News

Topical retinoid treatment yields gradual results, but the modality can be effective for some wrinkles and depigmentation.

Flagellate pigmentation is an uncommon and curious cutaneous manifestation commonly associated with systemic bleomycin chemotherapy.

Recently, a 27-year-old woman consulted me about hair loss of several years' duration. She was in otherwise good health, and she proved this by showing me an impressive list of perfectly normal laboratory results indicating, among other things, that she did not have anemia or thyroid disease.

A recent study that ranks dermatology among the most satisfying medical specialties to practice finds agreement among dermatologists, who count the specialty's diversity, flexibility and visual nature among its charms.

Once again, dermatologists and other physicians face the prospects of huge reductions in their Medicare reimbursement rates because of the inability of Congress to resolve the problems imposed by the sustainable growth rate formula (SGR) and must count on, yet again, another temporary reprieve.

Derms will need to take a more comprehensive approach to age management that will demand more than knowing how to inject the latest filler or toxin or dial in a laser setting.

New devices are hitting the market with claims of skin-tightening capabilities.

With all of the talk about the government's EMR stimulus package, new CPT codes, and the impact of the turbulent economy, you wouldn't pick dress codes as a big concern for medical practices. But as the newest generation entering the work force starts filling positions at your dermatology practice, it won't be long before you, too, may need to establish - or update - your practice's dress code.

The first U.S. face transplant recipient continues to regain sensory and motor capabilities, with future revision procedures planned.

Scabies infection may be a trigger for bullous pemphigoid, and investigators plan to conduct a larger study to confirm their findings.

An Er:YAG laser equipped with tiny, straight and curved micron tips allows physicians to perform ablative treatments of very small and typically hard-to-reach cutaneous lesions more quickly and easily compared to traditional straight tips.

Dr. Cosmetic has a thriving cosmetic dermatology practice. He treats thousands of patients each year with a variety of lasers, fillers and botulinum toxins. One year ago, he treated a patient with botulinum toxin who, after paying her bill, died in his office from a heart attack. Although saddened by the death of his patient, he was somewhat comforted by the fact that his treatment had nothing to do with her untimely death.

Patients with treatment-resistant chronic idiopathic urticaria may respond more successfully to antihistamine therapy augmented with dapsone or colchicine.

Identifying precipitating events and treating patients with antidepressant Lexapro can help patients overcome delusions of parasitosis.

According to preliminary data, administration of curcumin diminishes the severity of radiation dermatitis, a common adverse event in cancer patients who are receiving radiation therapy.

Politics is a popular but touchy subject. We wondered whether dermatologists' patients are raising the issue of healthcare reform during visits, and, if so, how the derms are handling those questions.

As a physician, do you realize that, between income, capital gains, Medicare, self-employment and other taxes, you spend 40 percent to 50 percent of your working hours laboring for the IRS and your state?

At age 32, having just become a board-certified dermatologist, Wilma Fowler Bergfeld, M.D., was already feeling antsy about what she would tackle next. So, she set goals one lonely night at her desk, and decided that she would become the first female president of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

A proposed 10 percent tax on indoor tanning services is part of a revised Senate healthcare reform bill now headed to conference committee with a House bill.

A new study supports speculation that exposure to low level laser therapy may stimulate proliferation of melanoma cells.

At present, organic skincare products can be anything the manufacturer wants them to be.

Various hyaluronic acid-based fillers are being widely used in cosmetic dermatology, and potential competitors to established products such as Botox are being investigated in trials.

Rx for Medicine : SGR fix in balance as Senate debates healthcare reform On the Mend? : Fillers, toxins market ‘resilient,’ due for possible bounceback, analyst says Special Report : Wound healing

The entire financial world was turned upside down during the years 2008 and 2009. Investors, executives, employees and the general public are left wondering, "Whom can I trust?" and "How will all these changes affect me?"

Developments that link HPV to skin cancer could change the frontiers of medicine.

Investigators have found that a particular nicotinic acid receptor has increased expression in later stages of SCC, indicating that this receptor may represent a target for therapy in nonmelanoma skin cancer.

Physicians' efforts to collect from patients are exponentially better nowadays, but patient statements haven't changed in decades: a slip of paper is popped into an envelope and mailed every 30 days. In this volatile, changing economy, it's time to overhaul your dermatology practice's approach to patient statements.

In humans, rare animal-type melanoma variant seems to be more bark than bite.

Treatment of melomental fold rhytids with both Botox and an HA filler affords long-lasting results.

William Baugh, M.D., was a liberal arts student at Westmont College, Santa Barbara, Calif., when he first volunteered for an outreach trip to help less-fortunate people in Mexico. That decision ultimately was the springboard to a future in medicine.