News

Melanoma transection does not affect a patient’s overall disease-free survival or mortality, and punch and saucerization biopsies may be more likely to transect tumors than excisional biopsies, according to a recent study.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved Nuvail (poly-ureaurethane 16 percent, Innocutis) nail solution for the treatment of nail dystrophy.

The size of a patient’s tattoo, and the patient’s smoking status, are significant factors in whether a tattoo can be effectively removed with lasers, according to a recent study.

A newly developed device using spatial frequency domain imaging and light-emitting diodes can measure biochemical compositional changes in port wine stains after laser therapy, according to results of a pilot study.

Springfield is the latest Illinois city to ban teens from indoor tanning. The city council approved a measure to keep teenagers ages 14 to 17 out of tanning salons, even with parental consent.

Experts from four dermatology organizations have collaborated to publish the first appropriate use criteria for 270 Mohs micrographic surgery scenarios.

The Food and Drug Administration has warned L’Oreal it must alter claims about the capabilities of some of its anti-aging products or face an order to halt sales.

Richard Winkelmann, M.D., a physician and pioneering dermatology and pathology researcher at the Mayo Clinic, died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Rochester recently. He was 88.

Noninvasive CO2 laser resurfacing treatments have shown effectiveness in skin tightening, according to a study published recently.

A protein found on the surface of healthy skin cells could be linked to melanoma when overproduced, according to a new study.

Recently developed biologic therapies developed for treating rheumatoid arthritis are not associated with an increased risk of cancer, according to investigators from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

With the 2012 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference coming up in Las Vegas, Dermatology Times plans on live tweeting from sessions and blogging daily.

Patients who undergo an interactive education program, including skin self-examination (SSE) tutorials and telecommunications reminders, are more likely to identify melanoma, according to a recently published study.

Aberrantly expressed micro ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) may slow healing of chronic venous ulcers, a new study suggests.

Bacteria carried by mites on the skin may be the cause of rosacea, according to results of a new study.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals has agreed to buy Medicis Pharmaceutical in a deal valued at about $2.6 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2013.

Tanning salon owners in the United States are going on the offensive against physicians and other healthcare professionals in an attempt to maintain an industry worth nearly $5 billion a year.

Destination Unknown : Accountable care organizations & similar shared-savings models likely will impact dermatologists’ role in healthcare, but to what extent remains largely uncertain RNA & UV rays : Research sheds light on the inflammatory mechanism of sunburn Clinical Dermatology : Once-daily application of brimonidine tartrate gel safe, effective for facial erythema of rosacea Cosmetic Dermatology : Glycans and glycobiology emerge in development of anti-aging skincare products Cutaneous Oncology : AJCC’s melanoma staging system elicits debate among dermatologists Practice Management : Successful outsourcing can improve patient throughput, lower staffing costs

About 76,000 new cases of invasive melanoma occur in the United States each year, according to the American Cancer Society, and patients who have had one melanoma have a 5 to 10 percent risk of developing another primary tumor during their lifetime. As a result of this increased melanoma risk, careful follow-up of these patients is critical, a Harvard clinician advises.

Galderma Laboratories has pledged $450,000 to help support the dermatology residency program at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.

Sandoz has announced the introduction of its first-to-file calcipotriene cream, the first generic version of LEO Pharma’s Dovonex 0.005 percent, which is indicated for the treatment of plaque psoriasis.

Sound Surgical Technologies has announced its launch of VASERsmooth, a minimally invasive cellulite solution that works with the company’s VASER Lipo System.

ELITech Molecular Diagnostics has received FDA clearance for its MRSA/SA ELITe MGB test, a multiplex, qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) DNA purified from human nasal swab specimens.

Ellman International, a developer of radiofrequency technology for precision surgical and aesthetic procedures, has announced its acquisition of Sandstone Medical Technologies, developer of aesthetic laser and intense pulsed light technologies.

RXI Pharmaceuticals has appointed Jeannette Graf, M.D., and Leroy Young, M.D., to its scientific advisory board.

Glycomics is the study of glycans, which are sugars. Sugars are very important in cell-to-cell communication and represent the newest frontier in skin biology.

Once-daily application of Sansrosa (brimonidine tartrate/BT gel, Galderma) 0.5 percent has proven safe and effective for treating the persistent facial erythema of rosacea, according to the results of a phase 2 trial.

Although dermatologic conditions most apparently affect the skin, dermatologists commonly encounter three types of psychodermatologic disorders where the mind and skin may interact, according to John Koo, M.D., professor and vice chairman, department of dermatology, University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.

Dermatologist Joe Psoriasis is known throughout the country as an expert in the treatment of psoriasis. An inherent risk of treating such challenging patients is the higher risk of medical malpractice lawsuits. Dr. Psoriasis has now had five such lawsuits filed against him. He is contemplating discontinuing this portion of his practice. Will the HEALTH Act of 2011 provide him with more protection from such lawsuits?

While the incidence of melanoma is lower among African-Americans than it is among Caucasians, mortality due to melanoma is higher among the former. The reason, experts say, is because skin cancers in African-Americans appear on sites where they behave more aggressively, and there is a delay in diagnosis with this patient population.