News

The approval of the newest botulinum toxin product available in the United States underscores the value of the Food and Drug Administration drug approval process and the importance of using branded products, says Mich?l H. Gold, M.D.

Defined benefit pension plans as well as cash balance plans are generating a lot of interest with medical practices, both large and small.

Early initiation of treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD) offers the best possibility for altering the natural course of the disease, increasing the odds that children might outgrow the problem, according to Elaine Siegfried, M.D., professor of pediatrics in dermatology, Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, St. Louis.

Over the past few years, many physicians have re-examined not only their investment assumptions, but also their relationships with investment advisory professionals. Declines in market values, such as the 2007-2008 40 percent drop in the S&P 500, often cause investors to rethink their investment strategies

Lumenis has signed an agreement with Sound Surgical Technologies (SST) that will make Lumenis a distributor of SST’s VASER Shape MC1 System, a noninvasive body-shaping device for aesthetic practitioners.

Lucid Inc. is operating under a new company name - Caliber Imaging & Diagnostics Inc., or Caliber ID. The new name reflects the company’s commitment to innovating and delivering the highest-caliber identification tools for accurate, rapid diagnosis to assist in the fight against skin cancer and other diseases, according to company reports.

Ulthera is now registered in Brazil to market and distribute its UltheraSystem, which combines ultrasound imaging with focused ultrasound therapy in a treatment known as Ultherapy.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals has agreed to acquire Medicis Pharmaceutical for $44 per share in cash, in a deal worth approximately $2.6 billion.

Palomar Medical Technologies has announced the availability of the Palomar Vectus laser for laser hair removal.

Galderma’s Cetaphil brand is partnering with Camp Wonder, an initiative of the Children’s Skin Disease Foundation, by donating a portion of the proceeds of a special edition moisturizing cream to the camp, as well as granting $100,000 to fund camp activities.

Allergan has opened a new research and development center in Bridgewater, N.J.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals has expanded its commercial partnership agreement with Naqu Area Pioneer Pharma, a Shanghai company that markets high-end pharmaceutical products into China, for the commercialization of NeutroPhase Skin and Wound Cleanser in China and other select Asian markets.

Reflectance confocal microscopy is a valuable noninvasive tool for diagnosing basal cell carcinoma and melanoma, and may dramatically reduce unnecessary excisions of benign lesions, according to a recent study.

Melanoma transection does not affect a patient’s overall disease-free survival or mortality, and punch and saucerization biopsies may be more likely to transect tumors than excisional biopsies, according to a recent study.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved Nuvail (poly-ureaurethane 16 percent, Innocutis) nail solution for the treatment of nail dystrophy.

The size of a patient’s tattoo, and the patient’s smoking status, are significant factors in whether a tattoo can be effectively removed with lasers, according to a recent study.

A newly developed device using spatial frequency domain imaging and light-emitting diodes can measure biochemical compositional changes in port wine stains after laser therapy, according to results of a pilot study.

Springfield is the latest Illinois city to ban teens from indoor tanning. The city council approved a measure to keep teenagers ages 14 to 17 out of tanning salons, even with parental consent.

Experts from four dermatology organizations have collaborated to publish the first appropriate use criteria for 270 Mohs micrographic surgery scenarios.

The Food and Drug Administration has warned L’Oreal it must alter claims about the capabilities of some of its anti-aging products or face an order to halt sales.

Richard Winkelmann, M.D., a physician and pioneering dermatology and pathology researcher at the Mayo Clinic, died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Rochester recently. He was 88.

Noninvasive CO2 laser resurfacing treatments have shown effectiveness in skin tightening, according to a study published recently.

A protein found on the surface of healthy skin cells could be linked to melanoma when overproduced, according to a new study.

Recently developed biologic therapies developed for treating rheumatoid arthritis are not associated with an increased risk of cancer, according to investigators from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

With the 2012 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference coming up in Las Vegas, Dermatology Times plans on live tweeting from sessions and blogging daily.

Patients who undergo an interactive education program, including skin self-examination (SSE) tutorials and telecommunications reminders, are more likely to identify melanoma, according to a recently published study.

Aberrantly expressed micro ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) may slow healing of chronic venous ulcers, a new study suggests.

Bacteria carried by mites on the skin may be the cause of rosacea, according to results of a new study.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals has agreed to buy Medicis Pharmaceutical in a deal valued at about $2.6 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2013.

Tanning salon owners in the United States are going on the offensive against physicians and other healthcare professionals in an attempt to maintain an industry worth nearly $5 billion a year.