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Decubitus ulcers or bedsores can be a serious condition, especially for the elderly patient. But one expert says prevention, treatment and a dermatologist's early involvement offer the best combination for a positive outcome.

Lenore S. Kakita, M.D., learned about perseverence, acceptance, determination and strength during an unlikely time. She was a United States-born Japanese toddler when the fear of "Yellow Peril" gripped the country during World War II. She spent five of the first six years of her life in U.S. relocation camps. Her father, Hajime Uyeyama, M.D., a family practitioner born in Berkeley, Calif., was forced to close his Oakland practice, and he and his family were interned at camps in California, then in Colorado.

The U.S. government is strengthening its crackdown on practitioners who scam federal healthcare programs, with new muscle provided by the 2010 healthcare reform law and a determination to shut down fraudulent or erroneous claims, which exceeded $24 billion in 2009.

There are few things more aggravating than an itch you can't scratch - but for geriatric patients that aggravation can be almost unbearable, as the elderly are often susceptible to a total body itch that has no apparent cause, and therefore no apparent solution. There are a number of potential causes that dermatologists should consider as they try to relieve their patient's itch, an expert says.

Drugmaker Allergan recently agreed to pay $600 million to resolve federal charges that the company improperly marketed Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) for off-label use. On Call wondered whether dermatologists think that this increased effort in enforcing off-label marketing rules is a good pursuit for the government. Would derms rather they never be allowed to hear about potentially beneficial off-label uses from drug reps?

Choosing the form and structure of one’s medical practice is an important decision. If you want to explore ways to reduce unnecessary taxes without subjecting yourself to double taxation and would like to see how you can do this without having to change any of your insurance provider or Medicare provider numbers, this article is ideal for you.

Noninvasive procedures - specifically, filling agents - are maintaining their popularity with patients, both as independent cosmetic treatments as well as adjuncts to cosmetic surgery, according to plastic surgeons at the 2010 annual meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Stay tuned. You might soon see dermatologist Terry Cronin Jr., M.D., on your television sets. The Melbourne, Fla., dermatologist is a part-time filmmaker whose latest project is a television pilot called “Adventure Chefs.” Dr. Cronin stars in and produces the competition-based reality TV cooking show.

A recent study conducted by the Center for Connected Health suggests that text messages are an effective tool for improving patient compliance with treatment and self-care, PRNewswire reports.

Continued heat exposure from a laptop computer’s warm battery may lead to erythema ab igne (EAI) on the thighs, according to a clinical finding by a pediatric dermatologist.

Two studies related to medical student depression and burnout suggest, respectively, that depressed students are more likely to endorse depression stigma attitudes than are nondepressed students, and that students with burnout are more likely than students without burnout to engage in unprofessional conduct, HealthDay News reports.

Solta Medical’s Fraxel re:store Dual laser has received Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AKs), PRNewswire reports.

EHRs, Worth the Hassle? : ‘Meaningful use’ criteria can pose high hurdle for derms Allergan Settles : Drugmaker to pay $600 million to resolve off-label marketing charges Special Report : Hair & Nails

Light devices have become popular at-home facial rejuvenation equipment. Why? Because light is felt to be safe in the hands of a consumer, thus these devices are easily marketed and readily obtain Food and Drug Administration 510(k) approvals.

Cloning will represent a major advance in hair transplantation when it is ready for prime time. It remains elusive for now, but new clinical therapies - along with older standbys - are helping hair loss patients in the meantime, according to a leading specialist in hair transplantation.

As the nation - and your patients - struggle with healthcare costs, building patient loyalty will be an important success factor for all dermatology practices. Outside of your own skills as a dermatologist, nothing builds patient loyalty as effectively as knowing how to manage the "moment of truth." The "moment of truth" occurs when a patient has the opportunity to make a snap judgment about the quality of your practice's services.

When patients present with symptoms of redness, pain and swelling around the nail fold on either the fingernails or toenails, the logical diagnosis is paronychia; however, physicians need to know how to identify key distinguishing factors in order to determine precisely which type of paronychia they are dealing with, and effectively treat it.

New dermatology criteria from the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) can simplify electronic health record (EHR) purchasing decisions, sources say. But, so far, these criteria are driving few dermatologists to implement EHRs who weren't already planning to do so, these experts add.

Many changes have occurred in dermatology over the past year in terms of educational funding. New rules have placed restrictions on how industry can financially support programs. In addition to new rules, reduced discretionary industry monies are available.

Dermatologists today have more options for treating hair loss during menopause than ever before. But according to one expert in the field of female hair loss, unless the right diagnosis is made, the treatments might be less than effective.

Results from ex vivo and in vivo studies combined with clinical outcomes indicate that new compression tip technology (XD Optic, Palomar Medical) is fulfilling its design objectives of safely enabling nonablative fractional treatment to increased tissue depth, according to research presented by Christine Dierickx, M.D., at the 31st annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.

Learning curves aside, current users of electronic health record (EHR) systems appear satisfied with them.

Regardless of etiology, lower-extremity ulcers can be very challenging to treat, and patients may sometimes require more than the body's own natural healing abilities to close them. Dermagraft (Advanced BioHealing) is a bioengineered skin substitute that helps achieve rapid closure of lower-extremity ulcers and, according to one expert, surpasses similar products on the market.

Roger I. Ceilley, M.D., has had many milestones in his 33 years in dermatology. As a clinician, teacher and advocate, he has impacted not only the lives of his patients, but also the public, students, fellow dermatologists and the dermatology profession as a whole.

A case of amelanotic melanoma that upon evaluation with dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) appeared to be basal cell carcinoma (BCC) turned out to be invasive melanoma, says a dermatologist who worked on the case.

With the introduction of the diode pumped fiber lasers in the last decade, new laser wavelengths are now hitting the market. Introduced last year, the newest of the fiber lasers is the diode-pumped thulium laser, which emits a wavelength of 1,927 nm (Fraxel re:store, Solta Medical).

The pulsed dye laser (PDL) can treat capillary malformations in children and, in exceptional circumstances, infantile hemangiomas, according to a professor of dermatology and pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Dr. Derm spends 10 percent of his annual gross earnings on marketing, much of which is Internet-based. He often finds himself telling his peers how wonderful Internet marketing is, until one day he finds out that a disgruntled patient has damaged his reputation on the Web. Dr. Derm is concerned that this malicious act may ruin his career. What can he do?

When faced with a potentially serious nail abnormality, some providers who take a wait-and-see approach may delay diagnosis and treatment because they aren't comfortable performing nail surgery, according to Nathaniel J. Jellinek, M.D., clinical assistant professor, department of dermatology, Brown Medical School, Providence, R.I., and adjunct clinical assistant professor, division of dermatology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Mass.

On Call wondered whether dermatologists are seeing many complications from tattoos, or whether tattoo parlors are taking safety precautions to protect their clients. On Call also asked dermatologists whether they encounter "tattoo regret," and how they advise patients who want to have tattoos removed.