News

Experts estimate it takes six months to a year to convert a traditional dermatology practice with paper charts to one with an electronic medical record (EMR).

The hot topics of discussion at Maui Derm 2012 were January’s Food and Drug Administration approval of two innovative products in the cutaneous oncology arena: Picato (ingenol mebutate, LEO Pharma) 0.015 percent gel and 0.05 percent gel for the treatment of actinic keratoses (AKs) and Erivedge (vismodegib, Genentech) for the treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma. At MauiDerm I discussed the data on Picato and Keith Flaherty, M.D., an oncologist from Massachusetts General Hospital, discussed Erivedge.

Implementing a few simple ideas in clinical practice can have a significant impact in terms of saving time, saving money or improving patient outcomes. During a session at the 2011 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference, members of the faculty offered a few personal pearls, each so easy and straightforward they could be encapsulated in a one-minute description.

Dermatologists’ evolving understanding of inflammatory skin diseases in children is changing the way these diseases are managed, according to Lawrence F. Eichenfield, M.D.

A new study suggests that coffee and caffeine are not associated with psoriasis incidence after adjustment for smoking.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania may have found a key to treating androgenetic alopecia (AGA), better known as male pattern baldness.

Results of a new study suggest that Picato gel (ingenol mebutate, LEO Pharma) is efficient and effective in treating actinic keratosis (AK).

William Lascheid, M.D., was in his early 70s when he and his wife, Nancy, retired from four decades of dermatology practice. The couple lived in the lap of retirement luxury in Naples, Fla., and had dreamed about the days when they’d be free to sleep in and spend sunny afternoons by the pool.

Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center say that radiating one tumor can trigger the immune system to kill other tumors in patients being treated with the cancer drug Yervoy (ipilimumab, Bristol-Myers Squibb).

The Idaho House of Representatives' decision to postpone a vote on a bill to ban indoor tanning by minors has elicited strong responses from both the Idaho Dermatology Society and the American Academy of Dermatology Association.

Visit our Careers page for Dermatologists, which is updated regularly, to search for postings by date, location, and company name. You may also research salaries by using the PayScale tool link on the site.

The Next Phase : Has the embattled economy impacted your plans for retirement? Advancing on BBC : ‘Exciting’ Erivedge melts away tumors; FDA also OKs LEO’s Picato for AKs Special Report : Lasers in Clinical Practice

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Five congressional Democrats are urging the Food and Drug Administration to step up efforts to protect consumers - especially teenage girls - against the risks of indoor tanning

New research suggests that finasteride (Proscar, Propecia; Merck) increases hair growth in all four areas of the scalp affected by male pattern baldness and reduces hair loss in two or more areas.

Mylan has purchased a pair of generic dermatology products from Canadian drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, the Associated Press reports.

LEO Pharma Inc., the Parsippany-based U.S. subsidiary of Denmark’s LEO Pharma A/S, is offering a Patient Assistance Program to provide medication to eligible uninsured patients suffering from plaque psoriasis.

Researchers say a new skin cancer treatment that uses radiation to kill benign tumors with a single application of cream could be a viable alternative to surgery.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved prescription-strength lotion Sklice (Sanofi Pasteur) for the treatment of head lice in children ages 6 months and older.

Democrats on Capitol Hill have accused the indoor tanning industry of providing false and misleading information about the health risks of tanning bed use.

The Food and Drug Administration has created the first shortcut to the U.S. market for “biosimilar” medicines - cheaper versions of expensive and complex biologic drugs such as infliximab for rheumatoid arthritis, etanercept for plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and erythropoietin for anemia.

A new study has identified key signals that regulate protective and sometimes pathological skin inflammation, and also identifies a “gatekeeper” that, when lost, can cause inflammatory skin disease in the absence of injury or infection.

The Food and Drug Administration has cleared Cynosure’s Cellulaze Workstation, a cellulite treatment device, for commercial distribution, the company announced.

Extending Your Practice : Derms, PAs, NPs say cooperation, clear expectations make collaboration work Cell Death Surprise : Stopping necroptosis may prevent skin inflammation, study shows Special Report : Today's biologics

National report - Many mid-level providers get their dermatology training on the job, but continuing education and advanced training opportunities also are available.

Biologic drugs have proven to be of benefit for diseases where there is no indicated treatment, such as for immunobullous diseases. "Pemphigus vulgaris with rituximab (Rituxan, Genentech) has been a major advance, although this is not a formally approved indication for the drug," says Alan Menter, M.D., chief, dermatology, and chairman, residency program, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas.

The cutaneous symptoms of lymphoma and atopic dermatitis (AD) can mimic one another, particularly when AD is severe. An accurate evaluation and assessment of the presenting clinical symptoms is crucial in avoiding a potential misdiagnosis of either disease.

Politicians on Capitol Hill once again have dermatologists - and all physicians who serve Medicare patients - wondering what in the name of common sense they are going to do. Just before Christmas, Congress delayed a 27.4 percent Medicare fee cut from its original Jan. 1 implementation date. The cut is now scheduled, barring any further congressional action, to take effect Feb. 29.

Even though botulinum toxin type A is one of the most potent neurotoxins known, its injection into muscles for the reduction of hyperfunctional lines is one of the safest procedures being performed in cosmetic dermatology. And the favorable risk-to-benefit profile of the toxin is fueling its use in an expanding number of off-label applications, says Thomas E. Rohrer, M.D.

Biologic therapies can help patients with dermatologic conditions, providing anti-inflammatory benefits without significant effects on other organ systems, says Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology, pathology and public health sciences, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, N.C.