Dermatology News and Research

Latest Dermatology News and Research

Detection levels of deadly form of melanoma remains the same

Despite campaigns promoting early detection and increased awareness of melanoma (skin cancer) the proportion of the most aggressive and deadly form of melanoma remains the same, according to an article in the June issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

20 Jun 2005

Holographic movies show promise for medical applications

In a small research laboratory at UT Southwestern Medical Center, a grainy, red movie of circling fighter jets emerges from a table-top black box, while nearby, a video of a rotating human heart hangs suspended in a tank of gooey gel.

14 Jun 2005

Novel and more effective way of testing which gene mutations cause cancer

Often cancer research goes like this: study cancerous cells in a lab dish, find mutations that appear in many of the samples, develop drugs to target proteins made by the mutated genes, and voila, new chemotherapy drugs are born. Or at least that's the hope.

12 Jun 2005

Ceramide can be administered through the blood stream to target and kill cancer cells

A Penn State College of Medicine study shows for the first time in an animal model that ceramide, a naturally occurring substance that prevents the growth of cells, can be administered through the blood stream to target and kill cancer cells.

25 May 2005

Sunshine makes you feel good and may also help fight cancers

Although Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, gets little media attention, it is, surprisingly, a good tool in the fight against cancer.

22 May 2005

Increased levels of estrogen that occur during pregnancy may be associated with improvement in psoriasis

Anecdotal reports have suggested that psoriasis tends to improve during pregnancy, according to background information in the article. The current study investigated prospectively how psoriasis fluctuates in pregnancy and correlated progesterone and estrogen levels in pregnancy with psoriatic change.

16 May 2005

Intralesional immunotherapy for common warts is effective and safe

Injection of skin test antigens (preparations used in skin tests for immunity) into warts appears to stimulate the immune system and successfully treat the injected wart and also helps to treat distant non-injected warts, according to a study in the May issue of Archives of Dermatology.

16 May 2005

Acne drug not linked to increased suicide risk

A recent study has found that the popular acne-fighting drug Accutane, which has been linked to birth defects, did not cause depression in a group of adolescents.

16 May 2005

Majority of women still prefer the bronzed look over their natural skin tone

Skin care products and cosmetic therapies that promise to erase the telltale signs of sun damage are everywhere. Ironically, women who seek these treatments to improve the appearance of their skin could have avoided their fate by avoiding excessive sun exposure in the first place.

2 May 2005

Teenagers sunbake despite skin cancer knowledge

A teenager’s world is paved with warning signs. Whether the signs urge teens to avoid drinking, smoking or even tanning, the message is the same – sooner or later, the consequences of their actions will catch up with them. When it comes to tanning, teenagers know that tanning can cause skin cancer but choose to tan to “look good” anyway, according to a new survey by the American Academy of Dermatology.

2 May 2005

Increasing exposure to either natural or artificial ultraviolet (UV) light should not be recommended as a supplemental source of vitamin D

Based on data reviewed by a consensus conference convened by the American Academy of Dermatology Association to examine the relationship between sunlight, tanning booths and vitamin D, renowned medical experts agreed that increasing exposure to either natural or artificial ultraviolet (UV) light should not be recommended as a supplemental source of vitamin D.

2 May 2005

Adults are much more likely to protect their children from the sun than themselves

Adults with children or grandchildren know that protecting their little ones from the sun is essential to preventing painful sunburns. But while parents and grandparents are busy slathering kids with sunscreen and arming them with hats and protective clothing, they are not as likely to practice this same behavior when it comes to protecting themselves, according to a new survey by the American Academy of Dermatology.

2 May 2005

Shade structure grants help make it safer to have fun in the sun

With warm, sunny weather outside, no one wants to find themselves cooped up indoors, especially children. But heading outdoors without adequate sun protection can lead to a sunburn that lingers long after the outdoor fun has ended. Sunburns are known to have a cumulative effect and can lead to future skin cancers including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

2 May 2005

Sex, age and sun exposure linked to frequency of sunburns

In Danish volunteers, sunburn was typically associated with female sex, younger age, high risk behaviors like sunbathing, and long hours exposed to the sun, according to an article in the April issue of Archives of Dermatology.

19 Apr 2005

Dermatologists use patterns to recognize melanoma

Dermatologists depend on overall pattern recognition and comparison rather than specific analytic criteria to distinguish melanoma lesions (malignant skin cancer) from harmless skin moles, according to an article in the April issue of Archives of Dermatology.

19 Apr 2005

New optical method will help diagnose various types of skin cancers

A new optical method that can image subsurface structures under skin has been demonstrated by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

12 Apr 2005

Experts call for improved access to treatment for psoriatic arthritis

MPs gathered at the House of Commons on Tuesday (April 5th) as experts and patient groups urged members of parliament to lobby for improved access to treatment for patients with psoriatic arthritis, a little known and poorly understood condition in which patients experience symptoms of both psoriasis and arthritis.

6 Apr 2005

Promising results reported for HIV patients suffering from facial wasting

Physicians from leading plastic surgery and dermatology practices report positive results from HIV patients participating in a clinical trial of Radiesse synthetic injectable implant on facial wasting. The trial is intended to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of this widely used tissue augmentation therapy as a treatment for the facial changes that socially stigmatize many HIV-infected patients.

23 Mar 2005

Study suggests combination therapy could stop spread, halt growth of melanomas

Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine have identified the mechanism by which the most mutated gene in melanoma, called v599EB-Raf, aids melanoma tumor development demonstrating its importance as a therapeutic target.

22 Mar 2005

Ultraviolet instant cameras may help change sun protection behaviors

Photographs that reveal hidden skin damage from ultraviolet (UV) exposure from the sun, combined with information on sunless tanning alternatives, was effective in encouraging sun protection behaviors in a small group of college students, according to an article in the March issue of Archives of Dermatology.

22 Mar 2005