Skin & Allergy News articles from January 2008

Skin & Allergy News archives from January 2008

Free ink removal offers clean start.
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Leg irons and handcuffs might not be the usual attire of patients at a doctor's office, but it's not unusual at Dr. Douglas Naverson's clinic in Medford, Ore. Along with the "lunch peel" and wrinkle treatments...

Fillers pose little pigmentation risk in skin of color: lack of previous data prompted the study.
January 1, 2008... MIAMI -- Two hyaluronic acid fillers were found to be safe and effective for the facial augmentation of patients with Fitzpatrick skin types IV through VI, according to a study presented at an international symposium sponsored by L'Oreal...

Aluminum plus radiation: is Skin Toxicity a myth?
January 1, 2008... Los ANGELES -- A small pilot study conducted at a community hospital in the Midwest challenges the common wisdom that breast cancer patients should shun aluminum-based deodorant when being treated with external radiation. Radiation...

Case of the month.(Ichthyosiform Mycosis Fungoides and Bazex Syndrome)
January 1, 2008... A 63-year-old African American man was evaluated for dysphonia, dysphagia, and weight loss. Exam revealed widespread tender, ulcerated, and indurated plaques on the extremities, chest, back, and head and neck, as well as remarkable ichthyosis...

Studies reveal genetics of vitiligo.(News)
January 1, 2008... BUENOS AIRES -- Recent genetic studies have advanced understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of complex disorders of pigmentation, Dr. Jean Bolognia said at the 21st World Congress of Dermatology. Vitiligo, a...

Dermatologists: when they plan to retire.(VITAL SIGNS)
January 1, 2008... 50% >15 years 14% 1-5 years 18% 6-10 years 19% 11-15 years Note: Table made from pie chart. Note: Based on a 2006 survey of 209 dermatologists. Source: Galderma

Ustekinumab found to improve psoriatic arthritis.(News)
January 1, 2008... BOSTON -- Inhibition of two key immunoregulatory cytokines known to be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases led to significant improvements in psoriatic arthritis, judging from data from a new study, Dr. Alice...

Face transplant 18-month results 'encouraging'.(News)
January 1, 2008... After 18 months, the functional and aesthetic outcomes of the first human face transplantation are satisfactory and "encouraging," according to the physicians who performed the surgery. It appears that face transplantation "can offer hope"...

FDA confiscates eyelash-lengthening product.(News)
January 1, 2008... The Food and Drug Administration seized more than 12,000 tubes of a product claiming to increase eyelash growth because it was found to contain bimatoprost--the active ingredient in a prescription glaucoma solution--that could potentially cause...

Adverse events prompt alert on smoking cessation drug.(News)
January 1, 2008... The Food and Drug Administration has issued an alert about postmarketing reports of suicidal thoughts, aggressive and erratic behavior, and drowsiness associated with varenicline, the smoking cessation drug marketed as Chantix. A notice...

Regulators are not yet ready to go behind the counter.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)
January 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration has no immediate plans to seek establishment of a new, behind-the-counter class of drugs, agency officials said at the conclusion of a day-long meeting on the topic in November. FDA Deputy...

New conflict rules set for advisory committees.(NEWS FROM THE FDA)
January 1, 2008... The Food and Drug Administration said it wants to require more public disclosure of advisory committee members' conflicts of interest and the information will be available on a new and improved Web site. The agency also said it will also...

Skin toxicity alert added to carbamazepine label.(News)
January 1, 2008... Patients of Asian ancestry are at significantly increased risk for fatal skin reactions when treated with carbamazepine and should first undergo genetic testing to assess their risk before initiating therapy, according to an alert issued today...

Universal screening renews HIV debate.(Guest Editorial)
January 1, 2008... When a person discloses a positive HIV status to a partner, the disclosure eliminates many of the moral, ethical, and legal considerations inherent in the opposite scenario. Just what is our responsibility as physicians in this regard? Do we...

Discretionary spending.(Under My Skin)
January 1, 2008... Chad sat on the exam table with an elegant black bag from Amphora, a local purveyor of high-end skin care products. "I need a prescription for Protopic," he said. "I'll put in for Prior Authorization," I replied. "But your insurance...

Dermatology is losing ground as medical profession.(Guest Editorial)
January 1, 2008... The gap is widening between medical and appearance-based dermatology. The field is now at a crossroads: Should the focus be on disease with science-based skin medicine, or on wellness with "lifestyle dermatology" directed at beauty and skin...

