Science/Technology
iPhone a Treatment for Acne? There’s an App for That.
A Houston based dermatologist is the mastermind behind the new AcneApp, an iphone application that was designed to help treat and/or eliminate your acne. The new app was inspired by professional acne light treatments, sometimes known as blue light therapy that uses light energy to kill the bacteria that causes acne.
The AcneApp, is supposedly a mini version of traditional acne light therapy, and alternately emits blue and red lights to kill acne bacteria and ultimately clear up zits. The app recommends use of the “light therapy” at least two minutes per day.
Does the acne light app really work? In our opinion, no. The laser and light energy used in professional acne light treatments are much more powerful than those that would be emitted from a cell phone light bulb covered by a blue or red screen. So far, the FDA agrees with us and has not validated nor even investigated these claims.
If you have a real acne problem, you should make an appointment with a board certified dermatologist, and not rely on a blinking cell phone app to cure the problem. Any of the dermatologists at Dermatology Associates of Atlanta will be happy to meet with you and develop a treatment plan most suitable for your needs.
A New Clinical Drug Shows Promise in the Fight Against Skin Cancer
A new clinical drug in the early testing phase shows promise in the fight against skin cancer. The new pill, called PLX4032, targets a specific gene mutation of the BRAF gene – joining a long line of new cancer treatments that target specific genes.
While only the first phase of testing has been done (on a small group of participants), 70 percent of patients with the gene mutation experienced shrinking of their malignant tumors. Giving hope to the researchers for a breakthrough in skin cancer treatment, more testing has been scheduled for late 2009 and early 2010.
The BRAF gene mutation (which the new pill is hoping to treat) contributes to about 60 percent of melanoma cases. As you have read about in our previous blogs, melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer and patient survival rate is significantly smaller when the melanoma spreads. That is why it is so important to gets your moles checked regularly by a board certified dermatologist and to report abnormalities you find on your skin. For melanoma, you should look for dark, either brown or black lesions. Melanoma is usually in the shape of a mole, sore, lump, or growth on the skin so you should be observant of any moles changing size, shape, elevation, or color.
If you find a spot on your skin that is of concern or if you just need to come in for a routine mole check, contact the office of Dermatology Associates of Atlanta.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE58M2AG20090923
Another Skin Cancer Detection Method: Dogs
Rigorous studies have long been done on dogs to determine just how sensitive their sense of smell is. Many results indicate it is such a strong sense for dogs that they are able to detect various kinds of cancer to a high level of accuracy, including early stages of lung and breast cancer by nothing more than smelling a patient’s breath.
Such was the case for a man near Oxford, England. His dog tried to sniff and get at a mole on the man’s chest – a mole he had for over 15 years. Eventually, he went to the hospital and after his skin biopsy and two weeks of waiting, he received word he had melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. He got the mole removed soon after and has not encountered any problems – thanks to his dog, he says.
source: www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/130393.php
Introducing Zerona® – the New Non-invasive Liposuction Technique!
We have all dreamed of a magic machine, pill, or procedure that would instantly make us slimmer. For years, traditional liposuction (and a combination of healthy diet and exercise) was the closest option to realizing this dream; but now body contouring technology has gone one step further with the introduction of Zerona®.
Zerona® isn’t magic (in fact it is laser technology), but it can provide exceptional body slimming results (similar to liposuction) with no surgery, no pain, and no recovery time. Instead of traditional liposuction where the excess fat is surgically removed from the body with a tube, the Zerona® treatment is done outside of the body using a low-level laser. This laser targets fat storing cells or adipose tissue (the fatty tissue that makes up those “problem areas” on our body) that is close to the skin surface and creates a very small pore in each fat cell’s protective membrane. This causes the excess fatty matter in the cell to be pushed out and eventually flushed out through our body’s natural detoxification system.
Because the fat is pushed out naturally, instead of surgically, patients can return to their daily activities right after the laser treatment. On the other hand, a single Zerona® cannot remove as much fat as traditional liposuction, so patients must come back for an average of six treatments.
Zerona® has been proven effective to reduce cellulite, contour and reshape the body and tighten and tone loose or sagging skin. Like traditional liposuction, it can also target specific problem areas of the body to reduce fat and trim inches.
Zerona® may not be the best option for severely overweight or obese patients. Also, like any other weight loss plan needs to be done in conjunction with healthy eating and exercise.
Dermatology Associates is excited to be offering this new body slimming technology; call to find out when this service will be available and to schedule a consultation.
New Technology May Minimize Necessity of Biopsy
A handheld microscope is in development stages at Vanderbilt University, meant to help doctors get a better idea when a biopsy is necessary. As of right now, biopsies are always necessary to determine whether or not a blemish on the skin is cancerous. If successful, this handheld microscope will streamline the process in diagnosing cancers – a practice all too backed-up by sheer volume of diagnoses.
The microscope works by using a laser light to illuminate the patient’s skin instead of regular white light. This helps form an image of the skin’s cellular structure and based on how the individual cells reflect the laser light, can determine the cell’s chemical composition. This is called spectroscopy and is the backbone of the microscope’s technology, as the compositions found on the patient can be compared to known strings of cancer.
The final product is still in research & development stages, but if the technology proves beneficial, this microscope may be found in offices worldwide and could greatly improve cancer detection, prevention, and treatment.
New Melanoma Diagnosis Technique Proves Significant
Melanoma is the most deadly variety of skin cancer. If not detected early, it becomes increasingly difficult to treat. In the past, ways to diagnose melanoma were limited – skin biopsies are standard practice, but patients have to be concerned enough about a spot on their skin to come in and see a doctor. A new technique using genetic markers is proving highly accurate, even in cases where traditional biopsies gave ambiguous results.
This new diagnosis technique emerged from researchers identifying around 1,000 human genes present in different stages of malignant melanomas as opposed to benign moles. These were narrowed down to five genetic markers showing higher activity in melanomas; using these as a base, previously diagnosed tissue samples of melanoma were examined and the result was clear: the melanomas had a statistically significant jump in protein production compared to benign moles, making this technique a reliable indicator of melanoma. The proteins themselves even showed different patterns of activity between the two types of tissue, creating a second, unexpected, diagnostic indicator.
The accuracy of this new technique is proven in research – 95% accurate in diagnosing benign moles and 91% accurate in diagnosing malignant melanomas. Hopefully, this new technique is researched further and if it holds up over time will be adopted by doctors worldwide. It would most certainly aid in making treatment options available for patients in as efficient a timeframe as possible.
 |
 |
 |
Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+!
Sign Up for Our Newsletter