The only way to avoid laser complications is to avoid performing laser surgery entirely, says Eric Bernstein, M.D., clinical professor, department of dermatology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. In light of the fact that this option is probably impossible, he says that to reduce the chances of complications, "Never take treatment advice from sales representatives. You would never do that in any other kind of medicine."
A variety of new cosmeceuticals tout better ingredients for improving women's skin, but an underused tool in the dermatologist's office is the education component of the skincare regimen. It's time to shift the focus on that first, according to one expert.
There are very few therapies approved to treat hair loss in women, compelling clinicians to turn to off-label therapies to address this condition, according to the president of the North American Hair Research Society. "Limited drugs are available," says Wilma F. Bergfeld, M.D., senior dermatologist, department of dermatology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland.
Producing home devices introduces a challenging balance between efficacy and safety. Safety issues include those for the treatment area, as well as for the eyes. Some device fluences even have been changed post-introduction due to concerns over the retinal hazards. Despite these challenges, several at-home laser and light devices have been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the past six years.
Dr. Surgery He recently performed a large excision and failed to ask his patient about medicine intake. The patient did not take any prescription blood thinners, but he did take high daily dosages of garlic and ginkgo. Unfortunately the patient had progressive postoperative bleeding, which led to volume loss and an ultimate CVA. A lawsuit was brought against Dr. Surgery. Will he lose this case based on negligence?
In refractory cases of localized, provoked vulvodynia, botulinum toxin type A can be considered a therapeutic option, according to Jennifer MacGregor, M.D., of Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery, Washington.
Sun protection for the lips can prevent skin cancer and aesthetic loss of the defined vermilion border. Leukoplakia can also be prevented through sunscreen use, and some precancerous lip changes can even regress with photoprotection.
A group of Republican lawmakers in Washington is now trying to repeal the 10 percent tax on tanning bed services that was included in the new healthcare reform law, and the medical community - led by the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) - is fighting back.
Keeping up to date with evolving standards of care, conducting thorough patient counseling that explains all reasonable evaluation and treatment options, and ensuring careful follow-up are important risk-management strategies for helping dermatologists avoid the mayhem accompanying a malpractice suit for a missed or delayed diagnosis of malignant melanoma.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released its long-awaited updated guidelines for sunscreens earlier this summer, and as hoped, more definitive standards were set delineating which sunscreens can designate themselves as having "broad-spectrum" protection from both UVA and UVB rays. On Call asked dermatologists around the country what they think of the new guidelines and whether they go far enough.
Any type of skin rash, especially new-onset rashes, could be the result of an adverse drug reaction. Many patients suffer with chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema, and diagnosis is usually straightforward, says David R. Adams, M.D., Pharm.D., associate professor of dermatology, Penn State University Medical Center. "But when someone develops a new breakout - of nearly any morphology - on the skin, always consider drugs as a possible cause," he says.
This is a true story, but the names and a few minor details have been changed in deference to HIPAA. I first met Bobby in 2002, when he was 8. His quality of life had been marred by severe eczema since infancy, but things got worse when he was diagnosed with asthma at age 6 and insulin-dependent diabetes a year later.
There is a great need for new melanoma treatments, and there has been some progress in the last five years that has come about as a result of greater molecular understanding of melanoma, according to the director and chairman of the department of dermatology, Skin Cancer Center, University Hospital Essen, Germany.
Being an employee at a hospital can be a great fit for many doctors. But, for (supposedly) high-income specialists, this decision could come at an unnecessarily high financial cost.
Judging from my email, it’s not difficult these days to find savers and investors who are questioning the conventional wisdom when it comes to investing their money.
If you’ve been following conventional advice on diversification over the past decade, you have a portion of your portfolio invested in bonds of various types. And that’s good. When the equities market tanked in mid-2008, many investors were spared the worst of it by strong returns from their fixed-income investments.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed its first regulations for health-related smartphone and wireless tablet applications, or apps, The Washington Post reports.
Valeant Pharmaceuticals has agreed to buy the Ortho Dermatologics division of Janssen Pharmaceuticals for $345 million, thestar.com reports.
Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency, HealthDay News reports.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA, Merz Aesthetics) for temporary improvement of moderate to severe glabellar lines, Medscape Today reports.
Vitamin D deficiency may be unusually high among American football players, with black players and those with muscle injuries showing significantly lower levels, Medscape Today reports.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has named a former drug company executive to the new position of deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco, the online Wall Street Journal reports.
U.S. hospitalizations related to the USA300 strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) more than tripled between 2004 and 2008, Medscape Today reports.
Pressure ulcers are more prevalent in black high-risk nursing home residents than in white residents, according to a recent study, Medscape Today reports.
Researchers at King&rdsquo;s College say they have identified the exact molecule that causes the stinging pain of sunburn - a finding, Time.com reports, that could lead to improved treatments for more serious conditions, such as arthritis.
A Danish study suggests that signs of atopy may be present long before symptoms begin, even in month-old babies, Medical News Today reports.
Scientists in Western Australia say they’ve found that survival rates for people with merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) are far worse than rates for those with melanoma, widely regarded as the most lethal skin cancer, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Lotus Tissue Repair, a start-up company created to develop a treatment for the rare genetic disease dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), has secured $26 million in financing, Xconomy.com reports.
New research suggests that heart transplant patients are four to 30 times as likely to develop skin cancer as healthy people, depending on their geographic location and other factors, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Higher plasma levels of vitamin D are associated with reduced risk of incident diabetes among people at high risk for the disease, Medscape Medical News reports.
