Integumentary System

Diet in Atopic Dermatitis, Acne, and Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

REVIEW · December 01, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors of this evidence-based review summarize the role of diet in patients with atopic dermatitis, acne, and nonmelanoma skin cancer. Prenatal and postnatal probiotic supplementation decreases the risk for atopic dermatitis, and breastfeeding is protective in high-risk infants, but not in those at normal risk. Multiple randomized […]

How to Tell a Mole from Melanoma

These pictures show normal moles and melanomas. Most people have moles and they are almost always harmless. Although the first sign of a melanoma is often a change in a mole, it does not necessarily mean that all changes are melanomas. ABCDEs of Melanoma A = Asymmetry Melanomas are frequently asymmetrical: the shape of one […]

Are You Bathing Your Baby Too Much? Improper Care of Infant’s Skin May Increase Risk for Eczema

The Wall Street Journal By DANA WECHSLER LINDEN Nov. 3, 2014 11:19 a.m. ET Are You Bathing Your Baby Too Much? Improper Care of Infant’s Skin May Increase Risk for Eczema New thinking on the cause of eczema is prompting some scientists to investigate whether how parents care for their infants’ skin has contributed to […]

Vitamin D Supplements May Help To Alleviate Winter-Related Atopic Dermatitis in Children

Vitamin D Supplements May Help To Alleviate Winter-Related Atopic Dermatitis in Children First Posted: Oct 03, 2014 05:16 PM EDT By Kathleen Lees Some children suffer from winter-related atopic dermatitis–a chronic inflammatory disorder of the skin that makes victims uncomfortable and more prone to a vulnerable bacterial infection. Now, recent findings published in the Journal […]

Complementary and Alternative Medicines and Childhood Eczema: A US Population-Based Study

Dermatitis. 2014 Sep-Oct;25(5):246-54. doi: 10.1097/DER.0000000000000072. Complementary and Alternative Medicines and Childhood Eczema: A US Population-Based Study. Silverberg JI1, Lee-Wong M, Silverberg NB. Abstract The prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in US children with eczema is unknown. Furthermore, it is unknown whether CAM use in the United States is associated with higher eczema […]

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Dermatology and Primary Care Clinics

RESEARCH · September 24, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE A survey found significant use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by patients in two California clinics (a family practice clinic and a dermatology clinic). CAM use for skin conditions (reported by 13.4% of patients) was not significantly different between the two clinics (in contrast, 39.2% reported using […]

Check Thyroid Function in Children With Vitiligo

Frontline Medical News, 2014 Aug 22, B Jancin COEUR D’ALENE, IDAHO (FRONTLINE MEDICAL NEWS) – Every child and adolescent with vitiligo should undergo a laboratory evaluation that includes thyroid function tests and antibody levels, Dr. Pearl E. Grimes advised at the annual meeting of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology. “At some point, we used to […]

Is Stress Taking a Toll on Our Skin?

by Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today August 10, 2014 CHICAGO — Clinicians have long suspected that physical manifestations of stress include skin problems. Now scientific evidence has accumulated to justify the suspicion. Decades of puzzling and seemingly anomalous clinical observations have converged with advances in neurochemistry and molecular signaling to build an increasingly persuasive […]

The link between serum vitamin D level, sensitization to food allergens, and the severity of atopic dermatitis in infancy

J Pediatr. 2014 Oct;165(4):849-54.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.06.058. Epub 2014 Aug 6. The link between serum vitamin D level, sensitization to food allergens, and the severity of atopic dermatitis in infancy. Baek JH, Shin YH, Chung IH, Kim HJ, Yoo EG, Yoon JW, Jee HM, Chang YE, Han MY. Abstract OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between serum […]

The Natural History of Chronic Urticaria in Childhood

July 29, 2014 Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology TAKE-HOME MESSAGE This prospective study followed 92 children, aged 4 to 15 years, with chronic urticaria (CU). Food allergy was found in 8.7%, parasitic infestations in 5.4%, and chronic autoimmune urticaria in 40%. Remission rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 18.5%, 54%, and […]

