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A nonablative 1,550 nm erbium-doped fiber laser effectively treats facial and non-facial photodamage, rhytids and dyspigmentation with a favorable side effect and recovery profile, according to a recent study.

Results from a repeat treatment study highlight the persistence of the benefits provided by the family of smooth-gel hyaluronic acid fillers (Juvéderm, Allergan) for correction of nasolabial folds. The retreatment was administered within 24 to 36 weeks after the last initial treatment. It required significantly less filler volume than originally, and after 24 weeks, was associated with clinically significant improvement exceeding that achieved originally.

A clinician's physical assessment of a patient with diabetes should include evaluating the patient's vascular status, bony/structural deformities, footwear and foot sensation. Because diabetic patients may have sensory neuropathy, the nerves in their feet do not provide the alarms or triggers that tell them that there is possible trauma to the foot that could lead to ulceration.

San Antonio - Adam Jeremy Freidman, M.D., won first place in the North American Clinical Dermatologic Society (NACDS) Resident Clinical Research Award competition, sponsored by Abbott Laboratories.

Along with the perils of industry support (see main story), controversies facing dermatologists include the impact of biologic drugs for psoriasis, the efficacy of treating actinic keratoses (AKs) for cancer prevention, the advancement of pay-for-performance programs, the rise in Mohs utilization rates and the role of food allergies in childhood eczema, experts say.

The increased risk of skin cancer through exposure to sunlight, and the benefits of that exposure through enhanced production of vitamin D, were brought into sharper focus in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science in January.

The University of California, San Francisco, news release on the CA-MRSA paper highlighted the "superbug" nature of the research. It also used language suggesting that gay men were not part of the "general population."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is appealing a Federal Court order requiring the release of information about the number of Medicare claims filed by individual physicians. The order was the result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by Consumers' CHECKBOOK/Center for the Study of Services, a nonprofit consumer research and information organization.

Washington & You

WASHINGTON – A new report to Congress this month by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is expected to recommend that lawmakers approve an average increase in Medicare physician fees of 1.1 percent for 2009 rather than allowing a scheduled 5 percent reduction to take effect.

Dear Editor: I read with interest John Jesitus' December article, "M.D., D.O. Disparity," which highlighted osteopathic and allopathic dermatology education, and how differences between the two groups have become less obvious since the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) first recognized the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD) as a subspecialty college in 1957.

Much about it is still somewhat of a mystery, but early findings on a topical form of botulinum toxin have been compelling enough to earn a $20 million show of support from Medicis and catapult the research onto the cosmetic medicine radar.