Research in cutaneous and esthetic surgery, looking back and planning ahead

GREETINGS ON THE NEW YEAR!

As we usher in 2025, we reflect on what we accomplished in the past year. Our commitment to bringing you the highest quality research in all aspects of cutaneous and esthetic surgery was made possible by studies and reviews submitted by our authors. I am indebted to our esteemed guest editors, who had graciously agreed to contribute their immense experience through their original research and review articles.¹ These contributions have added depth to our article collection while presenting an expert’s view on a subject that is often otherwise complex to comprehend. Our article processing has improved with shortened timelines, and I am delighted that our authors can now view their ahead-of-print articles in print form within 8 weeks of their final acceptance. Our acceptance rate for the past year has been 48.55% based on the number of submissions (311 in 2024).

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2024

What makes our scope exciting is that it includes all surgical aspects of skin, hair, nail, and their combination with the exciting and upcoming field of regenerative medicine.

We have had some excellent articles published on threads,² nail surgeries,³ vitiligo surgeries,⁴ reconstructive options, regenerative medicine,^5,6 and device usage.⁷ Combination therapies that ultimately result in the best patient outcomes are what are practiced day-to-day, and we welcome such research too. We have also been including basic research, which helps define our surgical options, improve our understanding of the conditions, and direct us to intervene, when and how.^8-12 Therapeutic esthetics¹³ is evolving rapidly and has the power to touch lives by improving their quality of life while treating the primary condition. I am glad that we have been able to publish some good quality research on this topic too.^5-7 Emerging techniques published have ignited much interest reflected in their downloads.^14,15

THE UPCOMING YEAR

The Association of Cutaneous Surgeons (India) Academy has initiated task forces to prepare guidelines for various dermato-surgical procedures. These task forces with known experts in the field have diligently formulated guidelines for various dermato-surgical procedures. After a rigorous peer review, starting with this issue, these guidelines shall also have a section dedicated to the same topic, a veritable potpourri of comprehensive research for your consumption. The first such guideline on Vitiligo is published in this issue.

A NOTE TO OUR AUTHORS

We have had a healthy upward trend of research submissions. However, some good research can come to naught if not prepared well. I shall like to reiterate some good research and submission guidelines for our authors. The journal strongly emphasizes the importance of obtaining ethical committee clearances for all research projects and Clinical Trials Registry (CTRI) registrations for all trials. These documents must be uploaded and should be clearly indicated in the manuscript.

Kindly go through the recent research topics already published. Journals avoid repetitive publication on similar topics and the same is true for us. While we welcome research on topics related to our journal’s scope, significant variations in findings or methodology are needed to the already published research to avoid rejection.

In the past year, reasons for rejection included repetitive research, non-adherence to journal manuscript guidelines, and most often submissions out of scope for this journal. The scope of this journal includes all topics pertaining to cutaneous and esthetic surgical aspects encountered in practice. Investigative modalities within the same realm and reviews that ultimately affect our esthetic and surgical management are also welcome. However, complex reconstructive surgical, oral, and maxillofacial procedures are excluded from our scope.

As our editorial team evolves, with new experts joining in as editors in various editorial capacities, I am thankful for their input, and we all look forward to offering you many interesting reads with each issue!