Pediatric Dermatology

Latest News



National report - Many dermatologists, especially pediatric dermatologists, have embraced 2-octyl cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive (Dermabond, Ethicon) as an alternative to using standard sutures and staples in selected patients. Dermabond has evolved, as a result of early complaints about dripping and smearing, to offer a new, higher-viscosity formulation. But it's unclear how effective the tissue adhesive is when skin tension exists.

Singapore - Just as the skin of a newborn differs from the skin of a young child, so too does the skin of premature infants born at 24 weeks differ from the skin of infants born later.

A recently developed algorithm has been designed to provide a simple, stepwise approach to the management of atopic dermatitis (AD) based on disease severity, says its creator Lawrence F. Eichenfield, M.D., chief of pediatric and adolescent dermatology, Children's Hospital, San Diego, and clinical professor of pediatrics and medicine (dermatology), University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

Psoriasis

Internationally recognized researcher, Alan Menter, M.D., considers the future of psoriasis treatment.

National report - In the treatment of vitiligo, the 308-nm excimer laser (PhotoMedex) achieves results as favorable as those of other phototherapy modalities in one-third the time, according to James M. Spencer, M.D.

There is alitany of genetic and acquired disorders that cause hyper- and hypopigmentation, and no one-size-fits-all treatment for either the loss of or an excess of pigment.

New York - While acitretin remains a common oral treatment for psoriasis, oral tazarotene (Allergan), fumaric acid esters (FAEs), and oral pimecrolimus can cut side effects ranging from alopecia to liver and kidney damage, according to a recent study.

National report - A large, prospective, six-year clinical trial is well under way to investigate whether early, aggressive treatment of atopic dermatitis in infants can alter the future course of their skin disorder and the development of other manifestations of atopy, particularly asthma.

Peds knowledge advances

Better care of infants contributes to decline in diaper rash, cradle cap; psoriasis on the rise

Kona, Hawaii - Tacrolimus ointment is superior to pimecrolimus cream in treating atopic dermatitis, according to recent trial data reported by Alan Fleischer, M.D., during the 28th Annual Hawaii Dermatology Seminar here. Both calcineurin inhibitors have identical modes of action and identical metabolism, and bind to the same FKBP receptor. "But pimecrolimus has one-third the binding affinity of tacrolimus," he says.