News

National report - The rate of melanoma cases in younger women has increased 50 percent since 1980, but did not increase in younger men, according to a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Evanston, Ill. -The Dermatology Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2008 Clark W. Finnerud and 2008 Practitioner of the Year awards.

Dallas - An analysis of more than 100 patients shows that darker-skinned patients benefit from light therapy to treat morphea and related diseases as much as lighter-skinned patients, according to ScienceDaily.

New York - Thermage, which makes an anti-aging skin tightening device, announced it will buy Reliant Technologies for $87.5 million in stock and cash, according to the Associated Press.

National report - A study shows that intralesional etanercept may provide an effective treatment for keloids, according to TherapeuticsDaily.

National report - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Evolence to treat moderate-to-severe facial wrinkles and folds, according to maker Johnson and Johnson.

Schaumburg, Ill. - Approximately one million new skin cancer cases will be diagnosed in the United States in 2008, according the the American Academy of Dermatology.

National report - The Skin Cancer Foundation is accepting applications for support of pilot research projects related to skin cancer, according to a press release.

A new study quantifies the significant improvements in safety that plasma skin resurfacing offers versus ablative CO2 laser resurfacing, one of its authors says.

Mario E. LaCouture, M.D., discovered during his residency that the role of dermatology in cancer patients' lives was much greater than just treating skin cancers. He would watch as breast, lung, colon and other cancer patients would complain about the damage that anticancer treatments - especially the new biologics - were doing to their skin. Patients in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, who had exhausted their treatment options, were having to forgo life-prolonging treatment because of life-altering cutaneous effects, including itching so severe that they could not function or sleep.

Over the last decade, an increasing number of doctors have looked at international approaches to their wealth planning. There are numerous pitfalls for using international planning that can catch naïve doctors. Learn what to do - and what to avoid - in international planning, and about specific tools top attorneys use in their international planning.

As I write this, millions of Americans are straining under the pressures of a fickle, unpredictable economy. Tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs in recent months, savers are struggling to make sense of the lowest interest rates that some have ever seen, and the stock market has given new meaning to the word "volatility." All of this while gasoline and food prices surge to record highs.

The Mohs surgeon who introduced the technique in Brazil shares practical tips for successful Mohs surgery.

Government reimbursements for dermatologic procedures are shrinking, while the number of cases of skin cancer continue to rise.

As applications for botulinum toxin treatments, fillers, lasers and light sources expand, an expert cautions against overly aggressive treatment.

Treating patients with multiple SCCs requires clearing dermal disease first, then addressing field in situ disease topically; physicians are frequently required to make judgment calls, an expert says.

A three-point checklist applied in dermoscopy could significantly assist non-experts of dermoscopy to accurately diagnose suspicious skin lesions, according to a recent study.

Advanced basal cell carcinoma responded dramatically to an experimental agent that inhibits the aberrant Hedgehog signaling pathway, according to a recent study.

Incidence rates of nonmelanoma skin cancers may be higher than estimated. Ultraviolet light-induced skin cancer is an occupational disease, according to one expert.

Emerging data indicate the sentinel lymph node biopsy may not only stage the regional lymph nodes of patients with melanoma and have prognostic value, but may be therapeutic as well. Data from the Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial (MSLT-1), an investigation consisting of patients with clinically node-negative melanoma, demonstrated a survival advantage in a subset of patients who had a positive node.

Dermatologists have been growing increasingly comfortable and confident with nonsurgical treatments for basal cell carcinomas, according to one expert.

Despite years of clinical trials involving cytotoxics, DNA-damaging agents, immunomodulatory therapies and other interventions, the natural history of melanoma has changed very little. However, new treatments offer hope.

With the array of filler options now available, successful treatment requires knowing what patients want when determining the most effective product for the job, an expert says.

The first validated scale for grading lip volume has proven its accuracy and robustness in a variety of tests, according to one of the scale's developers.

A sonic skincare brush has demonstrated effectiveness at increasing absorption of topical agents and improving the appearance of photoaged skin, one of the product's developers says.

The efficacy and safety of a cosmeceutical cream containing conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) for improving the appearance of facial photodamage skin was investigated in a 16-week, randomized, double-blind, split-face study of 25 women. Assessments of changes in periorbital skin showed statistically significant differences favoring use of the CLA-containing cream. No skin irritation was noted throughout the study.

A new, photostable UVA/UVB filter has demonstrated the ability to improve the appearance of a variety of photoaging symptoms, according to a recent study.

With the continued introduction of laser devices with unique delivery systems and wavelengths, the issue of eye safety is becoming increasingly complicated. Consistent and competent eye safety procedures for operator, patient, observer and assistant are crucial to a safe and successful laser practice. Despite our increased knowledge of lasers and laser safety, eye injuries in the workplace are still a common problem, with many injuries going undetected well after the incident.

Two identical pivotal trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of autologous fibroblast therapy (Isolagen Technologies) compared with placebo are almost finished. Special attention was paid in protocol design so there would be consistency across the studies in cell harvesting and injection technique, as well as in outcomes assessments. The treatment protocol, which varies from previous studies, aims to optimize the treatment effect.

A study showing that the periocular area and skin color uniformity are key drivers of perceived age suggests that aesthetic physicians and skincare companies should target these attributes, authors say.