Dermatology

• Eye Color Linked to Skin Diseases

  

  Posted 7:37 PM 5/7/2012

  May 7, 2012 -- They say "the eyes are the window to the soul." But a new study suggests the eyes may also offer a sneak peek at the risk of serious skin problems down the road.

  The results showed that people with blue eyes were less likely to develop vitiligo. Meanwhile, people with brown eyes were more likely to (More)
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• Tick Season Starts Early: How to Protect Yourself and Your Pet

  

  Posted 3:08 PM 4/17/2012

  The pleasant temperatures of this past winter may be giving way to unpleasant consequences, as the warmer weather has encouraged the early emergence of ticks. That means greater chances of contracting Lyme disease, particularly in the Northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and North-Central U.S., where it's spread by Ixodes scapularis, often called deer tick (More)
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• Biologic Treatments May Ease Psoriasis

  

  Posted 8:05 PM 3/28/2012

  March 28, 2012 -- Two experimental biologic treatments may help treat psoriasis, researchers report in The New England Journal of Medicine.

  The biologics are called brodalumab and ixekizumab. They're both given by injection and target the same inflammation-promoting protein, interleukin-17.

  In trials of (More)
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• Topical Gel Treats Precancerous Skin Condition

  

  Posted 6:34 PM 3/15/2012

  March 15, 2012 -- A new prescription gel may quickly treat a common precancerous skin condition called actinic keratosis, a new study shows.

  The gel is derived from the sap of the Euphorbia peplus plant. This has long been used as a folk remedy for skin lesions.

  The new findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

  Actinic keratoses are typically red, scaly skin lesions that can over time develop into a type of (More)
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• FDA Approves No-Comb Treatment for Head Lice

  

  Posted 9:42 PM 2/7/2012

  Feb. 7, 2012 -- The FDA today approved Sklice, a no-comb, 10-minute treatment for head lice.

  The announcement comes from Sanofi Pasteur U.S., which last year acquired the developer of the treatment, Topaz Pharmaceuticals.

  Sklice is a topical (on-the-skin) lotion containing a 0.5% solution of (More)
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• Itch Intensity and Scratching Pleasure Vary at Different Body Sites

  

  Posted 7:45 PM 2/2/2012

  Feb. 2, 2012 -- You've got to love a scientific paper entitled "The Pleasurability of Scratching an Itch."

  We've all been there, done that: "Ahhh." But did you know that scratching one part of the body is more pleasurable than scratching another? And no, not your first thought. Lower. Try the ankles.

  Actually, the authors of the new paper didn't study the "private" region, "a totally different ball game," says co-author Gil Yosipovitch, MD (More)
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• CDC: Morgellons Disease May Not Be Real

  

  Posted 9:34 PM 1/26/2012

  Jan. 26, 2012 -- Extensive study of people suffering from Morgellons disease -- including analysis of their mysterious "skin fibers" -- finds no underlying cause of the illness.

  Morgellons symptoms are as creepy as the name implies. Patients report slow-to-heal sores that often feel like bugs are crawling under their skin. They often scratch themselves raw. And they also report that mysterious colored fibers, granules, worms, eggs, fuzzballs (More)
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• Bedbugs: Why They're Back

  

  Posted 5:40 PM 12/6/2011

  Dec. 6, 2011 -- For a while, it seemed the bedbug had gone the way of the Edsel automobile and cold water flats. Not anymore -- as we've learned. They're back with a vengeance, and experts now seem to know why.

  Bedbugs may not get as much play in the media as they did in the summer of 2010, but they are here to stay, experts warned at (More)
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• Gene May Be Linked to Frequent Cold Sores

  

  Posted 7:22 PM 11/18/2011

  Nov. 18, 2011 -- Most of us have had an occasional cold sore, but some people get the painful, unsightly sores over and over again. These cold sores, which tend to appear on or around the lips, are caused by herpes simplex virus (More)
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• Misuse of Bedbug Insecticide Causes Illnesses

  

  Posted 10:34 PM 9/22/2011

  Sept. 22, 2011 -- Bedbugs won't kill you, but the poisons used to kill them might. According to a new CDC report, exposure to insecticides used to control bedbugs led to one death and more than 100 illnesses between 2003 and 2010.

  The report is published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

  The report states (More)
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