News

At a meeting in Hong Kong, I needed to transfer a Powerpoint presentation from my laptop to a different laptop being used for projection of the talks. I felt a moment of panic but was saved when one of the organizers pulled out a credit card sized device and plugged it into the PCMCIA slot on the side of my laptop.

Chicago - Complete avoidance of laser treatment for patients on photosensitizing drugs may err on the side of caution but may not be routinely necessary with certain lasers, according to results of a study presented by Min-Wei Christine Lee, M.D., at the annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

Chicago - The beard region may serve as a useful harvesting site for hair transplantation in men who already have a severely depleted scalp donor supply, Gary S. Hitzig, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

Q. Is vitamin E allergenic? This is an important question, since there is some confusion regarding this issue. Vitamin E can be an unstable substance prone to oxidation in the presence of light and air. It is a potent antioxidant and in the process becomes oxidized itself.

Chicago - Digital audio/video provides a superior format for teaching dermatologic surgery, Michael R. Migden, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery & Cutaneous Oncology.

Cambridge, Mass. - An experimental therapy that makes use of fibroblast growth factor type 1 (FGF-1) encoded in naked plasmid DNA (NV1FGF) could save the limbs of patients afflicted with chronic wounds due to critical leg ischemia associated with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), according to Vincent Li, M.D., M.B.A.

Jason Myers, D.O., and Lorah Wright, D.O., left a large, hospital-affiliated practice in Traverse City, Mich., to form their own family practice. Recognizing a growing market for cosmetic procedures, the enterprising doctors added a laser skin clinic with the hope of fattening the bottom line. J.P. Huntington and his wife,

Denver - Tumescent liposuction pioneer Jeffrey A. Klein, M.D., strongly advised against being overly aggressive with the procedure.

Chicago - Results of lipoaugmentation using frozen fat are as good as if not better than those achieved with fresh tissue, at least for treatment of aging hands, Kimberly J. Butterwick, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

Chicago - A novel topical peel containing lidocaine and tetracaine (S-Caine Peel) provides convenient, safe, and effective anesthesia for patients undergoing a variety of laser and other dermatologic surgery procedures, researchers from the Skin Laser & Surgery Specialists of New York and New Jersey reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

Should I continue to allow my male patients with seborrheic dermatitis to use bar soap for hair cleansing?

Toronto - Refinement of immature scars with dermasanding is a safe, simple and low-cost technique for improving final cosmetic outcome, according to the results of an investigator-blinded, controlled study undertaken by Elena Poulos, M.D., and colleagues from the division of dermatology, Sunnybrook and Women's College Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada.

Leeds, U.K. -- Pain associated with lower extremity ulcers appears to be an under-recognized and under-treated problem, according to studies conducted by Michelle Briggs, MSc, RGN.

Paris - The nail bed is capable of regeneration and that observation introduces new concepts for nail-bed surgery, Ken Ogo, M.D., said at the World Congress of Dermatology.

Chicago -- Off-label experience using injectable silicone (Silikon 1000) in an investigational protocol indicates it is a highly effective and, thus far, very safe modality for treating facial lipoatrophy in HIV-infected patients, Derek H. Jones, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

Chicago - Photomodulation of cellular activity induced by low-intensity illumination from light-emitting diodes (LED) appears to have promise for treating photoaging as well as a variety of other dermatologic problems, Robert A. Weiss, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

Chicago - Nonablative treatment with an intense pulsed light (IPL) source results in clinical and histological improvements in vascular, pigmentary and dermal elastotic alterations associated with photoaging, Neil S. Sadick, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

New York - Even as biologic therapies become available, there will still be a place for acitretin, methotrexate and cyclosporin-based treatment protocols, according to Mark Lebwohl, M.D.

New York - For severe forms of psoriasis, dermatologists should choose treatments based on efficacy and rapidity of response more so than potential for chronic toxicities, according to Kenneth B. Gordon, M.D.

New Orleans - Treating some types of psoriasis - severe, scalp, arthritic, "out of town," and others - can challenge the therapeutic acumen of dermatologists.

Paris - Certain clinical and laboratory features appear to be useful markers for determining the prognosis of leukocytoclastic vasculitis, and so their identification can be helpful for guiding patient evaluation and management, Jordi Peyri, M.D., said at the World Congress of Dermatology.

New York - Evaluation and management of hair loss in African American women must take into account that this condition has a wide range of potential causes and can result in a significant psychosocial burden, said Amy J. McMichael, M.D., at the annual meeting of the Skin of Color Center, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York.

Paris - Treatment for dermatomyositis (DM) begins with sun avoidance and sun-protective measures, Jeffrey P. Callen, M.D., said at the World Congress of Dermatology. "The first line of therapy is to recognize that the patient is photosensitive."

Paris - There are many alternatives to consider for treating chronic urticaria if antihistamines fail.

Not only did dermatologists not get relief from the Medicare payment cuts imposed in 2002 because of a fee schedule glitch, now more cuts are on the way unless the

Rochester, Minn. - The misdiagnosis of skin ulcers as pyoderma gangrenosum is not uncommon and can have serious consequences for patients, according to a recent report in The New England Journal of Medicine (2002;347:1412-1418).

Washington - Tighter restrictions on Accutane could have a reverse effect - increased black market activity - the FDA told a congressional investigative subcommittee on Dec. 11.

President George W. Bush's announcement of a tiered national vaccination program for smallpox drew a quick response from the American Academy of Dermatology and prompted a fundamental debate: Should dermatologists receive the vaccine?

Toronto - A group of Canadian physicians who use Artecoll, an injectable currently awaiting FDA approval, is calling for the development of formal clinical guidelines and further research to help avoid adverse patient reactions.

San Diego - Ominous episodes of furunculosis due to an unusual strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) appeared suddenly among a classroom of third-grade students in a Swiss village. Some boils were so severe and painful the children had to be hospitalized for surgical drainage and IV antibiotics, a Swiss/French research team reported at the recent Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.