Posts Tagged ‘Treatment’
What smart skin products can I use to get rid of my acne problems?
There are several great acne products that one can get without a prescription and many that are not that good. In some cases, these over-the-counter products are all that one needs. In other cases, prescription-strength products are needed. If someone has scars, this is not the same as skin stains, then one should see a…
Read MoreBLACK SALVE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR SKIN CANCER
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 74% of persons using black salve were not aware of the possible side effects of the remedy, including infection, scarring, and disfigurement. Black salve can destroy the top layer of skin, but most cancers lie beneath this layer and continue to grow.…
Read MoreNEW “LASER” TO TREAT SKIN CANCER
Every day a patient contacts me as a nearby Dermatology group is running a television advertisement of a new treatment for skin cancer that does not require surgery. Interestingly, every patient says it is a laser. Well, this is not the case. This “new” treatment is not new at all. It is electron beam treatment,…
Read MoreNEW SCAR TREATMENT FOR THICK SCARS
Tranilast 8% liposomal gel was shown to be effective in treating scars from cesarean sections. Patients were asked to treat half of their scars with this gel and the other half with placebo. Patients were much more satisfied with the Tranilast side. Unfortunately, this treatment has not been compared to other treatments, including steroid injections and…
Read MoreFDA APPROVES FIRST TREATMENT FOR METASTATIC MERKEL CELL CARCINOMA
The US Food and Drug Administration has granted accelerated approval to Bavencio (avelumab) for the treatment of metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC)–one of the most deadly skin cancers. Prior to this, there have been no FDA-approved treatment for this deadly cancer.
Read MoreOTC ANTIHISTAMINE HELPFUL FOR THOSE WITH ALOPECIA AREATA
Taking an over-the-counter antihistamine, such as Allegra, daily was shown to be helpful in the treatment of alopecia areata, when used with other treatments. At his medication is very safe, it should be considered as an “additional” treatment for patients suffering from this condition.
Read MoreTHE ACNE ONE-TWO PUNCH–THE BEST OVER-THE-COUNTER TREATMENT
Finally, patients are able to self-treat mild to moderate inflammatory and comedonal acne with over-the-counter treatments. Blackheads and whiteheads can now be treated effectively with Differin gel, which went over-the-counter earlier this year. This medication is similar to Retin A, the drug everyone knows about. These medications help to unclog pores are and more effective…
Read MoreHIGH COSTS CITED AS MAJOR REASON PATIENTS DO NOT ADHERE TO THEIR TREATMENTS
Has anybody seen the changes in the cost of medications lately? In case you have not noticed, they have soared completely out of control. For example, a bottle of 100 doxycycline capsules used to cost about $4. Today that same bottle is well over $100. Patients are faced with high copayments for their medications, which…
Read MoreCHOOSE THE BEST MOHS’ SURGEON
According to a recent study, there is great variation from one Mohs’ surgeon to another when having Mohs’ surgery. In this study, they found that the mean number of stages per case was 1.47 (range, 1.09-4.11). The variation in range is huge!!! Thirty-five percent of surgeons were persistent outliers (performed more stages than the mean) in all three…
Read More“NEW” TOPICAL TREATMENT FOR MELANOMA IN SITU: NOT SO FAST!
Melanoma in situ is a common tumor, and often affects the elderly. In some cases, surgery can be extremely extensive and/or patients are not good surgical candidates. For years, Dermatogists have been offering topical imiquimod (Aldara) to these patients as an alternative to surgery, with the full understanding that it is not as good as…
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