Surgeon General: Tanning, indoor Tanning Must Stop

Surgeon General: Tanning, indoor Tanning Must Stop Frontline Medical News, 2014 Jul 29, A Ault The U.S. Surgeon General’s office is calling on Americans to do more to help prevent skin cancer, saying that it is a growing public health problem. The five-point call to action singled out ultraviolet light exposure – from indoor and […]

Dermatologists Discuss Causes of Hair Loss and Vitiligo in Children

Practice Update Sarah L Chamlin MD July 23, 2014–Several topics related to pediatric hair loss were discussed at the 40th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology, held in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, July 9th through the 12th, 2014. Sheila Fallon Friedlander, MD, from the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues presented a poster […]

What’s the Link? Psoriasis and Heart Failure

PracticeUpdate.com Peter Libby MD In a recent article published in the European Journal of Heart Failure, Dr. Usman Khalid and colleagues interrogated the national database of Denmark to probe the link between psoriasis and the risk for heart failure.1 They followed a cohort for 14 years and identified psoriasis diagnoses by identifying individuals who received prescriptions for topical vitamin […]

When It Comes to Tanning, There’s No Such Thing as “Safe” or “Healthy”

PracticeUpdate July 10, 2014 Louis Barich MD The FDA has reclassified tanning beds after recognizing the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) tanning radiation and now requires warnings on sunlamp products. These are the early steps to continued regulatory efforts that should eventually result in a total ban on UV tanning radiation for minors. All of us […]

Long-term use of beta blockers increases the risk for developing psoriasis.

Risk for Psoriasis Associated With Hypertension and Its Treatment RESEARCH · July 02, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In this prospective cohort study using data from participants in the Nurses’ Health Study, the authors found a small, but significant, increased risk for psoriasis in individuals with hypertension for ≥6 years and in those on beta blockers for […]

Stress and Atopic Dermatitis

Psychodermatological Aspects of Atopic Dermatitis Practice Update Review · July 01, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Produced in response to stress, neuroendocrine mediators, such as adrenocorticotropin, β-endorphin, catecholamines, and cortisol, lead to an increase in glucocorticoids, which can disrupt the skin’s barrier function, paving the way for atopic dermatitis (AD). The symptoms of AD often cause stress […]

Early-Onset Basal Cell Carcinoma and Indoor Tanning

Early-Onset Basal Cell Carcinoma and Indoor Tanning: A Population-Based Study RESEARCH · June 23, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Epidemiological studies point to rising incidence rates of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), particularly those diagnosed at younger ages, which may be linked to indoor tanning. This population-based case-control study from New Hampshire compared 657 BCC patients with 452 […]

Evaluation of TNF-α serum level in patients with recalcitrant multiple common warts, treated by lipid garlic extract

Dermatol Ther. 2014 Jun 9. doi: 10.1111/dth.12136. [Epub ahead of print] Evaluation of TNF-α serum level in patients with recalcitrant multiple common warts, treated by lipid garlic extract. Kenawy S1, Mohammed GF, Younes S, Elakhras AI. Abstract No universal consensus about optimal modality for treating the recalcitrant multiple common warts (RMCW). The objective of the […]

Probiotics and Prebiotics in Dermatology

Practice Update REVIEW · June 04, 2014 Story Source TAKE-HOME MESSAGE A review of studies testing probiotics and prebiotics used in dermatologic conditions reported a decrease in the incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in infants and some benefit in acne, photoprotection, and wound healing. Probiotics and prebiotics have antimicrobial properties that appear to play a […]

Moles and apple cider vinegar

by todd caldecott One of the things about getting older, is that you discover new things about yourself. Like for example, the mole I had growing on the left side of my head, just below my hair line. It never really drew my attention until my hairline started to recede a little. Initially, it was […]