News

Leg ulcers are a common and difficult management problem for all dermatologists. Robert Kirsner, M.D., professor and vice chairman, dermatology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, director of the University of Miami Hospital Wound Center, elucidates the diagnosis and management of these challenging skin problems.

Loss of volume is a significant cause of the appearance of facial aging, Jill Hessler, M.D., Palo Alto, Calif., said during her presentation at Vegas Cosmetic Surgery 2014. The resulting pseudoptosis can often be fixed using fillers to replace lost fat pad volume and restore natural contours to bony areas.

“Can we improve acne with Ultherapy?” It’s a question Michael Gold, M.D., Nashville, Tenn., asked during his presentation, “Micro-focused Ultrasound and RF for Skin Tightening: New Clinical Concepts,” at Vegas Cosmetic Surgery 2014 recently.

Fat is a valuable tool in the plastic surgeon’s armamentarium. However, use it cautiously, says Val Lambros, M.D., Newport Beach, Calif. Take the time to build experience and get comfortable with fat behavior and the various complications that potentially come with this natural filler.

Is it ethical to name or trademark a surgical procedure? It depends, of course, but an expert explains that it's less about the trademark and more about placing value on the surgeon-patient bond.

Creating your own in-house training can benefit your staff and your practice in many ways, according to Jody Comstock, M.D., an aesthetic dermatologist in private practice in Tucson, Ariz. She walked attendees of the 2014 Vegas Cosmetic Surgery conference through the development of her staff bootcamp.

A relatable, helpful and professional front desk staff is one key to practice success, according to Laurie Mercier, a practice consultant with Allergan Practice Consulting who spoke at the 2014 Vegas Cosmetic Surgery meeting recently.

“I spend a lot of time trying to convince patients not to inject their lips,” said Heidi Waldorf, M.D., New York, during her presentation “KISSES - 6 Tips for Lips,” in the minimally invasive/noninvasive session at Vegas Cosmetic Surgery 2014 recently. “If they really want to do their lips, I tell them we must do the face, or they will look like a skinny, ugly duck,” she said.

When it comes to the aging nose, it’s been widely assumed that as we age, the tip of the nose begins to droop and may need a “lift.” Could it be an optical illusion?

The best way to create a youthful upper eyelid is by understanding it, Nancy Swartz, M.D., told the audience during her presentation, “Understanding and creating the youthful upper eyelid,” at Vegas Cosmetic Surgery 2014.

Improving the contour of the aging neck requires more than a skillful technique, said Fred Fedok, M.D., F.A.C.S., of the McCollough Plastic Surgery Clinic, Gulf Shores, Ala., and Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pa., during his presentation, “Unraveling the mystery of the aging upper neck,” at Vegas Cosmetic Surgery 2014. The neck, he argued, has an aesthetic all its own.

Before you can understand why many strategies and services are not appropriate for doctors, you must understand the dynamic of the “Average American,” for whom these products and services are designed.

Whether your practice is purely aesthetic or a mix of medical and aesthetic, you’re operating a business, and it serves you to understand key business principles to stay successful, say panelists at the VCS 2014 meeting.

Since the dawn of smoothened inhibitors, patients with locally advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC) now have a new and effective treatment alternative beyond the traditional and less optimal treatment approaches such as surgery and radiotherapy.

In separate studies, researchers in France and the United States have found that the more moles a woman has, the greater her risk of breast cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration has granted marketing clearance for Restylane Silk (Valeant), an injectable gel containing 0.3 percent lidocaine, for lip augmentation and perioral rhytids in patients age 21 and older.

Hair disorders are an important concern, especially for African-American women, according to Amy McMichael, M.D., dermatology professor and chairwoman, Wake Forest Baptist Health, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Perceived beauty goes beyond numeric values and divine proportions. In fact, beauty in the beholder’s eyes is a collage of geographic, ethnic and demographic influences, according to research published in the March issue of Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.

Psoriasis in nonwhite patient populations is not well described, according to Andrew F. Alexis, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Skin of Color Center, at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, Mount Sinai Health System, New York.

Allergan’s board of directors has unanimously rejected a May 30 bid of $54 billion from Valeant Pharmaceuticals International and Pershing Square Capital Management. Valeant and Pershing originally made an unsolicited $47 billion offer in April, which Allergan also rebuffed.

Regarding reactions to common plant sources of allergy and injury, prevention is generally key. Because media reports sometimes exaggerate or embellish the impact of insect and plant exposures, dermatologists should stand ready to provide accurate information.

Release of 2012 physician payment data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has perhaps done a disservice to the reputation of healthcare providers including dermatologists, say several dermatologists.

Are you an owner of a medical practice taxed as a flow-through entity such as an S-corporation? Most physicians are. As such, you may be paid both as an employee of the practice - receiving a W-2 - and as an owner of the practice, through a K-1 distribution. Poor tax advice can cost physicians $10,000 or more each year, every year of their career.

I have not found any product for eye puffiness in the cosmetic marketplace that work, but there are several categories of products available.

The Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug application for Jublia (efinaconazole 10 percent, Valeant), a topical treatment for onychomycosis of the toenails.

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have found that pretreatment tumor size is the primary reason some patients with advanced melanoma respond better than others to the experimental immunotherapy MK-3475 (Merck).

In part 2 of our series on brand identity, Melanie Palm, M.D., elicits the help of expert colleagues that have been successful in developing their own practice brand identities. Dr. Palm poses and responds to questions along with Dr. Tina Alster, Dr. Fredric Brandt, and Dr. Tom Rohrer.

For all our society’s emphasis on physical beauty, nothing is sexier than self-esteem. This was the theme of “Subliminally Exposed,” a performance given by Steven Dayan, M.D., and Valerie Monroe, beauty director of "O, The Oprah Magazine," at Cosmetic Surgery Forum.

For one dermatologist, the hands-on approach has helped not only in growing his practice, but also in making a video that’s been honored by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) for promoting the specialty of dermatology.

One of my mottos is: “The treatment should never be worse than the disease.” So, when I provide education about therapeutic options for ditzels, merely mentioning the Serenity Prayer usually gets me an understanding nod from the parent, and protects my patient from a painful procedure.