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National report - The 7.3 earthquake that decimated Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince in January also leveled sites where U.S. dermatologists have been focusing training and aid efforts since 2003, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

Bridgewater, N.J. - Recently released results of a new study suggest that treatment with Sculptra Aesthetic (poly-L-lactic acid, Sanofi-Aventis) is significantly more effective than the human-derived collagen treatment CosmoPlast (Allergan) in correcting shallow to deep nasolabial folds, PR Newswire reports.

Wellington, New Zealand - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance for Endoform Dermal Template, an extracellular matrix biomaterial manufactured by New Zealand regenerative medicine company Mesynthes.

Exeter, N.H. - Seacoast Pathology, based here, has launched its new DermDX division, which features a state-of-the-art on-site laboratory to service New England-area dermatologists and their patients.

Wayland, Mass. - Candela Corp., a Syneron company based here, announced Feb. 10 that China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) has approved Candela's Alex TriVantage multi-wavelength laser system and the GentleMax multiple wavelength workstation for sale throughout the People's Republic of China.

What's Your Score? : Online physician rankings can boost, harm a practice Talking Tough : FDA warns dermatologist about ‘premature’ comments on Dysport Special Report : Advances in Cosmeceuticals

Winston-Salem, N.C. - For Wake Forest University's dermatology residency program, DrScore.com provides patient feedback that program officials hope creates better dermatologists, says Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology, pathology and public health, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and founder of DrScore.com.

The feds are turning up the heat on the tanning bed industry, with two major regulatory agencies and Congress getting into the act. Late last year, senators developing healthcare legislation dropped a proposed tax on cosmetic surgery and substituted a 10 percent tax on indoor tanning services.

Cosmeceuticals carry the promising suggestion of providing cosmetic treatments with active ingredients that give them pharmaceutical-like efficacy to address skin aging and skin problems. Dermatologists are faced with the unique challenge of wading through these claims.

The Food and Drug Administration's rebuke of Florida dermatologist Leslie S. Baumann, M.D., for promoting a then-unapproved drug serves as a warning for clinical investigators to speak carefully in public forums, dermatologists say.

Established in 1985, the so-called "ABCD" criteria (assymetry, border, color and diameter) were designed to help laypersons and physicians evaluate suspicious cutaneous lesions and, possibly, make an early diagnosis of potentially curable melanoma. Currently, there is a grassroots move in dermatology to change the "D" criterion from "diameter" to "dark."

Dermatologists welcome the FTC's recent crackdown on what the agency labels deceptive advertising by the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA). The ITA, meanwhile, says a recent settlement with the federal regulatory agency will allow the industry to continue to have a "meaningful voice" in the debate over the health benefits and risks of tanning.

Dr. Skin is given basic privileges in dermatology, but is told that nobody in the department of medicine is comfortable providing her with surgical privileges. She subsequently applies for the same privileges under the department of surgery. Her request - reviewed by three general surgeons and two plastic surgeons in their monthly peer review meeting - is turned down.

Minimizing pain while performing botulinum toxin injections is of paramount importance to patient and physician alike. Though there are several topical anesthetic techniques from which to choose, Pain Ease (Gebauer Company), a topical anesthetic skin refrigerant, appears to be the best choice, according to an expert.

Love or loathe them, public Web sites that let patients rate their physicians aren't going away, experts say. Making these sites work for you rather than against you requires ongoing vigilance, broad-based patient participation and - for some physicians - patient contracts, they add.