News

Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, based here, has agreed to purchase new eczema treatment Toctino (alitretinoin) for a reported $300 million.

Nearly 75 percent of adults in the U.S. ages 18 to 29 agree with the statement, “Sun exposure is good for your health,” according to results of a survey conducted by the American Academy of Dermatology.

Head lice may be growing resistant to the insecticide permethrin, French researchers say.

Psoriasis may be a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a new study suggests.

Scientists at Singapore Immunology Network say they have determined the origin of a group of immune cells in the skin that act as the first line of defense against harmful germs and skin infections.

A new study has found vismodegib to be effective in shrinking and preventing the formation of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in patients with basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS).

Researchers in India report they have developed a radiation spot treatment for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) that destroys facial tumors without surgery or major radiation therapy in 80 percent of patients in a small study.

Results of a new study suggest the diameter of most slow-growing melanomas changes very little over time, but that the lesions can become more disorganized, less structured and change or develop new colors.

New research could clarify the long-held “soil and seed” organ-specific metastasis theory that different cancerous tumor types spread only to specific, preferred organs.

Researchers from the Henry Ford Health System suggest transplants of healthy skin from a patient’s own body can improve discoloration caused by vitiligo.

Teens whose acne is treated with isotretinoin may face twice the risk of eye infections, including conjunctivitis and styes, researchers say.

Sun Exposure : Despite increased warnings, people continue to tan at an alarming rate. Why aren’t they receiving the message? Lessons in Lyme disease : Researchers plan clinical trial to investigate treatment for post-infection chronic inflammation Clinical Dermatology : Newly approved microwave device zaps hyperhidrosis Cosmetic Dermatology : Tips and tricks to manage hair growth Cutaneous Oncology : SLNB is appropriate for some thin melanomas Practice Management : Stop embezzlement in your practice before it starts Special Report : Psychodermatology

Acne patients live with more psychological distress than the published numbers would have you believe, according to an expert who is both a dermatologist and a psychologist.

A randomized, split-face, controlled study has shown that photodynamic treatment using hexyl aminolevulinate HCl (HAL; Allumera, Photocure) and multiple laser and light sources is safe, well tolerated and effective for photorejuvenation, says Sabrina Fabi, M.D.

The medical world is changing; this is fact. Exactly how these changes will translate into practice and affect dermatology is unclear. So unclear, in fact, that many are scrambling to address issues that may or may not be relevant as the model for healthcare delivery is debated on national, state and local levels. This leaves dermatology at the apex of a trisection between science, art and policy that warrants further inquiry.

Healthcare issues are heating up. Take, for example, recovery audit contractors (RACs), Z-Picks (bounty hunters for the commercial carriers), Obamacare being challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) "hit list" targeting providers for overpayments, fraud and abuse allegations, and 5010 playing havoc with our claims processing system. What else can go wrong?

Three years after Roche pulled Accutane off the market, On Call wondered whether dermatologists were still using isotretinoin, whether they see problems from these portended side effects, and whether patients and their parents are as concerned about the medication as they used to be.

It is amazing that hair grows fervently in mature men's ears and not on their heads. Ear hair is particularly challenging because it does not respond well to laser hair removal.

"A new microwave-based device is achieving long-lasting results in treating hyperhidrosis, said Suzanne L. Kilmer, M.D., at this year's MauiDerm: Advances in Cosmetic and Medical Dermatology. Approved for primary axillary hyperhidrosis in January 2011, the miraDry System (Miramar Labs) essentially kills targeted sweat glands with microwave energy."

It was the late 1980s, and David J. Leffell, M.D., set out to launch a dermatologic surgery and oncology program at Yale University School of Medicine. His aim: To marry advanced diagnostic and treatment techniques in cutaneous oncology with clinical research.

Interferon and the recently Food and Drug Administration-approved pegylated interferon remain relevant adjuvant therapies for patients with lymph node-positive melanoma, even in light of advances with CTLA4 blockade and BRAF-targeted therapies for late-stage disease, says Vernon K. Sondak, M.D., chairman, department of cutaneous oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Fla.

Differentiating benign nail pigmentations such as melanonychia from either nail or nail matrix melanoma is especially difficult in children because pediatric lesions present differently than they do in adults, according to Antonella Tosti, M.D., professor of the department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Motivation, opportunity and rationalization. This may sound like the title of a new James Bond film, but in reality, it's the triad of factors that provides fertile ground for the internal fraud that is an all-too-common occurrence in dermatologists' offices. A recent survey by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) revealed that 82.8 percent of managers had worked in a practice that experienced embezzlement.

Dermatology Times welcomes Albert C. Yan, M.D., as the newest member to its Editorial Advisory Council. Dr. Yan is the chief of pediatric dermatology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where he is also an associate professor of pediatrics and dermatology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Although the risk of melanoma is especially high for youth and young adults who engage in indoor tanning, tanning salon workers across the nation have told congressional undercover investigators that indoor tanning is safe and the idea that indoor tanning can cause skin cancer is false.

The combined use of propranolol and pulsed dye laser (PDL) resulted in more rapid and complete clearance of infantile hemangiomas than propranolol monotherapy, according to data presented at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) status represents the most important prognostic factor for disease-specific survival in primary cutaneous melanomas, said Christopher K. Bichakjian, M.D., at the 70th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. However, he says, its impact on overall survival remains unclear.

Chronic inflammation following Lyme disease may respond to therapy that targets inflammation custom-designed peptides, according to a team of investigators. The team has submitted a pre-Investigative New Drug (pIND) letter to the Food and Drug Administration as a step toward testing whether a novel treatment based on this model is effective.

According to the National Cancer Institute, skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, and its prevalence keeps growing. And despite an abundance of initiatives designed to increase sun protection and early detection, people don't seem to be acting on what they know.

The estate of a deceased patient has sued Dr. Mole for not making a melanoma diagnosis earlier. The plaintiff's attorney has offered a settlement agreement for $1 million. He is concerned about the settlement being listed in the National Data Practitioner Data Bank. His attorney assures Dr. Mole that as this late point in his career this will do little to no impact on his reputation.