Reinventing the Wheel

If you’re at all fitness-minded, it’s likely you’ve heard of a juggernaut of a company called Peloton. The New York-based startup has been hailed as much for its business model as for its home fitness equipment, having achieved a net worth of $4 billion in 6 years.¹ Devotees of the brand are so loyal, they’ve been likened to a cult. And what does Peloton do? They sell stationary bicycles and treadmills. 

That’s right, the same machines gathering dust in your basement, only with a much higher price tag (bikes start at $2,000; treadmills are double that).² Peloton’s secret to making these dated piece of exercise equipment into hot luxury commodities in a crowded market was simple: They connected them to social networks. 

The success of Peloton is based on the recognition that human beings are social animals. Our survival rests on our ability to exist cooperatively with those around us. The tendency to adopt the ideas and practices of our social group can have both positive and negative effects. The social pressures that dictate our lives have great potential to be employed in beneficial ways far beyond exercise. For example, to treat intractable addiction, engaging in a community of like-minded peers increases the probability of success. To treat the equally intractable problem of getting a teenager to use their topical acne treatment, a similar approach might be used; we could tell patients, “This treatment is the one used by most other teenagers.” The inclination to conform can be powerful. 

Other changes may help improve patients’ outcomes, like the FDA’s new proposed regulations for over-the-counter sunscreens, which you can read about beginning on page 24. Or using Janus kinase inhibitors as a potential treatment for alopecia areata, a stubborn disease that resists many traditional treatments, starting on page 36. Or even the way we look at dermatologists’ role in diagnosing and treating infectious diseases (read more on that beginning on page 39). 

You might notice that this issue, which was put together right around the time of the American Academy of Dermatology’s Annual Meeting, also looks a little different. We made some changes, too, hopefully ones that, like Peloton, will help you better connect with your peers in dermatology. 

Dr Feldman is with the Center for Dermatology Research and the Departments of Dermatology, Pathology, and Public Health Sciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC.

References:

1. Griffin, E. Peloton’s new infusion made it a $4 billion company in six years. New York Times. August 3, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/03/technology/pelotonsnew-infusion-made-it-a-4-billion-company-in-6-years.html. Accessed March 12, 2019.
2. Peloton corporate website. Onepeloton.com. Accessed March 12, 2019.