Pediatric Dermatology

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.

According to Dr. Trowers, there is an increased efficacy of hydroquinone in higher concentrations in skin of color, especially when it is combined with chemical peels and/or tretinoin.

Treatment (e.g., with methotrexate) of systemic inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis reduced the incidence of vascular diseases, presumably through its anti-inflammatory effect.

National report ? Most babies and toddlers presenting with a rash on the buttocks, genitalia, lower stomach or upper thighs have contact dermatitis. But occasionally, there's a zebra lurking under the diapers.

Miami ? Hemangiomas and vascular malformations are relatively common in children and sometimes prove difficult to manage.

National report ? The future of dermatology is a bright one for those who are willing to embrace ongoing education, mastery of new procedures and a balance of medical and cosmetic services.

San Francisco ? Dermatologists are seeing more community-acquired strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to John H. Epstein, M.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.

San Francisco ? Through a series of communications programs introduced in the past, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has been successful in improving public perceptions of dermatology.

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.

National report ? While topical calcineurin inhibitors for treating atopic dermatitis (AD) continue to grab headlines, sources tell Dermatology Times that research into additional treatments for pediatric skin problems is progressing.

Dermatologists will inevitably increase compliance among ethnic patients when treating scalp conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis or atopic dermatitis if they inquire about the types of hair products the patient normally uses.

National report -- Dermatologists likely will exercise more caution in prescribing the topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs) Elidel cream (pimecrolimus, Novartis) and Protopic ointment (tacrolimus, Astellas Pharma) in response to the Food and Drug Administration's decision to add "black box" warnings to these drugs' labels, an expert tells Dermatology Times.

National report -- Economic realities will continue driving dermatologists to add cosmetic services and products to their practices, experts tell Dermatology Times. However, sources say this trend is creating concerns about the specialty's ethics, image and accessibility.

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.

Look at your current operations, the shortcomings of your current records system and your expectations for new hardware and software.

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.

It is a higher-viscosity hyaluronic acid manufactured by Q-Med, the same company that manufacturers Restylane for Medicis. Medicis purchased the marketing rights for Restylane in the United States and invested the time and money to get the filler approved. At some point, Medicis undoubtedly will obtain approval for Perlane and add this to its offerings.

New products in the pipeline will add more versatility to fillers, but until they arrive, Dr. Cohen suggests alternatives such as using a 32-gauge needle to fill in etched-in lines in the nasolabial folds and vertical lip lines.

The unit measurement is made by finding out how much of the toxin is lethal to 50 percent of mice in a study. But that amount may vary when new production processes are introduced.

Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia ? There have been many advances in laser technology for medical applications, but for the treatment of pediatric skin diseases, dermatologists are still turning to the "tried-and-true" pulsed dye, Q-switched pigment and CO2 lasers.

Dermatologists will inevitably increase compliance among ethnic patients when treating scalp conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis or atopic dermatitis if they inquire about the types of hair products the patient normally uses.