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Radiofrequency has become the newest member of the aesthetic device market. Since its introduction in 2000, numerous devices have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for indications from wrinkles to fat removal. The data on radiofrequency (RF) and its physiologic actions on the cutaneous system are just now allowing us to better examine what we can clinically accomplish using these devices.

From IT costs to insurance contracts, economic pressures are pushing solo practitioners and small private practices to join larger groups, sources say. But despite many physicians' belief that small dermatology practices are a threatened species, some predict that viable niches for well-run small practices will persist into the foreseeable future. Still, the numbers show a downward trend.

Dermatologists need more research into contraindications and complications of Aesthetic procedures, particularly those used to treat medical conditions, according to an expert. However, she adds, such studies will be difficult to produce.

Dr. Surgery recently expanded his surgical horizons and began performing abdominoplasties. His third patient became septic, and she now has permanent lung and kidney damage secondary to the sepsis. The patient has sued Dr. Surgery, contending that he fraudulently misrepresented himself as a plastic surgeon. Does his patient have a claim based on fraud?

High-concentration glycerin is being added to many moisturizers to function as a humectant, aiding in attracting water to the xerotic skin surface. While glycerin is a highly effective moisturizing ingredient in low-humidity climates, it can leave skin with a sticky feel in humid environments. This is because glycerin can also attract water from the air.

With huge Medicare reimbursement cuts for physicians now off the table for this year, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has proposed a 1 percent increase for 2012 as a way of encouraging physicians to continue to treat Medicare patients. But, obsessed with slashing the federal deficit, the current Congress is looking for every conceivable way to cut spending - not increase it.

The movement toward quality EMRs for dermatologists is great. It will help providers have better notes and legible accounts of the patient-physician encounter, and it will also help with ICD-9 and CPT coding. In the end, however, providers still have to know what they did in the exam room, realize whether it is a chargeable event, and if it is, choose from an array of codes.

The anticipation is over: Registration for the government's incentive program for electronic health records (EHR) opened Jan. 3. Revealed in February 2009 as part of the then-new stimulus package, the legislation promoting EHRs was aptly named the HITECH Act - the acronym for Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health.

Research into cicatricial alopecia (CA) continues to elucidate the pivotal role of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma, according to an expert.

I am mystified by the continuing debate surrounding the nebulous topic of healthcare reform and wish that the discussions were more understandable to me, so that I could make sense as to exactly what was being "reformed."

The federal government has not fully defined what the Medicare shared savings program mandated by healthcare reform legislation will look like, but sources say its advent likely will put dermatologists at a disadvantage.

Not all cosmeceuticals are created equal. Before making a recommendation to patients, peruse this list of products that dermatologists say deliver what they promise.

Although the science behind many cosmeceutical products is growing, dermatologists should use caution in recommending many of these products and ingredients, according to experts who spoke at Cosmetic Surgery Forum 2010 in Las Vegas in December.

Nanoparticles can enter and penetrate the skin theoretically and could represent a new delivery system for cosmeceuticals. The nanoparticle products are still in the developmental stage, however, due to unknown risks and other obstacles, according to Zoe Diana Draelos, M.D., consulting professor, department of dermatology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C.

An analysis of multiple related studies suggests that warming local anesthetics to body temperature before injection can help ease the pain associated with infiltration of the drug, MedPage Today reports.

A recently published study suggests that mean serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or 25(OH)D, are somewhat higher in older adults after a year of taking vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) compared with taking vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), Reuters Health reports.

Miramar Labs has issued a statement saying it has received Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance for the miraDry System, a treatment for primary axillary hyperhidrosis.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved Epicyn HydroGel (Oculus Innovative Sciences) for treatment of various dermatoses and burns, MedPage Today reports.

Galderma, the L’Oréal/Nestlé joint venture based here, has received the necessary regulatory approvals in its bid for Swedish medical device firm Q-Med, the New York Times reports.

An unexpected immune protein exacerbates cancer due to sun exposure, and a drug designed to block the protein might halt tumor growth, a recently published study suggests.

Biovail Laboratories, a subsidiary of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, based here, has secured the Canadian distribution rights to Aczone, an acne treatment medication owned by Allergan, according news reports.

Researchers here claim the sap from a commonly found weed could help cure certain types of skin cancer, the U.K.’s online Daily Mail reports.

New research suggests that Step 1 scores on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) correlate significantly, though moderately, with dermatology resident in-training exam (ITE) scores, HealthDay News reports.

Dermatologists will now be able to convert the iPhone into a dermatoscope for checking potential skin cancer lesions, according to an online report from Mobile Magazine.

Although the United States ranks No. 1 in the world in healthcare spending, it ranks 28th in life expectancy, according to new statistics from the National Academy of Sciences.

As far as physicians are concerned, the jury is still out on whether health information technology (IT) will improve healthcare, iHealthBeat.org reports.

PDR Network, based here, has teamed with The Doctors Company to launch a national campaign to improve physicians’ awareness of changes in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug label guidelines.

A device invented by a Canadian dermatologist may be able to detect early-stage melanoma using light, according to Canada’s TheGlobeandMail.com.

The first U.S. face transplant cost about $350,000 - a fee comparable to or less than the cost of traditional reconstructive surgeries for severe facial wounds, CNNhealth.com reports.

Exiting Academia : Recruiting, retaining derm instructors a struggle Treating MRSA : IDSA releases first U.S. clinical practice guidelines Special Report : Anti-aging therapies