Team effort needed to treat Sturge-Weber.(Guest Editorial)
January 1, 2008... Consider the possibility of Sturge-Weber syndrome in neonates born with a facial port-wine birthmark. Sturge-Weber syndrome is a relatively rare congenital disorder that is indicated at birth by a pink to dark red port-wine birthmark, typically...

In fight against MRSA, panic is not a practical tool.(Guest Editorial)
January 1, 2008... Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has become the disease of the moment, with alarming headlines almost daily about the "killer" bacterium. While of course MRSA is a real concern, we physicians can help by reassuring people that we...

Nonablative fractional resurfacing improves acne scars in darker skin.(Aesthetic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MIAMI -- Nonablative fractional resurfacing with an erbium-doped 1,550-nm laser device can safely and effectively improve ache scarring among patients with skin types IV-VI, Dr. Wendy E. Roberts said at an...

Fractional laser side effect risk low, study finds.(Aesthetic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- Fractional laser photothermolysis should be considered first-line therapy for cutaneous resurfacing because of the device's efficacy in treating a wide range of skin types with minimal adverse events. "There is a very low...

Fresh scars respond well to fractional laser treatment.(Aesthetic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- The first reported treatment of fresh scars with fractional resurfacing shows the modality to be both safe and effective, which places the device in direct competition with the carbon dioxide laser. "Fractional laser treatment...

Laser therapy found effective for dermatosis papulosa Nigra.(Aesthetic Dermatology)(Medical condition overview)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2008... MIAMI -- Laser treatment improved dermatosis papulosa nigra with efficacy comparable to standard electrodesiccation, according to rater assessments in a randomized, split-face pilot study of skin types IV-VI. Subjective ratings, however,...

Fillers changing cosmetic approach.(Aesthetic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... LAS VEGAS -- The new approach in the cosmetic treatment of the aging face is to look beyond simply using fillers for wrinkles and to think about restoring volume in the upper face and cheeks, Dr. W. Philip Werschler said. "We are moving...

Oils and Mineral Oil.(Cosmeceutical Critique)
January 1, 2008... Oil is a substance that is liquid at room temperature and insoluble in water. It is both hydrophobic and lipophilic. In fact, dietary and topical oils contain copious lipids, which the skin requires for the proper formation and function of cell...

Green tea may complement retinoids, evidence suggests.(Aesthetic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... LAS VEGAS -- Beware the cosmeceutical claims about green tea and its antiaging properties. Although there is strong evidence that green tea contains substances that may ward off UVA-related skin damage, it is all from in vitro experiments,...

Skin ca risk up in RA patients on biologics.(Cutaneous Oncology)
January 1, 2008... Biologic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients has spurred an increase in melanoma and other skin cancers but not malignancies other than those of the skin, according to an observational study of 13,001 patients, reported Dr. Frederick...

Sirolimus use for Kaposi opens door to research.(Cutaneous Oncology)
January 1, 2008... ZURICH -- The effectiveness of sirolimus for treatment of Kaposi sarcoma arising in solid organ transplant recipients has opened the door to development of novel therapeutic approaches in the often more aggressive AIDS-related form of the...

Paclitaxel tops second-line choices for AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma.(Cutaneous Oncology)
January 1, 2008... ZURICH -- Intravenous paclitaxel is the treatment of choice in patients whose AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma isn't responsive to liposomal anthracydines, Dr. Erwin Tschachler said at the annual meeting of the European Society for Dermatological...

Orient nail biopsy specimens with paper template.(Cutaneous Oncology)
January 1, 2008... MONTEREY, CALIF. -- Proper management and orientation of nail biopsy specimens will help ensure that the ensuing diagnosis is accurate, Dr. Phoebe Rich advised colleagues at the annual meeting of the California Society of Dermatology and...

A multitude of initial diagnoses seen for nail SCC.(Cutaneous Oncology)
January 1, 2008... MONTEREY, CALIF. - The initial preoperative diagnoses of nail lesions that prove to be squamous cell carcinoma run the gamut from onychomycosis to subungual verruca, Dr. Phoebe Rich said at the annual meeting of the California Society of...

Intensity-modulated radiation Tx may cause less acute dermatitis.(Cutaneous Oncology)
January 1, 2008... Los ANGELES -- Use of intensity-modulated radiation therapy rather than conventional radiation significantly reduced the severity and duration of acute dermatitis in a review of consecutive cancer patients who underwent whole breast radiation...

Subungual melanoma often presents without any visible pigmentation.(Cutaneous Oncology)
January 1, 2008... NEW YORK -- Subungual melanomas are often difficult to diagnose and thus present in an advanced clinical stage with poor prognosis, Dr. Richard Scolyer said at the Fourth International Melanoma Congress. A review of the Sydney Melanoma...

