News

The PicoSure laser (Cynosure) is proving to be a major breakthrough in tattoo removal by helping to clear notoriously stubborn colors quicker and more effectively then other laser technologies, according to an expert.

Making each patient visit unforgettably positive requires looking honestly at oneself and one’s practice, says an expert who spoke at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Recent advances in radiation therapy for the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) have resulted in a resurgence of targeted photon therapy, a treatment modality particularly useful in an outpatient setting. In carefully selected patients and cases, radiation therapy can often be the treatment of choice for NMSCs, says a clinician who spoke at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

New topical agents such as ingenol mebutate (Picato, Leo Pharma), reformulations of standing local treatments as well as combination therapies are not only proving to be very useful in the clearance of actinic keratosis (AK), but they also help address the common issues regarding field therapy.

Getting payments from Medicare and other insurers promptly and accurately - and, for many Medicare physicians, continuing to receive payments - requires a strong detail orientation, says an expert who spoke at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Managing group dynamics requires recognizing and addressing a group’s developmental stage and the roles its members are playing - without judgment, an expert says.

Dermatologists still can thrive in small private practices - even in this healthcare environment, where bigger is arguably better.

Allopurinol initiators have a nearly 10-fold increase risk of severe cutaneous reactions, according to results of a recent study.

Diagnostic errors account for the greatest proportion of total payments on malpractice claims in the past 25 years, a recent study indicates.

A medication used to treat seizures, ezogabine (Potiga, Valeant), can cause blue skin discoloration, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns, and it is unknown whether the pigmentation changes are reversible.

Patients who have had nonmelanoma skin cancer are at a greater risk of contracting a secondary cancer at another site, researchers have found.

Laser lipolysis is effective for stimulating collagen production and skin tightening with less recovery time than surgery, according to findings presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s annual meeting.

An index that combines serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels with morphology, attenuation, size and structure (MASS) criteria response helps to predict survival in patients with metastatic melanoma who take bevacizumab.

Microscopic hairs on the leaves of kidney beans may serve as a model for a future remedy for bedbugs, according to findings from a recent study.

Cutaneous warts in schoolchildren are spread most commonly at home and at school, and preventive measures should be focused on limiting human papillomavirus transmission in families, according to a recent study.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug application for Taro Pharmaceutical Industry’s Topicort (desoximetasone 0.25 percent) topical spray for the treatment of plaque psoriasis.

Promius Pharma has launched Zenatane (isotretinoin) capsules for the treatment of acne vulgaris.

Clinicians may one day be able to treat scleroderma more effectively, as researchers have uncovered how gene expression signatures can identify patients who respond well to particular therapies.

While still rare, the incidence of melanoma in children is trending upward, according to researchers who presented their findings at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research.

A dermatology researcher from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, has been awarded $1.9 million to conduct studies related to psoriasis.

A quarter of patients who survive melanoma don’t use sunscreen when spending extended time outdoors, according to findings reported at the American Association of Cancer Research meeting.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed into law a bill that prohibits minors under age 17 from using indoor tanning facilities, and bars minors under age 14 from using spray tanning procedures.

After Valeant Pharmaceuticals made a push to buy Obagi Medical Products for about $344 million in late March, Merz Pharma Group stepped up with an offer of about $384 million, but has since dropped its bid for the aesthetic skincare manufacturer, according to reports.

Quality ratings for physicians are becomingly increasingly important as measures of performance and determinants of reimbursement. One measure gaining traction for physician rating is the Press Ganey score.

If three groups of researchers were to discover a melanoma gene, could it be patented? If so, who could stake claim to the patent? There is precedent for this scenario with the development of testing for the BRCA breast and ovarian genes.

A combination therapy of same-session fractional ablative laser treatment and topical triamcinolone acetonide suspension improves hypertrophic scars, according to results of a recent study.

Early-onset baldness in African-American men may be linked to a higher risk of prostate cancer, results of a recent study indicate.

A repair procedure involving a full-thickness skin graft and a separately harvested auricular cartilage graft allow for correction of deep nasal alar defects after Mohs micrographic surgery, results of a study indicate.

The rate of adverse events in patients using adalimumab remains low over time, with infections indicated as the most common adverse event, according to a study.