News

Washington - Rapid-paced, impersonal technological advances may increase our access to information, but technology alone cannot offer the knowledge or intellectual exchange of a one-on-one mentoring relationship.

Maui, Hawaii - E-mail lists can be invaluable for dermatologists who wish to research, collaborate, or network without leaving their offices. Like all such lists, however, you get from them what you put into them.

Q.I've been hearing and reading a lot about offshore trusts as a way of protecting assets. Do they really work?

Anew option is available to all physicians, whether they seek healthcare insurance coverage for themselves and their families or affordable options for the employees of their practice.

Washington -- If you think a career in academic research offers immunity from financial pressures and power struggles, think again.

New York - As injectable filler options grow, so do their power to offer patients a second round of youthful looks. The market is expanding with fillers that offer various compositions, indications, durations of effect, and stages of FDA approval. The growing choices are cause for celebration and consideration.

New York - Imagine fat as a substance bundled into intact parcels that are a size and shape allowing for them to travel through a small cannula - both when harvested and injected. This is the key to transferring the permanent subcutaneous filler, Sydney R. Coleman, M.D. said.

New York - A comprehensive, science-based health assessment designed to detect risk factors for age-related diseases is one tool for narrowing the gap between health expectancy and life expectancy, said Gary Bucher, M.D., medical director, Kronos Optimal Health Co., Phoenix.

Washington D.C. -- Scalp biopsies are a very useful aid in the evaluation of hair loss if they are done and interpreted correctly, said Leonard C. Sperling, M.D., at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

New York - Cosmetic surgery practices are fertile ground for age management services. Patients seek surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic services to make them feel better about themselves.

San Diego - Much of the aging process is about gravity trying to pull us out through the soles of our feet, and eventually it succeeds, said Michael Colgan, Ph.D. A physiologist and biochemist, Colgan called humans "the most domesticated animal" and said that our sedentary habits exacerbate the impact of gravity.

Deer Valley, Utah -- Patients seeking long-lasting cosmetic improvement without a facelift have a new treatment modality - non-ablative radiofrequency (RF) - in which improvement continues for up to six months after a single treatment.

Washington - Extensive skin cancer can be a life-ruining or even lethal event for organ transplant recipients. Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, Clark C. Otley, M.D., reviewed for his colleagues five lessons he learned, some times the hard way, to address this challenging problem.

Miami, Fla. - Pediatric dermatologists and pediatricians often see children with purpura, which presents cutaneously but can be a sign of systemic abnormalities.

Washington -- New therapies continue to emerge in pediatric dermatology, and recent studies demonstrate the effectiveness of such therapies. Ilona J. Frieden, M.D., highlighted studies in some areas of common concern in a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Washington - Timely diagnosis of juvenile dermatomyositis is critical, because early aggressive management with immunosuppressive agents - even for patients with amyopathic disease - is the best method for preventing calcinosis that is a source of significant morbidity for these children, said Amy S. Paller, M.D., at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Washington - Dermatologists should be aware that a number of the treatments they prescribe are associated with an increased risk of skin cancer, said Mark Lebwohl, M.D., at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Boston -- Skin lesions often provide significant clues for diagnosing infections seen among international travelers. A new review of dermatologic infectious diseases in international travelers describes some of the more common conditions, and looks at changes in treatment.

Washington D.C. -- Testing conducted at the Dermatology Center at the University of Manchester's (U.K.) Hope Hospital shows magnetic resonance (MR) scanning can help dermatologists get a better subcutaneous look at patients' port wine stains. However, it fell short of providing the predictability doctors desired with respect to estimating how patients would respond to pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatments.

Washington - According to a poster study presented at the annual American Academy of Dermatology meeting, oral tazarotene (Tazorac; Allergan Inc., Irvine, Calif.) gives patients with plaque psoriasis significant improvements that continue after treatment stops. The blinded, placebo-controlled multicenter study of approximately 700 patients shows that oral tazarotene delivers several advantages over existing alternatives for treating plaque psoriasis.

Wailea, Hawaii - The dermatologist should maintain a high index of suspicion and a willingness to biopsy when assessing unusual lesions of the nails, according to Richard K. Scher, M.D., who presented here in January at the 46th annual meeting of the Noah Worcester Dermatological Society.

Washington - Topical application of anti-tumor necrosis factor-? (TNF-?) monoclonal antibody (infliximab) produced dramatic improvement with wound closure in chronic, non-healing leg ulcers, said Markus Streit, M.D., department of dermatology, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland.

Washington - Biological treatments for psoriasis have largely unraveled the once-secret mechanisms behind this disease. "The biologics including Amevive [alefacept], Raptiva [efalizumab], Embrel [etanercept], and Remicade [infliximab] are scientifically revolutionary and exciting," said John Y. M. Koo, M.D., who spoke about these treatments at the American Academy of Dermatology meeting. Board-certified in dermatology and psychiatry, he is professor and vice chairman of the University of California at San Francisco's department of dermatology.

Washington D.C. - By remaining aware of female patients' non-dermatologic medical issues, dermatologists can offer a suitable acne medication that will address oral contraception, as well, according to Moneera Haque.

Washington - The recently concluded American Academy of Dermatology conference witnessed the first published report documenting the safety and efficacy of the Smoothbeam laser treatment for inflammatory facial acne. Building on previous research that showed the 1,450-nm diode laser to be effective for treating inflammatory acne on the back, a team of researchers led by Paul M. Friedman, M.D., showed the same type of laser to be safe and effective for treating facial acne vulgaris.

Washington - The optimum doses of biologic treatments for psoriasis may be higher than previously believed, according to Mark Lebwohl, M.D., professor and chairman, department of dermatology, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.

Dr. Smarts wants to start performing clinical research studies in his office. He assumes that such research will bring him the press notoriety that will boost his lagging dermatology practice. Dr. Smarts begins to evaluate a new substance for the treatment of psoriasis not approved by the FDA. He verbally tells his patients they are research "guinea pigs"; he lets them know he is able to obtain the as-of-now unobtainable material from a local compounding pharmacy.

About 15 years ago, while riding on a shuttle bus at the annual American Academy of Dermatology meeting, I overheard two elderly dermatologists discussing the state of dermatology, as they perceived it. One gentleman commented that he had not seen a single advance to rival the advent of tetracycline for acne, and that most of the new treatments did not work very well. At the time, I remember thinking that these practitioners were out of touch with all of the hot new therapies for skin disorders. Since that time, as I have been bombarded by myriad new and supposedly revolutionary "advances," I, too, am beginning to question whether we should equate the concept of "newness"

Maui, Hawaii - Most research on the power of intercessory prayer indicates that it has no affect on healing. But there have been some studies suggesting otherwise; many of these were later vivisected on methodological grounds.

None of us likes to do it, but every practitioner must eventually face up to the unpleasant task of terminating an employee. "Firing people is one of the toughest, most unpleasant things you do as an employer," says James Walsh in his book, "Rightful Termination."