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New dermatology criteria from the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) can simplify electronic health record (EHR) purchasing decisions, sources say. But, so far, these criteria are driving few dermatologists to implement EHRs who weren't already planning to do so, these experts add.

Many changes have occurred in dermatology over the past year in terms of educational funding. New rules have placed restrictions on how industry can financially support programs. In addition to new rules, reduced discretionary industry monies are available.

Dermatologists today have more options for treating hair loss during menopause than ever before. But according to one expert in the field of female hair loss, unless the right diagnosis is made, the treatments might be less than effective.

Results from ex vivo and in vivo studies combined with clinical outcomes indicate that new compression tip technology (XD Optic, Palomar Medical) is fulfilling its design objectives of safely enabling nonablative fractional treatment to increased tissue depth, according to research presented by Christine Dierickx, M.D., at the 31st annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.

Learning curves aside, current users of electronic health record (EHR) systems appear satisfied with them.

Regardless of etiology, lower-extremity ulcers can be very challenging to treat, and patients may sometimes require more than the body's own natural healing abilities to close them. Dermagraft (Advanced BioHealing) is a bioengineered skin substitute that helps achieve rapid closure of lower-extremity ulcers and, according to one expert, surpasses similar products on the market.

Roger I. Ceilley, M.D., has had many milestones in his 33 years in dermatology. As a clinician, teacher and advocate, he has impacted not only the lives of his patients, but also the public, students, fellow dermatologists and the dermatology profession as a whole.

A case of amelanotic melanoma that upon evaluation with dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) appeared to be basal cell carcinoma (BCC) turned out to be invasive melanoma, says a dermatologist who worked on the case.

With the introduction of the diode pumped fiber lasers in the last decade, new laser wavelengths are now hitting the market. Introduced last year, the newest of the fiber lasers is the diode-pumped thulium laser, which emits a wavelength of 1,927 nm (Fraxel re:store, Solta Medical).

The pulsed dye laser (PDL) can treat capillary malformations in children and, in exceptional circumstances, infantile hemangiomas, according to a professor of dermatology and pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Dr. Derm spends 10 percent of his annual gross earnings on marketing, much of which is Internet-based. He often finds himself telling his peers how wonderful Internet marketing is, until one day he finds out that a disgruntled patient has damaged his reputation on the Web. Dr. Derm is concerned that this malicious act may ruin his career. What can he do?

When faced with a potentially serious nail abnormality, some providers who take a wait-and-see approach may delay diagnosis and treatment because they aren't comfortable performing nail surgery, according to Nathaniel J. Jellinek, M.D., clinical assistant professor, department of dermatology, Brown Medical School, Providence, R.I., and adjunct clinical assistant professor, division of dermatology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Mass.

On Call wondered whether dermatologists are seeing many complications from tattoos, or whether tattoo parlors are taking safety precautions to protect their clients. On Call also asked dermatologists whether they encounter "tattoo regret," and how they advise patients who want to have tattoos removed.

Allergan's recently announced $600 million settlement to resolve federal charges that it marketed Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) for unapproved uses could hinder innovation and hamper patient care, some dermatologists worry. But in the long term, sources agree that the settlement will have little impact on the fortunes of the drug or its maker.

Although not as common as basal cell carcinoma (BCC), cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) can metastasize and exhibit more aggressive growth patterns than BCC. As a result, many experts have called for an improved staging system for cSCC to determine prognosis of tumors.

The U.S. injectable market has added lidocaine-containing versions of popular hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers, and additional fillers are expected, an expert says. Juv?derm XC (HA, lidocaine; Allergan) was available in Europe for about a year before earning Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance in February 2010. Restylane-L and Perlane-L (HA, lidocaine; Medicis) also won FDA approval in February 2010.

Growth factors that are developed via human fibroblast stem cells hold the promise of skin rejuvenation without presenting risks of toxicity or infection, according to an assistant professor of clinical medicine and dermatology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle.

Changes in tax laws can catch successful people off guard. With most physicians so busy worrying about potential reimbursement reductions, they don't have the time to address the important challenge of establishing a tax-wise estate plan for their families.

There is a battle brewing in Washington by men and women who wear white coats to work. It's a battle over the manner in which non-physicians, such as nurses and nurse practitioners, can market or promote their level of service and expertise, and it has resulted in legislation being introduced in the U. S. House of Representatives.

Nano-engineering represents a promising approach for vaccine delivery, an expert says. Immunonano-engineering capitalizes on the properties of matter on the nanoscale to design products that deliver drugs or prevent bacteria growth, or to generate new classes of drugs, says Adnan Nasir, M.D., clinical assistant professor of dermatology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Pediatric onychomycosis is relatively uncommon, with an overall prevalence among all patients with onychomycosis of about 2.5 percent. The condition occurs more often in adolescents than in young children, says Amy Paller, M.D., Walter J. Hamlin Professor, chairwoman of dermatology, professor of pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago.

The adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) among dermatologists is hitting a stumbling block - namely, the onerousness of final "meaningful use" rules recently released by the federal government. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) recently released guidelines for earning government incentives for implementing the paperless systems.

Money and our ability to manage it determines how well we live, how well we are able to care for our families, how well we sleep at night, and, yes, how well we will enjoy our golden years. So why, after dealing with the stuff every day of our lives since early childhood, are so many of us klutzes in the way we handle it?

Recent published findings of a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) for alopecia areata (AA) have pinpointed at least eight genes linked to the disease.

A longitudinal pigmented band in the nail, also call longitudinal melanonychia (LM), is often a diagnostic dilemma for dermatologists. The potential causes of LM are many, but its potential signal for melanoma warrants efforts to seek a precise diagnosis.

A single, one hour-long application of a high-dose capsaicin patch recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) not only proves to significantly reduce pain in patients suffering from postherpetic neuralgia, but also maintains its analgesic effect for up to three months.

The pain patients perceive during and after dermatologic or cosmetic procedures can sometimes be difficult to manage. Hypnosis is one technique that can significantly calm patients before and during surgery, as well as substantially reduce - and possibly even eliminate - perioperative pain.

If you depend on some of your investment portfolio to produce income, you’re suffering from a bad case of sticker shock. Let’s see what an investor with the tidy sum of $100,000 to invest might get for his money at today’s anemic interest rates.

Vignettes contributed by more than 160 Women’s Dermatologic Society (WDS) members for the society’s new coffee table book, Petals & Pearls, reveal words of wisdom, acts of courage, fun facts and much more.

Results of a recent Dutch study suggest that cryotherapy outperforms topical salicylic acid in treating common warts, MedPageToday reports.