News

The new Bikowski Acne Severity Index (BASI) effectively combines common medical jargon for describing acne lesions, which helps physicians grade these lesions more accurately.

Clinicians need to determine the underlying etiology when managing wounds that are the result of tropical infections. They can do this by culturing bacteria or taking a biopsy.

Untreated skin tears can become complex wounds and demand the care of a dermatologist. Up to 1.5 million skin tears occur annually in adults in healthcare facilities in the United States. Natural changes in the aging process, including diminished elasticity and decreased tensile strength, make the skin more susceptible to a tear.

Important pediatric diagnoses for consulting dermatologists include Kawasaki disease, an expert says. It recently has been linked with a specific genetic polymorphism, which suggests that uncontrolled inflammation plays a role in its etiology.

Nickel, dubbed the "allergen of the year," has led to increased cases of contact dermatitis. Common sources of nickel include jewelry, zippers, snaps, clasps and other clothing fasteners, as well as cellular phones and many cosmetic creams.

Difficult melasma cases require maintenance treatments and ongoing sun avoidance, because to date, no treatments can guarantee long-term success, an expert says.

Recent developments in pediatric atopic dermatitis include the discovery of filaggrin gene mutations and their possible role, a new appreciation of the epidermis' role in the immune system and renewed emphasis on patient education, an expert says.

Patients with eyelid dermatitis frequently require patch testing with allergens not included in the standard TRUE Test, an expert says.

Schools, sports programs, and day care centers provide ideal "breeding grounds" for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. Any suspicious lesion should be cultured early. Comprehensive education is needed to minimize risk of transmission and to quell hysteria.

A patient with low-grade fibrosarcoma has not needed an amputation of the limb but rather local excision of tumors, according to her dermatologist.

Sclerotherapy can produce excellent but highly variable results and requires good training, experience and a thorough discussion of risks, benefits and patient expectations, an expert says.

Ethyl chloride spray can be used to lessen the discomfort associated with Botox injections. The spray is available in pharmacies or through medical suppliers. Because the spray is highly flammable, it should not be used near electrodesiccation. It can be stored at room temperature.

Acknowledging the relative flood of vitamin D research that's been published in recent years, the National Academies' Institute of Medicine (IOM) has entered discussions with U.S. and Canadian government agencies regarding a re-evaluation of national vitamin D guidelines.

A recent report linking low vitamin D levels with increased mortality risk has dermatologists - and even a report co-author - concerned that many Americans could misinterpret its findings as justification to significantly increase sun exposure.

Protocols for future face transplants are in place, but securing donors remains difficult, says the surgeon who operated on France's first male face transplant patient.

Although they've garnered little publicity, composite tissue allotransplantation (CTA) programs based at two Eastern U.S. hospitals are steadily progressing, with plans for face and other composite-tissue transplants, their leaders say.

As the recipient of the world's first partial face transplant nears her three-year postoperative mark, recent publications also pronounce two later transplant successes, and plans for further operations are moving ahead at several institutions around the world.

National standards for ranking physicians may be on the horizon, but many dermatologists doubt that they can be implemented fairly and accurately. Insurance companies have proposed ranking physicians in tiers that could be used to determine levels of reimbursement or the amount of co-pays for patients to see the physician of their choosing.

Dr. C has been in practice for many years with Dr. W. They have an enormously successful dermatology practice and have a standard partnership agreement, the sole purpose of which is to protect the interests of their practice. The agreement has various paragraphs that deal with salaries, benefits, coverage and restrictive covenants.

Although the 5.4 percent Medicare pay cut for 2009 that had been slated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been averted, the challenge to reform the system that determines physician payments will be dumped in the lap of the new 111th Congress that takes office in January.

A device that undergoes substantial modification yearly probably has unsolved problems that require correction.

The first research on the "scent" of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) holds potential for the development of a rapid, noninvasive diagnostic test for skin cancers and possibly other skin ailments, researchers say.

When Reloxin (Ipsen) eventually hits the U.S. market to challenge Botox (Allergan) as the new 800-pound gorilla of the facial aesthetics market, then it will be accurate to report the arrival of a new product with potentially huge market impact, dermatology sources say.

Pamplona, Spain - A new technique in cell therapy is effective in treating chronic, localized and stable forms of vitiligo, according to Basque Research.

Madison, Conn. - Vascular Insights has announced that it has named three experts on vein disease to its scientific advisory board, according to MarketWatch.com.

World report - Research shows patients with atopic eczema saw significant improvements after applying creams with the harmless bacteria Vitreoscilla filiformis, commonly found in thermal springs and spas, the Telegraph.co.uk reports.

Napa, Calif. - Senetek has announced the launch of Pyratine-6, a skincare product for the correction of visible signs of aging, according to PRWeb.

National report - The Dermatology Lexicon Project (DLP) promises to provide the specialty with the foundation it needs to enter an age of computerized medical information. The multi-year project, taken over by the American Academy of Dermatology a few years ago, is the first-of-its-kind comprehensive dermatology terminology lexicon, created to support dermatology research, medical informatics and clinical care.

Questions about cheek augmentation and Botox safety

It took 10 years of listening to surgically endowed patients complain about ill-fitting, uncomfortable bras before David B. Brothers, M.D., F.A.C.S., a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Atlanta, Georgia, took matters - and materials - into his own hands.