Pediatric Dermatology

In this article, Drs. Lawrence Eichenfield and Jessica Sprague review some of the most significant findings and developments in pediatric dermatology from the last year beginning with the availability of biologic agents for pediatric psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

National Psoriasis Foundation has launched a new website specifically designed for the information needs of children and teens who have psoriatic arthritis.

Evidence does not support use of common treatments for molluscum contagiosum infections. Natural resolution may be best.

Vitamin D deficiency in children is associated with being overweight while sufficiency is associated with a healthy BMI, researchers reported in December.

In this slideshow, we summarize the phenotypes associated with childhood atopic dermatitis as addressed recently in JAMA Pediatrics.

You might be surprised about what researchers have uncovered about why teens tan. Having a better understanding of their motives, could help you help them.

Despite burgeoning interest in the field, the demand for pediatric dermatology services continues to remain high and outstrip existing supply.

A strain of Propionibacterium acnes may contain properties that protect the skin from harmful bacteria, results of a study indicate.

More states and municipalities are considering enacting laws that would restrict minors from using indoor tanning facilities.

Most tanning salons in Missouri would allow children as young as age 10 to tan if there were no legal restrictions against doing so, according to results of a survey conducted by researchers.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the topical acne drug Epiduo (adapalene 01. percent/benzoyl peroxide 2.5 percent, Galderma) in children ages 9 and older, according to a news release.

Although the vast majority of children who present with a challenging eczematous eruption have refractory atopic dermatitis or poor medication compliance, clinicians need to perform a good history and clinical examination to rule out other underlying causes or comorbidities.

I am inherently skeptical of rules. But I also appreciate their potential value. Many rules are good and intended to ensure societal order, support justice and minimize error. I'm especially a fan of well-designed rules intended to control the strong personal gain incentive. But complex rules incorporate details that the devil loves to manipulate.

When weighing use of systemic therapies for severe atopic dermatitis (AD) physicians must consider potential side effects, such as liver and kidney toxicity and myelosuppression, according to Wynnis L. Tom, M.D.

Although contact dermatitis is more widely recognized in children, patch testing - the gold standard for identification of the condition - is underutilized in this population, says Sharon E. Jacob, M.D., associate clinical professor of medicine and pediatrics, University of California, San Diego.

Atopic dermatitis presents differently in children with skin of color, and dermatologists should be aware and culturally sensitive when managing the disease in these patients, says Adelaide A. Hebert, M.D., professor of dermatology and pediatrics, University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

In treating children of color, promising breakthroughs include the discovery that nutritional deficiencies may have implications in vitiligo, said Nanette Silverberg, M.D., at the 2012 American Academy of Dermatology Summer Academy Meeting.

Springfield is the latest Illinois city to ban teens from indoor tanning. The city council approved a measure to keep teenagers ages 14 to 17 out of tanning salons, even with parental consent.

Topical corticosteroids are still the mainstay of therapy for pediatric atopic dermatitis (AD), but dermatologists have an array of other options at their disposal to use for steroid sparing or in challenging situations.

Promising breakthroughs in treating children of color include the discovery that nutritional deficiencies may have implications in vitiligo, said Nanette Silverberg, M.D., at the 2012 American Academy of Dermatology Summer Academy Meeting.

We medical professionals are confronted with our own assortment of believe-it-or-nots and oddities on a daily basis. Unfortunately, they are often more upsetting or frustrating than astounding. I started keeping a list a few years ago, initially as a coping mechanism. But gradually, the list evolved into a collection.

Most adults in the U.S. support laws allowing teenagers access to medical care for sexually transmitted infections without parental consent, but they want parents to decide whether their child should get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, a recent nationwide survey suggests.

Several countries and U.S. states, New York among the most recent, have implemented indoor tanning bans or restrictions for minors during the past decade, according to a new study.

A 40-year study of Minnesota children suggests that girls are three times more likely to have infantile hemangiomas than boys.

Exposure to antibacterial chemicals and preservatives may make children more susceptible to a variety of food and environmental allergies, a new study suggests.

Head lice may be growing resistant to the insecticide permethrin, French researchers say.

A new study suggests patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) who experienced a recent, severe stressful life event and who experienced childhood emotional abuse are more likely to have poorer immune responses to the disease.

Differentiating benign nail pigmentations such as melanonychia from either nail or nail matrix melanoma is especially difficult in children because pediatric lesions present differently than they do in adults, according to Antonella Tosti, M.D., professor of the department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Dermatology Times welcomes Albert C. Yan, M.D., as the newest member to its Editorial Advisory Council. Dr. Yan is the chief of pediatric dermatology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where he is also an associate professor of pediatrics and dermatology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

The combined use of propranolol and pulsed dye laser (PDL) resulted in more rapid and complete clearance of infantile hemangiomas than propranolol monotherapy, according to data presented at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.