News

San Antonio - A small study suggests that cold air anesthesia in combination with lidocaine outperforms lidocaine alone in patients receiving Restylane (hyaluronic acid, Q-Med) and Botox (botulinum toxin A, Allergan) injections.

National report - It has taken some time, but the use of combination therapies has become a trend that's spread throughout the dermatologic world.

San Diego — For cosmetic facial problems, Botox (botulinum toxin A, Allergan) is no longer a stand-alone, one-size-fits-all treatment. Increasingly, doctors are modifying doses based on individual patient needs and combining Botox with soft tissue fillers.

San Diego — Dermatologists have to take into account the gender of a patient if they are going to perform hair transplantation, says a Netherlands-based dermatologist.

National report — Early treatment with either a 585-nm or a 595-nm pulsed-dye laser (PDL) can safely and significantly improve the appearance of surgical scars in patients with skin phototypes I-IV, according to results of a controlled trial undertaken by researchers from the University of Miami's department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery.

Regardless of the etiology of the hair loss, Dr. Westfried says, electrotherapy delivered by the ETG device stops continued hair loss and, in more than 50 percent of people, fosters additional hair growth.

New Orleans — According to Saleem Taibjee, M.D., both the xenon chloride excimer laser and the pulsed dye laser (PDL) can deliver long-term remission for localized plaque psoriasis. On average, the excimer is more effective; however, for a subset of patients, PDL treatment works better.

National report — An intraoral infraorbital block with diphenhydramine 5.9 mg/cc is a safe and effective method for providing local anesthesia in patients undergoing correction of nasolabial folds and lip augmentation using the hyaluronic acid-based fillers. This method has advantages compared to the use of lidocaine, says Jennifer C. Cather, M.D.

Newport Beach, Calif. — Most dermatologists are unlikely to see patients with phacomatosis pigmentovascularis (PPV). Those who do, however, should know how to recognize and treat the condition with an eye toward preventing concomitant systemic symptoms.

For such reasons, atopic dermatitis remains the only FDA-approved indication for the macrolactams.

Boston — Determining which mediators are released in different inflammatory conditions may help dermatologists find the most effective way to treat itch, according to John Ansel, M.D. Researchers are making progress to understanding the pathophysiology of pruritus and applying it to patients, but both areas continue to require additional study, he adds.

San Francisco — Keeping up with new developments in medical dermatology requires vigilance and time, especially because study results are published in so many different journals. To help dermatologists stay abreast of research, John H. Epstein, M.D., presented at the Pacific Dermatologic Association meeting in Newport Beach, Calif. He synopsized various papers that have been published in the last two years in journals other than the Archives of Dermatology, the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology and the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Houston — Dermatologists need to urge patients with herpes infections to take a nucleoside analog drug daily to prevent the transmission of genital herpes, according to Stephen Tyring, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., professor of dermatology, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Houston.

Geneva, Switzerland — A case study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine highlights that a condition such as scurvy could occur in patients who are not thought to be at high risk for developing the condition.

Dr. Harper insists that oral hormones are a safe and effective treatment for women under the age of 35 who have no other risk factors.

One of the new things that researchers have uncovered is that the allergic response is actually a triple-phase reaction.

The tongue is often the site for choristomas, a condition where normal tissue is in an abnormal place.

Results from in vitro and preclinical in vivo studies suggest that topically applied coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has exciting potential as a safe and effective anti-tumor agent for treating and preventing recurrence of skin cancer as well as other types of malignancies, say researchers from the department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine.

National report — The suicide of Maryland-based phlebologist Scott N. LaBaer, M.D., this spring serves as a reminder that on average, doctors commit suicide more frequently than does the general population

Newtown, Pa. — CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals announces the "highly significant" positive outcomes of two phase 3, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trials designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Oracea for the treatment of rosacea.

Exton, Pa. — Isolagen, which specializes in the development and commercialization of autologous cellular therapies for tissue regeneration, has designed an automated cellular expansion system (ACE) to propagate and harvest cells more efficiently and cost-effectively than other cell harvesting systems currently available.

National report -- A recent survey of dermatologists and managed care decision-makers could serve as a wake-up call regarding the relationship between the specialty and managed care, say physicians contacted by Dermatology Times.

National report — An apparent decline in the total numbers of U.S. principal investigators (PIs) and clinical trials could impact drug availability and, ultimately, the pharmaceutical industry's ability to innovate, according to a recent study.

It's not unusual today for plastic surgeons and dermatologists to share a practice, nor is it uncommon for husbands and wives to practice together, but 30 years ago when Saida and Sherwood Baxt began their dermatology/plastic surgery practice they were a rare breed — virtually unique, in fact. Still, it was a move they found to be a wonderful experience for them and beneficial for their patients. It doesn't hurt when the team is a mutual admiration society, either.

Over the past few years, we have written many articles on potential strategies that a doctor can use to reduce income taxes, increase benefits or build retirement savings.

Cosmetic surgery practices know that starting on time is critical to managing a high volume of patients, but many practices are discovering the rewards of opening earlier in the day. A 6:30 a.m. starting time may seem ridiculous at first glance, but it can bring many benefits to patients, staff and your bottom line.

Sometimes it is handy to email the PDF of a Web page to someone, rather than directing them to a Web site

Palliative care is different from hospice care because it may be offered at any stage of an advanced illness. Hospice focuses on comfort care when a cure is no longer possible.

Vienna, Austria — Until recently, physicians had few nonsurgical options for treating nonmelanoma skin cancer. That could be changing, however, as researchers learn more about photodynamic therapy (PDT) and newer pharmaceuticals, as well as new uses for older drugs.

Boston University researchers are among those looking into the reciprocal relationship between aging and cancer, and how to tweak nature's response so that people can get the cancer prevention benefits without encouraging skin aging.