Classic histology measures useful in melanoma exam of black patients.(Cutaneous Oncology)
January 1, 2008... BALTIMORE -- Several classic parameters of melanoma histology are associated with survival and thus have a role in evaluating black patients, according to a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Dermatopathology. ...

Top 5 skin diagnoses in study vary by ethnicity.(Ethnic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... MIAMI -- Unique structural and functional differences between the skin of black and white patients might help explain differences in the top five dermatology diagnoses for each ethnicity. "As diversity increases in the U.S., understanding...

Tips for treating the common skin disorders of black patients.(Ethnic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... BUENOS AIRES -- The five most common skin disorders of black patients can be effectively managed by understanding that not all skin types are treated the same, reported Dr. Susan C. Taylor at the at the 21st World Congress of Dermatology. ...

Ethnic skin differences quantified in two studies.(Ethnic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... MIAMI -- Although some skin features vary by ethnicity and with age, researchers found no significant seasonal differences in skin smoothness or dryness between African American, Chinese, white, or Hispanic women. In a second comparison, color...

Topical antioxidant soothes shaving irritation.(Ethnic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... MIAMI -- A topical tocopheryl phosphate complex effectively reduced problems associated with sensitive skin and shaving-induced irritation in a study of 28 Hispanic, Asian, and other participants. Tocopheryl phosphate occurs naturally and...

Lips' color characteristics appear to vary by ethnicity, age.(Ethnic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... MIAMI -- Differences in lip color vary by ethnicity and with aging, according to a study presented at an international symposium sponsored by L'Oreal Institute for Ethnic Hair and Skin Research. "We have a large range of skin tones in the...

Use of hair weaves may be linked to alopecia.(Ethnic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... MIAMI -- A strong association was found between the use of sewn-in or glued-in weaves by black women and development of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia in a retrospective survey. Investigators did not, however, fend a strong...

Few black women seek help for hair care consequences.(Ethnic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... MIAMI -- Many black women experience adverse events and dissatisfaction stemming from their hair care practices, but few seek medical advice, results of a survey presented at an international symposium sponsored by L'Oreal Institute for Ethnic...

Many African American women cite their hairstyle as exercise obstacle.(Ethnic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... MIAMI -- Nearly one-third of women of African descent exercise less because they have concerns about hairstyle management, according to a survey presented at an international symposium sponsored by L'Oreal Institute for Ethnic Hair and Skin...

Cultural sensitivity boosts treatment compliance.(Ethnic Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... BUENOS AIRES -- Cultural sensitivity is essential for dermatologists who work with Hispanic and Latino patients, Dr. David Rodriguez said at the 21st World Congress of Dermatology. "Many immigrants continue to adhere to their cultural views...

Pediatric S. aureus resistance to clindamycin stable.(Infectious Diseases)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2008... SAN DIEGO -- The overall rates of resistance of pediatric Staphylococcus aureus isolates to clindamycin remained stable at around 11% in Southern California between 2004 and the first half of 2007, results from a large study of patients from...

CDC relaunches Spanish web site.(Infectious Diseases)(Website overview)
January 1, 2008... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has relaunched its Spanish language Web site, CDC en Espanol, with new features. The site provides up-to-date information on health promotion and disease prevention topics of special interest to...

New MRSA subclone spread through skin contact.
January 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- The pUSA03 subclone of the USA300 strain is emerging as a major cause of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, especially in men who have sex with men. The new strain is likely spread through...

HIV-positive patients struggle with weight gain.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2008... SAN DIEGO -- In the 1980s, patients with HIV/AIDS commonly lost an excessive amount of weight, a process known as wasting. But today, these patients are becoming just as overweight and obese as the general population of the U.S., Dr. Nancy...

Think the worst with neonatal vesicles, pustules.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- When pediatricians call in dermatologists to assess neonatal vesiculopustular eruptions, what they're really asking is, "Could it be herpes?" said Dr. Ilona J. Frieden. Think of the neonate as an immuno-compromised host,...

Vaccination Technique, Adolescents' Weight Should influence choice of needle length.(Infectious Diseases)
January 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- When immunizing adolescents, body weight and injection technique should guide the needle choice, according to a poster presented at the annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Using a needle that...

CDC panel clarifies pneumococcal catch-up dosage guides.(Infectious Diseaseas)
January 1, 2008... ATLANTA -- Healthy children between 2 and 5 years of age who have been incompletely vaccinated against pneumococcal disease should receive one dose of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's...

