News

It is amazing that hair grows fervently in mature men's ears and not on their heads. Ear hair is particularly challenging because it does not respond well to laser hair removal.

"A new microwave-based device is achieving long-lasting results in treating hyperhidrosis, said Suzanne L. Kilmer, M.D., at this year's MauiDerm: Advances in Cosmetic and Medical Dermatology. Approved for primary axillary hyperhidrosis in January 2011, the miraDry System (Miramar Labs) essentially kills targeted sweat glands with microwave energy."

It was the late 1980s, and David J. Leffell, M.D., set out to launch a dermatologic surgery and oncology program at Yale University School of Medicine. His aim: To marry advanced diagnostic and treatment techniques in cutaneous oncology with clinical research.

Interferon and the recently Food and Drug Administration-approved pegylated interferon remain relevant adjuvant therapies for patients with lymph node-positive melanoma, even in light of advances with CTLA4 blockade and BRAF-targeted therapies for late-stage disease, says Vernon K. Sondak, M.D., chairman, department of cutaneous oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Fla.

Differentiating benign nail pigmentations such as melanonychia from either nail or nail matrix melanoma is especially difficult in children because pediatric lesions present differently than they do in adults, according to Antonella Tosti, M.D., professor of the department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Motivation, opportunity and rationalization. This may sound like the title of a new James Bond film, but in reality, it's the triad of factors that provides fertile ground for the internal fraud that is an all-too-common occurrence in dermatologists' offices. A recent survey by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) revealed that 82.8 percent of managers had worked in a practice that experienced embezzlement.

Dermatology Times welcomes Albert C. Yan, M.D., as the newest member to its Editorial Advisory Council. Dr. Yan is the chief of pediatric dermatology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where he is also an associate professor of pediatrics and dermatology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Although the risk of melanoma is especially high for youth and young adults who engage in indoor tanning, tanning salon workers across the nation have told congressional undercover investigators that indoor tanning is safe and the idea that indoor tanning can cause skin cancer is false.

The combined use of propranolol and pulsed dye laser (PDL) resulted in more rapid and complete clearance of infantile hemangiomas than propranolol monotherapy, according to data presented at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) status represents the most important prognostic factor for disease-specific survival in primary cutaneous melanomas, said Christopher K. Bichakjian, M.D., at the 70th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. However, he says, its impact on overall survival remains unclear.

Chronic inflammation following Lyme disease may respond to therapy that targets inflammation custom-designed peptides, according to a team of investigators. The team has submitted a pre-Investigative New Drug (pIND) letter to the Food and Drug Administration as a step toward testing whether a novel treatment based on this model is effective.

According to the National Cancer Institute, skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, and its prevalence keeps growing. And despite an abundance of initiatives designed to increase sun protection and early detection, people don't seem to be acting on what they know.

The estate of a deceased patient has sued Dr. Mole for not making a melanoma diagnosis earlier. The plaintiff's attorney has offered a settlement agreement for $1 million. He is concerned about the settlement being listed in the National Data Practitioner Data Bank. His attorney assures Dr. Mole that as this late point in his career this will do little to no impact on his reputation.

Although the expression "I was so stressed I broke out in hives" is quite common, it can be a challenge for dermatologists to identify the psychosocial precipitants of chronic urticaria, according to Josie Howard, M.D., a psychiatrist in private practice, and clinical instructor departments of psychiatry and dermatology, University of California, San Francisco. But that is beginning to change, she says.

Hair disorders such as alopecia areata and trichotillomania often involve a complex mind-body connection that dermatologists must untangle, according to Wilma Bergfeld, M.D., in practice at the Cleveland Clinic. "Management of these types of conditions often requires consultation and support of a psychologist or psychiatrist," she says.

Suneva Medical has acquired a new product line, including worldwide rights to Refissa (tretinoin 0.05 percent), from Spear Pharmaceuticals.

A person’s eye color may help to predict risk for vitiligo, according to results of a new study.

A new study shows that a hormone that is associated with maintaining bone health may also help to boost antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expression when dietary vitamin D levels are low.

Scientists have taken skin cells from patients with advanced heart failure and used them to create healthy, patient-specific heart muscle cells, according to results of a recent study.

New research suggests aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may help protect against skin cancer.

Another recent study has shown that the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib is safe and effective in treating advanced melanoma.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis has signed an agreement to acquire Fougera Pharmaceuticals for more than $1.5 billion in cash.

Data from an ongoing clinical evaluation of a combination of two drugs in patients with advanced melanoma is showing promise as a new way of treating the disease.

Cosmetic manufacturer L’Oréal?s attempt to trademark products with a similar name to Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA, Allergan), was rejected by the top European Union court.

Langerhans cells (LCs), immune cells found in the skin, can be both helpful and harmful, allowing beneficial microbes to live as well as attacking harmful foreign bodies, depending on the situation, a new study proposes.

New research proposes that zinc oxide, a common ingredient in sunscreens, may not be as effective as previously thought and may actually cause damage to cells.

Dermatology Times welcomes Albert C. Yan, M.D., as the newest member to its Editorial Advisory Council. Dr. Yan is the chief of pediatric dermatology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he is also an associate professor of pediatrics and dermatology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Many young adults engage in high-risk sun exposure and indoor tanning behaviors even as skin cancer rates among this age group continue to rise, according to recent studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute.

Vermont residents under age 18 will have to wait until the sun is out to tan. A new law there will ban the use of indoor tanning beds by minors, making it the second state in the country, after California, to place an age restriction on indoor tanning.

The Food and Drug Administration has delayed for six months regulations that would require sunscreen makers to change product labels to more clearly state how much protection they offer from the sun.