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Photography plays a valuable role in dermatology for improving patient care, but the usefulness of archived images depends on how they are stored.

As we near the end of 2008 - one of the most economically volatile years in my memory-it seems natural to wonder what the coming year will bring. Even in the most stable of economic times, predicting future developments is an unwise indulgence at best. In times like these, it's pure madness.

Erin Boh, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chairman of dermatology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, says her life has been a series of seamless connections - or, as she puts it, happenstance.

First impressions have a strong influence on our perceptions and, ultimately, our loyalty to a service, a company or a physician.

The Internet provides a forum for disgruntled patients, employees or competitors to defame a doctor's reputation. One company helps doctors protect themselves from frivolous lawsuits.

Because verrucous carcinoma and ILVEN can have striking histologic similarities, one expert recommends considering verrucous carcinoma in the differential diagnosis of ILVEN. Initial biopsies can be misleading, evidence from this case demonstrates.

Several therapies are available for the treatment of superficial basal cell carcinoma (BCC), including excision, PDT, 5-fluorouracil and imiquimod; however, not all of them have the same safety and efficacy profile. A recent study proves that imiquimod is safe and effective for the treatment of superficial BCC and assures sustained clearance over at least five years.

Ingenol mebutate is taking the dermatology world by storm as it time and again proves its high efficacy and excellent safety profile in the treatment of AKs. Many dermatologists are eagerly awaiting FDA approval of this novel topical therapy in the United States.

Early recognition and treatment of cutaneous events should be a crucial part of the medical management of patients taking kinase inhibitors, a co-author of a recent case report says.

In a recent study, seniors showed an unexpectedly high rate of compliance with 0.5 percent five-fluorouracil treatment for actinic keratoses, the study's lead author says.

New knowledge about the molecular pathogenesis of cutaneous lymphomas provides a basis for several new treatments under development, an expert says.

Targeting the melanocytes in the hypermelanosis seen in melasma is a common and effective therapy. Many therapies exist, including topical approaches, lasers and light therapy. A new approach targeting the vasculature, not the melanocytes, using a copper bromide dual 578 nm yellow laser has proven very effective in the treatment of melasma, a recent study shows.

When processing an ear wedge during Mohs surgery, maintaining and understanding orientation of the tissue are key, an expert says.

An audit conducted at a university dermatology department suggests that certain factors appear to increase patients' risk of postoperative complications, one of the audit's authors says. However, antibiotic use may reduce such complications, he adds.

As new laser technology continues to be introduced to the market, patients keep searching for the newest, latest and greatest device. The current trend seems to be centered on what patients can do themselves, minimizing the amount of time needed in the office.

Women with afro-textured hair are at increased risk of hair breakage and hair loss due to endogenous and exogenous factors. Conditions such as central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, discoid lupus erythematosus and androgenetic alopecia affect women with afro- textured hair.

A specialized, minimally invasive phlebectomy technique can improve the appearance of hands with prominent veins. Subcutaneous injection of fat into the hand is also a method of camouflaging protruding hand veins.

Nonsurgical skin-tightening procedures based on deep-tissue energy delivery have many attractive features for consumers and physicians. The number of devices available is expanding, but despite the growth in this industry, results remain variable and modest.

An article published Aug. 14, 2008, in the online version of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology created quite a stir among the media. This paper, titled "Tumorigenic Effect of Some Commonly Used Moisturizing Creams when Applied Topically to UVB-Pretreated High-Risk Mice" (Yao-Ping Lu et al), drew some dubious conclusions regarding the relationship between moisturizers and skin cancer.

A concept called the "Universal Angle of Beauty," which measures the slope from the cheekbones to the chin, can help physicians and patients assess botulinum toxin treatments of the lower face, the concept's creator says.

A classic 1-2-3 approach to treating rosacea of the body and scalp is effective, an expert says.

Cathelicidins appear to have dual roles in the skin, working not just as antimicrobials that act as natural antibiotics but also as proponents of healing. Researchers are looking into the underlying workings of antimicrobial cathelicidins with the hope of better understanding their role in osacea. Factors such as toll-like receptors and vitamin D3 appear to be part of the equation.

Several new compounds are currently being tested for safety and efficacy in treating rosacea. These medications may make treatment easier for patients, an expert says.

Cosmeceuticals such as Kinerase (Valeant), niacinamide and a combination of methylsulfonylmethane and silymarin can have a place in treating rosacea, particularly when there is a reason why pharmacological therapies can be used. However, as the number of treatments claiming to help with skin redness grows, physicians shouldwarn patients that just because something can treat redness, that doesn't necessarily mean it can treat rosacea.

Although there is a lot of ongoing research into rosacea and a number of FDA-approved medications, very little of either have to do with skin of color. Research protocols have not included ethnic skin, and medications were approved before the FDA required the inclusion of ethnic subjects.

Combining laser and light-based treatments for rosacea have a synergistic effect, and the combination works better than each does separately, an expert says.

Some research has demonstrated efficacy with the off-label use of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in treating inflammatory skin conditions such as pyoderma gangrenosum and hidradenitis suppurativa. The use of infliximab, in particular, has resulted in disease quiescence in patients who had either condition, and its use has demonstrated a steroid-sparing effect in patients with pyoderma gangrenosum.

Several ingredients found in topical preparations help treat dry skin and the subsequent symptom of pruritus. The results of a recent study with dihydroavenanthramide D demonstrate the agent is very effective in the treatment of pruritus, and according to one expert, should be considered an option when trying to treat and subdue pruritic symptoms.

Allergic contact dermatitis is a cell-mediated condition in which natural killer T cells act both locally in the skin and systemically. Researchers have identified a novel transcription factor that regulates the molecule that natural killer T cells recognize when they migrate into the skin. The finding points to a new pharmacological target in the treatment of allergic contact dermatitis.

A multicenter study enrolling 100 patients investigated the safety of calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres (Radiesse, BioForm) injection for treatment of nasolabial folds. After follow-up to six months, there were no clinically significant adverse reactions, including no cases of keloids, hypertrophic scarring or hypo- or hyperpigmentation.