr. Raja and Dr. Hadar, board-certified dermatologists, as they share the latest evidence-based research in integrative dermatology. For access to CE/CME courses, become a member at LearnSkin.com.

Jack L. Arbiser, MD PhD is a key opinion leader in Dermatology. He holds a BS/MS in Organic Chemistry from Emory and MD/PhD from Harvard Medical School. He has nearly 300 publications, 24 issued US Patents and numerous international patents. He mas made many seminal discoveries in dermatology and oncology. These include the first demonstration of phosphoinositol-3 kinase in angiogenesis, reactive oxygen and Akt in melanoma. Most recently, he served as the inaugural Thomas Lawley Professorship in Dermatology. Throuh his studies on ant venom, he has discovered that the skin barrier function is dependent on ceramide metabolism, allowing for the discovery of common pathways underlying psoriasis, eczema and nonmelamoma skin cancer. Dr Arbiser currently practices at Metroderm/UDP, Atlantas largest private practice dermatology group.