News

: Simple steps can transform the office visit from one that is forgettable for the dermatologist, patient and staff to one that is unforgettably positive.

Over the span of a few lifetimes, the concept of retirement has undergone radical change in America. In my great-grandfather's time, retirement as we know it today didn't exist. He was a coal miner in Pennsylvania, where laborers worked until they died or became too old to wield a pick and shovel. There were no pensions, no paid vacations, no sick leave.

A part-time physician can add tremendous flexibility to your dermatology or cosmetic surgery practice. But a part-timer will come at a cost if you are not prepared.

Dermatologists should stop struggling and embrace the concept that work-life balance is not work and life as two separate things. Rather, balance is finding joy, happiness and fulfillment in everything you do, whether you are at work or not,

If you love what you're talking about and care about people you're talking to, you will have a passionate, terrific, one-of-a-kind presentation, according to Steven K. Shama, M.D., a dermatologist in practice in Brookline, Mass., and with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, here.

Unfortunately, things can go wrong in the practice of medicine. How a physician handles a problem, whether perceived or real, goes a long way toward influencing what course of action, legal or otherwise, the patient chooses to take.

Camouflage makeup has evolved, now offering dermatologists a relatively low-risk way to cover up conditions ranging from vitiligo to rosacea or melasma. In addition to creating a more natural-looking appearance, compared with the older "cake makeup" products, mineral makeup sometimes can even help to control acne breakouts.

The Pigmentary Disorders Academy's primary aim is to increase the medical community's knowledge and awareness about pigmentary disorders. The group is staying a steady path toward that goal. A number of important projects have been completed, others are underway, and more are being planned

The majority of melasma treatments are hydroquinone-based. However, a variety of other medicationsare clinically proven and have shown efficacy for treating melasma.

Fractional resurfacing is making its mark on hyperpigmentation, while other existing approaches are being refined and improved.

Relatively painless, quick procedures that involve minimum downtime for healing and generate quality results are dictating current trends in the treatment of pigmentary changes in the skin due to photoaging. Future trends will include patients using at-home light-emitting diode and intense pulsed light devices to maintain treatments between office visits.

By the Core for the Core is a new educational program on aesthetic procedures geared specifically to physicians-in-training in the core specialties of dermatology, plastic surgery, and ophthalmology.

New research has found that human beta-defensin 3 (HBD3) secreted by keratinocytes can kill pathogens within 15 minutes of contact. Internalization of the pathogen into the cell is not required for its destruction.

Green bottle fly larvae - maggots to the less squeamish - are the latest tool to be enlisted in the battle against MRSA. British physician Andrew J. M. Boulton says, "We frequently use larvae in diabetic foot ulcers, so there was no reason to believe that they would not work against MRSA."

Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc., the makers of Accutane, will appeal a multimillion dollar jury verdict awarded to a man who said his irritable bowel disease was caused by the medication. Aside for the financial considerations, physicians are concerned that the case will make it more difficult for suitable patients to use a very valuable medication.

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Juvéderm is a useful product and fills a void, but problems with needle separation - whether due to operator error or product/syringe design - has spooked some practitioners. Allergan is working to resolve the issue and in the meantime, offers tips for injection technique that can help alleviate the possibility of needle and syringe separation.

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New York - A new study suggests that malathion should be used as a first-line treatment of head lice infestation in children and that therapy for head lice should be based on the life cycle of the lice, drug resistance and safety considerations, Medscape news source reports.

Minneapolis - A University of Minnesota study suggests there may be a link between childhood cancer and birthmarks, Reuters Health reports.

Abbott Park, Ill. - Abbott Laboratories' clinical testing of its ABT-874 experimental injectable drug shows the drug to be effective in treating psoriasis, Bloomberg News reports.

New York - Telomerase Activation Sciences Inc., based here, has announced the results of its Pivotal 2005 Anti-Aging Trial of TA-65, the first human trial to show measurable and positive anti-aging benefits - including improvement in skin condition - from a telomerase activator, PRNewswire reports.

Eugene, Ore. - Oregon has one of the highest rates in the country for melanoma, according to a recent article that appeared in the University of Oregon’s Oregon Daily Emerald.

Washington - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved GlaxoSmithKline's antibacterial Altabax for the topical treatment of impetigo due to susceptible strains of Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes, the two most common types of bacteria in this kind of infection, reports News-Medical.net.

Zurich, Switzerland - Compared with using sunscreens, limiting of exposure to the sun and wearing sun-protective clothes are the most effective ways to reduce skin-cancer risks, reports Medscape in covering a review by a Swiss team published recently in the online issue of The Lancet.

Raritan, N.J. - Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, based here, has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ceftobiprole, PRNewswire reports.

When Jenny Kim, M.D., Ph.D., decided that kids with serious skin disorders, unlike some children with other types of diseases, were not getting the attention they needed, it touched her heart - so she did something about it.