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Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation damage to noncoding RNAs in keratinocytes initiates a cascade of events leading to the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a cytokine central to the inflammatory skin response commonly known as sunburn. The surprising discovery of this mechanism has potential implications for better understanding of prevention, carcinogenesis and phototherapy, researchers say.

Barbara Mathes, M.D., started her healthcare career as an emergency room nurse. She remembers answering medical residents' questions, and the residents would tell her she might as well go into medicine. Her reply? "One day I think I will." So started a multifaceted professional life in dermatology, which has included private practice, teaching, industry work, research and more.

Patients with skin of color cope with a number of skin concerns, but treatment advances are helping dermatologists treat these patients effectively. Pigmentation changes are a major concern for these patients, experts say.

Eight years after the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) linked estrogen supplementation to breast cancer and heart disease, the impact of estrogen withdrawal is obvious in a less-than-obvious location; hormone-deficient vulvar disease is becoming more common, according to F. William Danby, M.D.

For the first time in my life, I had the experience of being on the other side of the doctor-patient relationship. I would not recommend it to anyone, but I learned a lot of valuable lessons about medical care, some of which have direct relevance to the way we all should be practicing medicine.

After the U.S. Supreme Court of the United States upheld the constitutionality of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the individual mandate requiring all Americans to purchase health insurance, a number of professional medical organizations reiterated concern about potential effects of the law.

Compared with colleagues in other medical specialties, dermatologists have enjoyed a relatively low risk of being sued for medical malpractice. However, when litigation comes to fruition and is successful, the judgment award to the plaintiff is typically much higher for dermatology cases compared with the national average, says Whitney A. High, M.D., J.D., M.Eng. What's more, dermatopathologists rank second-highest among medical specialists for the number of $1 million-plus verdicts.

When it comes to newer healthcare delivery models, experts say accountable care organizations (ACOs) may impact dermatology only in highly competitive markets. Still, dermatologists worry that ACOs could set primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists at odds, and that specialists' roles in shared-savings programs remain highly uncertain in today's healthcare arena.

Advances in cosmetic and medical skin treatments are helping dermatologists both to avoid and to treat hyperpigmentation and other conditions in patients with Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI, says Pearl E. Grimes, M.D., F.A.A.D., director of the Vitiligo and Pigmentation Institute of Southern California, Los Angeles.

Billing CPT codes that start with "17" - the destruction codes - remain a source of confusion for both billers and providers. Destruction means that you are destroying lesions using one of several methods. The most common methods in dermatology include liquid nitrogen, electrodessication and curettage, laser and the use of chemicals. Below is a snapshot summary of the destruction codes.

The first long-term trial of Latisse (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution 0.03 percent, Allergan) shows that daily application of the eyelash enhancer for up to one year is safe and effective for patients with idiopathic and chemotherapy-induced hypotrichosis.

A topical combination of vitamin C, vitamin E and ferulic acid (CE Ferulic, SkinCeuticals) appears to provide protection against skin damage induced by infrared A (IR-A) radiation, said Jean T. Krutmann, M.D., professor of dermatology and environmental medicine and director at the IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, D?sseldorf, Germany, at the 70th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Topical corticosteroids are still the mainstay of therapy for pediatric atopic dermatitis (AD), but dermatologists have an array of other options at their disposal to use for steroid sparing or in challenging situations.

The latest melanoma staging system from the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and a tool developed for predicting the clinical outcome of individual patients with localized or regional cutaneous melanoma (www.melanomaprognosis.org) have stirred debate among dermatopathologists.

Dermatology has a committed ambassador in Capitol Hill, but it's tragic as to why. Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) and his youngest daughter, Briana, both have been diagnosed with skin cancer and are speaking out about it to encourage others to prevent and detect skin cancer early. The congressman has co-sponsored the Melanoma Research Act of 2012, which would provide funding for skin cancer research.

A dermatology practice is a hotbed of activity. In addition to the clinical care you provide, there is staff to manage in carrying out your orders, supplies to use, bills to be sent and money to be tracked. The complexity of a practice makes outsourcing - using outside firms to handle work you would normally perform in-house - appear quite appealing.

When treating patients with skin of color, dermatologists face a number of challenges, and they must choose products and therapies carefully. Diagnosis is the first challenge; common dermatological conditions may have a slightly different appearance in skin of color, depending on the hue of a patient's skin, says Charles Crutchfield III, M.D.

The prevalence and risk of thyroid diseases are significantly higher among patients with vitiligo compared to those without the condition, according to a recently published study.

Nicotinamide, better known as vitamin B3, may be capable of combating some antibiotic-resistant staph infections that threaten public health globally, according to a study.

Interleukin-21 demonstrated a significant overall response rate in first-line treatment of metastatic melanoma and warrants further examination, according to a new study.

Several unique immune-related adverse events in patients receiving either ipilimumab or tremelimumab may require a multidisciplinary medical team to manage, researchers say.

Health officials have identified a type of prediluted ink as the source of skin infections in tattoos that have been reported in four states.

The Food and Drug Administratio’s Pharmaceutical Science and Clinical Pharmacology Advisory Committee has requested that the agency be more specific on what nanotechnology products it is regulating and how it is doing so.

Patients with acne looking for a dermatologist may not have to go much farther than the nearest computer or smartphone once NoviMedicine, a new telemedicine firm, launches its system for linking potential patients with dermatologists for remote diagnosis and treatment.

High-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection in a subset of penile squamous cell carcinomas (PSCCs) may develop from undifferentiated penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN), a new study reveals.

Infantile hemangiomas grow faster and earlier in infants than previously thought, according to new research findings.

Correctly diagnosing the many mimics of lymphoma requires consideration of both clinical and pathological findings, said Antonio Subtil, M.D., M.B.A., at the 2012 American Academy of Dermatology Summer Academy Meeting.

Compared with all that are available worldwide, fillers in the United States comprise a fairly limited selection, says Hassan Galadari, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at the United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain.

Promising breakthroughs in treating children of color include the discovery that nutritional deficiencies may have implications in vitiligo, said Nanette Silverberg, M.D., at the 2012 American Academy of Dermatology Summer Academy Meeting.

Classical individualized homeopathic medicine provides a safe, inexpensive and nontoxic alternative for common dermatologic conditions such as acne, warts and eczema, according to Robert J. Signore, D.O.