John Jesitus

Social media allow for efficient networking with patients and colleagues, but using these tools successfully with patients requires setting limits and delegating authority.

A systematic approach helps to guide the workup and management of female pattern alopecia (FPA), according to Mary Gail Mercurio, M.D.

In the quest for new vaccines, developers must balance clinical promise with practical concerns, said Kenneth Tomecki, M.D., at the 70th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. "The future for vaccines is very encouraging," says Dr. Tomecki, vice chairman, department of dermatology, Cleveland Clinic.

The safety and versatility of photodynamic therapy (PDT) make it a worthwhile addition for dermatologists not yet providing this treatment, according to Amy Forman Taub, M.D., who spoke at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery.

Aside from hypercalcemia, risks of acute or chronic vitamin D doses above the level deemed safe by the Institute of Medicine are perhaps real, but they’re difficult to measure at present, says Christopher Burnett, M.D.

Although sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) may be useful for staging of intermediate-thickness melanomas, says Pamela Basuk, M.D., its utility elsewhere is questionable.

Newer drugs are available to combat potentially serious infections including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), says Kenneth J. Tomecki, M.D., vice-chairman, department of dermatology, Cleveland Clinic. Colonization, mainly of the anterior nares, remains a major risk factor for MRSA.

As drug costs and medicolegal scrutiny increase, the future of many drugs appears murky, said Stephen E. Wolverton, M.D., at the 70th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The product development pipeline will deliver game-changing injectable fat treatments in the very near future, according to one dermatologist.

"A new microwave-based device is achieving long-lasting results in treating hyperhidrosis, said Suzanne L. Kilmer, M.D., at this year's MauiDerm: Advances in Cosmetic and Medical Dermatology. Approved for primary axillary hyperhidrosis in January 2011, the miraDry System (Miramar Labs) essentially kills targeted sweat glands with microwave energy."

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) status represents the most important prognostic factor for disease-specific survival in primary cutaneous melanomas, said Christopher K. Bichakjian, M.D., at the 70th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. However, he says, its impact on overall survival remains unclear.

Treating dermatologic issues associated with pregnancy often requires individualized treatments combining various agents, an expert says.

Since there is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against prophylatic surgery for patients with congenital melanocytic nevi, physicians need to tailor management based on factors such as the size, thickness and locations of lesions for each patient, an expert says.

A recent study that ranks dermatology among the most satisfying medical specialties to practice finds agreement among dermatologists, who count the specialty's diversity, flexibility and visual nature among its charms.

The first U.S. face transplant recipient continues to regain sensory and motor capabilities, with future revision procedures planned.

Patients with treatment-resistant chronic idiopathic urticaria may respond more successfully to antihistamine therapy augmented with dapsone or colchicine.

Identifying precipitating events and treating patients with antidepressant Lexapro can help patients overcome delusions of parasitosis.

A proposed 10 percent tax on indoor tanning services is part of a revised Senate healthcare reform bill now headed to conference committee with a House bill.

With the House and Senate attempting to advance differing visions of healthcare reform, a long-term fix for Medicare's broken sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula hangs in the balance, dermatologists say.

Few controlled studies are available for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, so physicians must rely on experience.

Translational research is delivering exciting results in the battle against BCC as well as pachyonychia congenita.

Because desmoplastic melanoma lacks a definitive clinical presentation, dermatologists often misdiagnose the disease.

When addressing hair loss, a systematic approach can minimize frustrations for physicians and patients alike.

For dermatologists considering an EHR purchase, experts offer the following tips:

Because commercially available EHR systems have largely ignored the needs of dermatology practices, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has taken a lead role in the creation of dermatology-specific EHR certification criteria, sources say.

As the presence and diversity of ethnic skin of color (SOC) continue to grow worldwide, an expert says a more comprehensive skin-type classification system will help dermatologists predict these patients' response to dermatologic procedures.

With the Obama administration's 2014 goal for national electronic medical record (EMR) adoption looming, dermatologists who have taken the plunge say the systems carry hefty costs and require steep learning curves.

Treating ethnic patients requires special considerations and sensitivity.

Although hardly unexpected, the Food and Drug Administration's decision to add a warning about a possible link between tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists and cancer in children goes too far, say most dermatologists contacted by Dermatology Times.

National report - Experts disagree on the possible impact a new pediatric cancer warning for tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors may have on this drug category's growth.