Aesthetics

San Francisco - Injected silicone may not be as safe as many physicians believe. Long-term complications are popping up, even in patients who were treated appropriately by trained physicians using good techniques and clean, unadulterated material.

San Francisco - Physicians require proper training in order to inject botulinum toxin appropriately. The treatment can be a safe and relatively straightforward way of treating fine lines, but in the wrong hands, results may be far from satisfactory.

San Francisco - The evaluation and management of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) on the lower extremities mandates particular attention to the potential for those malignancies to arise at sites of other comorbidities, their increased risk for recurrence and metastasis, and problems with wound healing, according to Pamela K. Phillips, M.D.

San Francisco - Topical ALA (5-aminolevulinic acid HCl) photodynamic therapy using a nonlaser blue light source is a safe and effective treatment for multiple actinic keratoses when applied to a 25 cm2 area of skin or scalp containing lesions, according to a Phase II multicenter study.

San Francisco - You cannot tell an antiperspirant by its label, according to David Swaile, Ph.D.

San Francisco - Based on clinical efficacy data, botulinum toxin A (Botox) should become the treatment of choice for suppressing axillary hyperhidrosis, according to Nicholas J. Lowe, M.D.

San Francisco - The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approval of an optional postgraduate year 5 (PGY 5) fellowship program in procedural dermatology will have positive consequences for dermatology as a specialty.

San Francisco - Tazarotene 0.1 percent cream (Avage) and tretinoin 0.05 percent emollient cream (Renova) are both effective adjunctive agents for mitigating signs of facial photodamage, but results of a six-month, double-blind, parallel comparative trial indicate tazarotene offers the potential for earlier and greater results, said Nicholas J. Lowe, M.D.

San Francisco -- Clothing can be an important component in sun protection strategies, but knowledge of systems for rating UV protective textiles and of factors influencing UV transmission through clothing is necessary to make rationale choices, said Henry W. Lim, M.D.

Disposable income is down and On Call wondered if the cosmetic portion of dermatology practices are seeing any ramifications from the weakness in the economy.

San Francisco - Chronic wounds provide an ideal milieu for the development of pathogenic biofilms that may play an important role in delayed wound healing, said Patricia Mertz, B.S.

Matching wavelengths to vessel size, depth a must

Different subsurfacing devices yield different results

Nd:YAG laser treats dark-skinned patients with less complications

Darker skin patients show impressive results

San Francisco - CO2 laser resurfacing may represent the procedure of choice for rejuvenating skin with advanced photodamage, but its safe and effective use requires adherence to treatment principles based on thorough understanding of laser-tissue interactions, while patient satisfaction can be further enhanced using strategies addressing problems intrinsic to CO2 rejuvenative procedures, Richard E. Fitzpatrick, M.D., said.

Anaheim - Extensive genomics research using state-of-the-art technology is revealing the molecular basis for the clinical benefits associated with treatment of aging skin using a new LED photomodulation device (GentleWaves), David H. McDaniel, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.

San Francisco - Preliminary investigations of laser-assisted lipoplasty using a low-energy (1mW), 635nm helium:neon diode laser (Laser PL) suggest the technique may have promise for improving postprocedural wound healing and skin redraping, but further study is needed to clarify whether or not the laser is a useful adjunctive tool for liposuction, Neil S. Sadick, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

San Francisco - Despite strong data to suggest otherwise, therapeutic footwear for patients with diabetes is often not part of routine care of these patients. The failure to provide for such care can have significant negative impact on a diabetic patient's ability to heal foot ulcers, as well on their quality of life, Gary Sibbald, B.Sc., M.D., F.R.C.P.C., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

San Francisco -The conversation has to go beyond sunscreens when dermatologists counsel patients on photoprotection strategies, Darrell S. Rigel, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

San Francisco - A realistic analysis of the risks and benefits of UV exposure and photoprotection suggests adults at high risk for skin cancer and children should be the primary focus of public health messages about shunning the sun. However, there remains a need for more innovative strategies and more user-acceptable sunscreens providing the necessary broad-spectrum coverage, Robert S. Stern, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Maui, Hawaii -- Joseph B. Bikowski, M.D., speaking at the annual Hawaii Dermatology Seminar, offered anecdotal information for 15 common facial issues, based on what has worked in his Pittsburgh-area dermatology practice.

Rancho Mirage, Calif. - The cosmetic surgery community needs to take a new look at what causes facial features to droop and need correction - and find new methods to correct iatrogenic defects that sometimes result from traditional facelifts, Mark Berman, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.

Los Angeles - Elucidation of the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism for the development of silicone granulomas suggests possible new approaches for the effective management of what has been considered an untreatable complication of silicone injection for soft tissue augmentation, David M. Duffy, M.D., said.

Maui, Hawaii - Canadian physicians in their fifth year of using a hyaluronic acid filler called Restylane can't help but smile -- and neither can their patients.