The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded 510(k) clearance for a new rapid acoustic pulse technology device for short-term improvement in the appearance of cellulite, according to a report from HCPLive®.
The device uses rapid, high-pressure acoustic shockwaves at a rate of up to 100 pulses per second to break apart the fibrous septa bands beneath the skin in one 40-60-minute treatment. In clinical trials, the device produced the desired results with a single, non-invasive treatment with no adverse events.
Have stretch marks finally met a worthy foe? Read more inDermWorld Weekly.
DermWorld Insights and Inquiries: Leishmania episode 1a — attack of the clones
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), although not life-threatening, can progress to a disfiguring disease with prominent scarring. Humans serve as reservoirs for more than 20 species of Leishmania, which are transmitted as flagellate promastigotes by sandflies. Within humans, the organisms convert to nonflagellate amastigotes.
In the United States, “New World” disease may be imported following travel to an endemic region such as Mexico, Central and South America, and Texas. “Old World” disease occurs in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. First-line systemic therapy for CL includes pentavalent antimonials, miltefosine, and liposomal amphotericin B; these are effective but potentially toxic treatments. Keep reading!
Distance traveled: Dr. Lim’s diversity focus as Academy president still relevant today
In 2017, Henry W. Lim, MD, started his presidency at the Academy designating his presidential initiatives to many areas impacting the specialty including diversity, equity, and inclusion. Today, the Academy remains indebted to the efforts he has made, and recently rolled out its three-year plan on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to increase access to dermatologic care. Dr. Lim shares what inspired his vision for addressing diversity as president and the strides the Academy continues to make to ensure all patients have access to quality medical care. Read the interview with Dr. Lim.
Treating vitiligo with apremilast and narrowband UVB in skin of color
In a JAAD article in press, the study authors investigated the efficacy of apremilast in addition to narrowband UVB compared to narrowband UVB alone in skin phototypes IV-VI with generalized vitiligo. They found that the study participants had a higher probability of achieving grade 3 or 4 repigmentation after 16 weeks of combined therapy with apremilast and narrowband UVB compared to 16 weeks of narrowband UVB monotherapy.
This randomized split-body study was conducted on 28 subjects, whose left and right body sides were assigned to receive one of two medical regimens. The first side received narrowband UVB two or three times a week followed by occlusion with half-sided skin covering during a later, second phase. The second regimen indicated the side that was occluded during the first phase followed by combined treatment with apremilast and narrowband UVB during the later phase on the previously untreated side.
“I have read innumerable studies about the association of autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) with vitiligo, that I tend to gloss over them. I was about to do the same with the paper by Bae et al, when my eye caught the conclusion: Vitiligo was significantly associated with overt autoimmune thyroid diseases and overt thyroid cancer.”Read more in DermWorld Insights and Inquiries.
Isotretinoin vs. oral antibiotics: Risk of depression
In a study published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, which included more than nine million patients with acne, those taking isotretinoin had fewer depressive symptoms and less psychological distress compared to patients taking oral antibiotics.
Patients completed the Patient Health Questionnaire 2 (PHQ-2) to measure depressive symptoms and Kessler 6-Item Psychological Distress Scale (K6) to measure psychological distress. Patients on isotretinoin had PHQ-2 scores of 0.280 (0.656 for those taking antibiotics) and K6 scores of 2.494 (3.433 for those taking antibiotics).
After years of recycling the same ingredients, dermatologists have novel acne treatments and formulations available — with more on the horizon. Read more in this month’s DermWorld.
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