Iatrogenic NICU injuries often overlooked, scarring is likely.(Pediatric Dermatology)(Medical condition overview)
January 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Iatrogenic injuries to a baby's skin from a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit often get overlooked until parents notice them at home and think they are seeing new injuries, Dr. Ilona J. Frieden said. "These are very...

Look for 'ugly duckling' among acquired nevi.(Pediatric Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- While scanning the acquired moles on the skin of a child or adolescent, consider whether individual moles look like they are part of a pack or if there is one that stands out--"the ugly duckling," Dr. Lawrence E Eichenfield...

Warn mothers that biting babies' nails can spread herpes.(Pediatric Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Mothers who bite their babies' nails instead of clipping or filing them can spread herpesvirus infection unwittingly, Dr. Meg C. Fisher warned. Biting off infant nails "'is a very common thing, particularly among Hispanic...

Management varies little in pediatric acne.(Pediatric Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Children can get acne at any age, but what parents think is acne actually may be something else, Dr. Rebecca L. Smith said at a meeting sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation. A good example is "neonatal acne."...

Image congenital dermoid cysts of the scalp.(Pediatric Dermatology)
January 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Nearly half of congenital dermoid cysts on infant heads may have risky intracranial connections that link the outside world to the brain, said Dr. Brandie J. Metz. Tracts that expose the brain put a child "at higher risk...

Early RA remission is achieved in a year with combination therapy.(Across Specialties)
January 1, 2008... BOSTON -- Half of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis treated with a combination of etanercept and methotrexate achieved disease remission within 1 year in the first major trial to use remission as the primary end point, Dr. Paul Emery...

Worldwide adult obesity rate hovers around 25%.(Across Specialties)
January 1, 2008... The rest of the world seems to be catching up with the United States in the prevalence of heftiness and obesity, according to a survey of primary care patients in 63 countries. Analysis of data from the survey, which excluded the United...

Proper nutrition, exercise help prevent cancer: a new, major report supports treating overweight and obesity like smoking, as an avoidable cause of cancer.(Across Specialties)
January 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- A new comprehensive evidence-based report issued by an international expert panel provides an unprecedented analysis supporting the preventability of cancer by way of diet, exercise, and avoidance of obesity. Developed over a...

Heavy fruit and vegetable diet may lower CHD, stroke risk.(Across Specialties)
January 1, 2008... Women who followed the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet had significant risk reductions of coronary heart disease and stroke, results from a cohort of participants in the ongoing Nurses Health Study showed. Previous studies...

Meth use up in women, teens, and minorities.(Across Specialties)
January 1, 2008... The abuse of methamphetamine remains a national epidemic--despite the recent enactment of federal laws that sharply limit access to products containing the ingredients needed for illegal manufacture of the drug, a new survey has found. A...

Success of addiction program for physicians charted in study.(Across Specialties)
January 1, 2008... CORONADO, CALIF. -- Of 104 physicians in New York state who were admitted to substance abuse treatment programs between 2003 and 2004 and were monitored for a mean of 41 months by the state's Committee for Physicians' Health, only 9 (9%) were...

HPV test boosts cervical neoplasia detection.(Across Specialties)
January 1, 2008... Testing for human papillomavirus DNA, either alone or with routine Pap screening, improves the detection of cervical intraepithdial neoplasia, two groups reported in separate studies. One of the groups also found that adding human...

More women seeking vulvovaginal plastic surgery.(Across Specialties)
January 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- A patient wants her hymen reattached as a 30-year wedding anniversary present to her husband. Would you support her request? Would your answer change if the patient were a 20-year-old woman seeking the same procedure because...

Look at other parts of the body to help make vulvar diagnosis.(Across Specialties)
January 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO -- Looking at other mucous membranes on the body may help identify subtle abnormalities that cause chronic pain, burning, or itching on the vulva. Just as a small aphthous ulcer in the mouth can cause remarkable pain, so can...

Oral contraceptive use for 10 years may up arterial plaque risk by 40%.(Across Specialties)
January 1, 2008... VIENNA -- Use of any type of oral contraceptive for 10 years was linked with about a 40% increase in relative risk of bilateral atherosclerosis in a Belgian study of about 1,300 women. The absolute risk of bilateral carotid plaque was about...

Current NSAIDs being called gut busters.(Across Specialties)
January 1, 2008... BOSTON -- Following years of decline, the rate of stomach complications in arthritis patients taking nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs appears to be on the rise as a result of a widening gap between NSAID prescriptions and therapies that...

Don't discount severity of small-vessel vasculitis.(Across Specialties)
January 1, 2008... BOSTON -- Despite the availability of "pretty good therapies" for Wegeners granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis, "these forms of small-vessel vasculitis still regularly kill people, so do not underestimate the misery associated with...

