Aesthetics

The skin of the cheek and anterior neck is made up of an interconnected three-layer unit.

National report ? Rejuvenating an aging face is not just about tightening the skin's surface, and the process must be viewed in a three-dimensional, rather than a two-dimensional, manner.

San Francisco ? Integrating resurfacing procedures into one's practice demands that physicians proceed conservatively in areas ranging from negotiating learning curves to marketing new procedures, according to Seth L. Matarasso, M.D.

National report ? As the American population becomes more diverse and includes a higher percentage of people of color, cosmetic physicians will have to adjust their approaches to various treatments, but perhaps, most obviously, those treatments using lasers.

National report ? Facelifts may give a person a renewed youthful appearance, but they can also have an unpleasant side effect ? the development of noticeable, large, blue veins. Temple veins, especially, tend to become more prominent after facelift procedures.

The key to effective, natural-looking hair transplantation is to study the natural patterns of the hair.

Scottsdale, Ariz. ? Successful treatment of pigmentation and fine, fine to moderate, and deep wrinkles as well as scars is possible with various resurfacing tools including TCA chemical peels, UltraPulse (Lumenis) CO 2 resurfacing laser, Fraxel laser and manual dermabrasion.

Squared off re-excisions allow the possibility for part of the margin to be left unexamined.

There are so many changes that affect coding and reimbursement, it's not difficult to understand that some of the changes are not well-received by dermatologists. This is especially true with many new services that include costly drugs and equipment and that require a significant amount of physician time to perform.In this issue, I'll share some questions sent in by frustrated readers, their solutions to the reimbursement dilemmas, and my "You can't do that" advice.

The hairline and eyebrow must be considered when dealing with the temporal region.

Cleveland ? "What if there were no topical corticosteroids? Or if a patient were unable to use them?"

National report ? Modern goals for wart therapy are based on both lesion clearance and recurrence prevention, and achieving those objectives, especially in tough cases, usually requires a combination approach incorporating an agent that will provide antiviral and immunomodulatory activity, says Stephen K. Tyring, M.D., Ph.D.

Atlanta -- "Community-acquired MRSA is just exploding among the urban patient population we serve," says Henry Michael Blumberg, M.D., an epidemiologist and director of the division of infectious disease at Emory University School of Medicine.

With increasing reports of dermatology patients waiting for three months or longer, some dermatologists feel that industry funding could at least make a dent in the shortage of skin specialists.

It is an easy procedure, is reassuring to the patient, and usually only a single treatment is required. However, if necessary, the procedure can be repeated after three to six weeks.

After more than a year of almost nonstop claptrap about there being "too many" new drugs comes a sobering fact ? even as pharmaceutical companies poured a record amount of money into drug development in 2005, statistics from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) show that the agency approved only 20 new drugs, down from 36 in 2004. Only once in the last 10 years has the number of newly approved drugs been lower than last year's figure.

Mississauga, Ontario -- Covalon Technologies has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for CovaClear Ag, a hydrated collagen dressing that contains antimicrobial silver.

Palm Beach, Fla. ? There has been a significant growth in the dispensing of cosmeceutical products, driven by consumer demand, which has taken the place of dispensing of prescription products as the mainstay of the dermatologist's dispensing practice, says a Florida dermatologist.

VOIP has improved and become more user-friendly, to the point where "ordinary" computer users rather than just the early adopters are installing and using VOIP software.

The new guidelines that regulate physicians who prescribe isotretinoin for their patients are demanding and time-consuming.

Pigmented lesions such as caf? au lait spots are also difficult to remove permanently. In fact, a significant percentage of children who are treated with lasers, whether it's YAG or 532 pulsed dye laser, actually get worse.

Although cutaneous melanoma is rare in children, congenital nevi are one of several known risk factors for melanoma.

Dr. Zachary tells Dermatology Times that dermatologists should ask questions of presenters when they hear data presented at medical meetings to determine the clinical benefit of therapeutic interventions.

To begin, ask the patient what they expect. How much downtime do they want: one day, two days, three days or none? Next, select the superficial peeling agent based on what the doctor and the patient are comfortable with.

Las Vegas ? A versatile pulsed light device provides effective skin tightening for today's discriminating patients, according to Stephen Bosniak, M.D.