News

National report ? For two Mohs surgeons formerly based in New Orleans, the decision to relocate after Hurricane Katrina rested upon factors such as work opportunities and long-term safety.

San Francisco ? The willingness of dermatologists to take a more active role in positions of influence and decision will ultimately determine whether the specialty and its reputation are safeguarded for the future, according to Clay J. Cockerell, M.D., speaking at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) in March.

With increasing reports of dermatology patients waiting for three months or longer, some dermatologists feel that industry funding could at least make a dent in the shortage of skin specialists.

MedPAC also warned that continued increases in healthcare costs, the retirement of the baby boomers and Medicare's new prescription drug benefit will cause Medicare spending to skyrocket.

After more than a year of almost nonstop claptrap about there being "too many" new drugs comes a sobering fact ? even as pharmaceutical companies poured a record amount of money into drug development in 2005, statistics from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) show that the agency approved only 20 new drugs, down from 36 in 2004. Only once in the last 10 years has the number of newly approved drugs been lower than last year's figure.

New Orleans ? When Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city on Aug. 29, the category four storm devastated many local dermatologists' practices, perhaps none more so than that of Lisa Osberg-Wilson, M.D. Wracked by financial uncertainty in the storm's wake, the 45-year-old mother of three took her life on Friday, Nov. 4, according to the Times-Picayune.

National report ? While topical calcineurin inhibitors for treating atopic dermatitis (AD) continue to grab headlines, sources tell Dermatology Times that research into additional treatments for pediatric skin problems is progressing.

West Conshohocken, Pa. -- Dermisonics Inc., a developer of ultrasonic transdermal drug delivery technologies, announced that it has completed the first working model of its A-Wand antiseptic delivery system and is in talks with the Army Institute of Surgical Research under the Combat Casualty Care Research Program to develop a battlefield version.

Utrecht, Netherlands -- According to a recent Dutch study, one epidural injection of steroids and local anesthetics may not ease long-term pain for shingles patients.

Great Neck, N.Y. -- More than 90 percent of U.S. adults who have or have had a scar say they were unaware that using an over-the-counter product to help heal their scar might actually make it worse.

Rochester, N.Y. -- Results of a recently released Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll suggest that an increasing percentage of Americans are undergoing invasive cosmetic treatments that sometimes are not covered by medical insurance.

Boston; Dermatology practices are adding staff members and increasing their efficiency and productivity to deal with frustrating wait times, according to Alexa Boer Kimball, M.D., director of the Clinical Unit, Research Trials in Skin, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham Womens Hospital. Dr. Boer Kimball is also chair of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Workforce Task Force.

It looked at statin use and cancer incidence in general, and found the drugs failed to statistically improve cancer rates across the board.

Dermatologists will inevitably increase compliance among ethnic patients when treating scalp conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis or atopic dermatitis if they inquire about the types of hair products the patient normally uses.

The concept looks good from the outside: Offset the financial challenges of running a traditional dermatology practice by adding fee-for-service aesthetic procedures. However, dermatologists who have done it say that successfully launching or expanding a cosmetic practice requires more than whim. Dermatologists need to weigh the costs, realize the commitment they need to make to these patients and have the time to devote to an aesthetic practice.

National report ? Working with medical residents and students is a means of keeping pace with new technologies in dermatological practice for some clinicians.

National report -- Dermatologists likely will exercise more caution in prescribing the topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs) Elidel cream (pimecrolimus, Novartis) and Protopic ointment (tacrolimus, Astellas Pharma) in response to the Food and Drug Administration's decision to add "black box" warnings to these drugs' labels, an expert tells Dermatology Times.

Palm Beach, Fla. ? There has been a significant growth in the dispensing of cosmeceutical products, driven by consumer demand, which has taken the place of dispensing of prescription products as the mainstay of the dermatologist's dispensing practice, says a Florida dermatologist.

Stephen Stone, M.D., dermatologist, professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, Ill., and new president of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), says that an organization worth volunteering for is, probably, worth leading.

Stocks carry the most risk, but provide the best return over the long run; bonds are not as risky as stocks, but have a lower return; cash provides the most safety for your principal, but with earnings that may barely keep up with inflation.

Since our legal system provides very little downside for filing a frivolous lawsuit, we can expect this problem to get worse before it gets better.

He didn't need to make the most money ? he had to go back to caring for patients, and he had to share that message with others.

San Francisco ? While physician extenders represent one potential solution for underserved patient populations, they must only be used in supervised settings, according to an American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) official.

On a larger scale, he notes that few, if any, medical conferences could survive as currently structured without heavy subsidies from the pharmaceutical industry.

Some patients may simply prefer general anesthesia, but the tumescent technique of using large volumes of very dilute local anesthetics allows in-office procedures to be conducted safely and effectively.

It looked at statin use and cancer incidence in general, and found the drugs failed to statistically improve cancer rates across the board.

Sixty percent of families in which three or more members have melanoma also have a germline mutation in the p16 sequence, which, when functioning properly, inhibits CDK4 and activates RB1 (retinoblastoma). When the p16 function of human melanocytes is blocked, senescence is delayed.

To begin, ask the patient what they expect. How much downtime do they want: one day, two days, three days or none? Next, select the superficial peeling agent based on what the doctor and the patient are comfortable with.

It is a higher-viscosity hyaluronic acid manufactured by Q-Med, the same company that manufacturers Restylane for Medicis. Medicis purchased the marketing rights for Restylane in the United States and invested the time and money to get the filler approved. At some point, Medicis undoubtedly will obtain approval for Perlane and add this to its offerings.

New products in the pipeline will add more versatility to fillers, but until they arrive, Dr. Cohen suggests alternatives such as using a 32-gauge needle to fill in etched-in lines in the nasolabial folds and vertical lip lines.