Adjust wegeners, polyangiitis regimens as needed.(Across Specialties)(Clinical report)
January 1, 2008... BOSTON -- The current standard of care for the initial treatment of severe Wegeners granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis--glucocorticoids plus daily oral or pulse intravenous cyclophosphamide--is a good one, but it's far from perfect,...

Covance makes iPledge changes.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Covance, the company that developed and manages the iPLEDGE risk management program for the acne drug isotretinoin, has formally incorporated changes to the program that were finalized by the Food and Drug Administration in early October. The...

Melanoma grant worth $1.8 million.(Policy & Practice)
January 1, 2008... Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, has been chosen to be the lead institution for a $1.8 million collaborative melanoma research project funded by a grant from the WM. Keck Foundation. Also...

FDA can't fulfill mission.(Policy & Practice)
January 1, 2008... Three members of the Food and Drug Administration's Science Board issued a damning report on the state of the agency, saying that "the agency suffers from serious scientific deficiencies and is not positioned to meet current or emerging...

Access reduced by cost.(Policy & Practice)(Report)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Forty million Americans can't get access to needed health care, and 20% said the main reason was because they could not afford the services, according to a report issued in December by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health,...

Improvement through transparency.(Policy & Practice)(Survey)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Transparency of quality and price information is important or very important for improving the U.S. health care system, according to 77% of 241 health care opinion leaders surveyed in October 2007 by Harris Interactive on behalf of the...

Managing your dermatology practice: new year's resolutions.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2008... Ah, the start of a new year--the traditional time for resolutions, for turning over new leaves, for promising (yet again) to break all those annoying bad habits once and for all. As long as you're pledging to break bad habits at home, why...

The rest of your life: the 50 peaks that 'changed my life'.(Practice Trends)(Reprint)
January 1, 2008... Dr. Douglas Butler and a climbing guide were trekking to the summit of Wyoming's tallest mountain. Gannett Peak (13,804 feet), when danger struck. They had gotten off route and the morning sun began to loosen large rocks from steep...

Kucinich is lone candidate for single-payer system.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Anyone who asks Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) about health care policy should be prepared for the conversation to evolve into other areas--like the Iraq war. "Health care spending does not occur in a vacuum," Rep. Kucinich...

Cleveland Clinic unveils state-of-art medical record system.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2008... The Cleveland Clinic has established a state-of-the-art electronic medical records system to provide the best information not only to clinicians, but also to patients, according to one of the system's architects. The goal is to make sure...

Grants seek to spur pace of quality improvement.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2008... Participants in several hospital and physician-related quality organizations are sanguine that almost $16 million in grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will hasten development of national cost and quality measures, as well as...

Popularity of personal health records growing.(Practice Trends)
January 1, 2008... As physicians struggle to decide if or when to incorporate electronic health records into their practices, personal health records are gaining popularity. Personal health records (PHRs) allow patients to store and access their medical...

Cancer follow-up could shift to primary care.(Practice Trends)(Survey)
January 1, 2008... CHICAGO -- Primary care physicians are willing to assume a greater role in providing comprehensive care to adult cancer survivors, new data suggest. Of 330 community-based primary care physicians surveyed in Canada, 40% said they would be...

Wrinkle-reducing products.(Products)
January 1, 2008... Creme Biofixine and Masque Creme Biofixine reduce wrinkles through oxygenation, hydration, and anti-free radical activity, as well as by exerting firming and tensing effects on the skin. Ingredients include green anise extract, walnut extract,...

Tearless solar protection.(Products)
January 1, 2008... Azur moisturizer and antiaging cream provides sun protection for the face without stinging the eyes. The cream contains natural sunscreens; vitamins A, C, and E for antioxidant protection; and aloe vera and other moisturizers. It is free of...

Mosaic fractional laser system.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The Mosaic fractional laser system has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for marketing in the United States. The device is cleared for dermatology procedures involving soft-tissue coagulation. Mosaic uses multiple...

Arnica capsules for surgical swelling.(Products)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Capsules containing Food and Drug Administration-approved homeopathic arnica can be used to relieve the bruising and swelling that follow dermal filler injections and other cosmetic surgery procedures. The dosage is one capsule twice daily. The...

Two-step peel system.(Products)
January 1, 2008... The Kinerase Pro + Therapy in-office peel system starts with the in-office peel prep to open the pores, which permits a shorter peeling time and less inflammation. Next, the in-office peel, containing kinetin and zeatin, is used to reduce the...