Nexavar Gets Fast Track FDA Designation For Skin Cancer

Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NYSE: BAY) and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ONXX) announced today that Nexavar(R) (sorafenib) tablets has been granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of advanced (including locally unresectable and metastatic) melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Nexavar was approved by the FDA in December 2005 for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Click to read more ...

Portrait PSR3 is FDA-cleared for treatment of facial wrinkles.

Portrait(R) delivers nitrogen plasma (a highly energized gas) energy, which work both at and below the surface of the skin to modify the skin's architecture and generate new collagen ... never making direct contact. The skin's outer layers remain intact and act as a protective cover until the new skin regenerates. Once this happens, the old skin peels away, taking with it all the signs of photodamage; including brown sun spots and actinic keratoses (rough-textured patches or lesions that form on the outermost layer of the skin after years of exposure to ultraviolet light.) Additionally Portrait(R) has a profound cosmetic effect on the other results from photodamage: wrinkles, skin tone and texture and skin laxity.

Click to read more ...

Pomegranate's Internal and External Role in the War Against Environmental Aging and Disease

Pomegranate's Internal and External Role in the War Against Environmental Aging and Diseaseby
Howard Murad, M.D.

Since my early days as a dermatologist, I have been studying the ability of various antioxidants, such Vitamin C, Coenzyme Q 10, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and Vitamin E and herb extracts such as Burdock Root, Echinacea, Yellow Dock Root, and Grape Seed Extract to repair and protect the skin against such damage. While all are extremely beneficial, I found the most potent antioxidant power to date comes from Pomegranate Extract, and specifically the polyphenol, Ellagic Acid contained within the pomegranate.

Click to read more ...

Fat Melting Laser May Remove Cellulite, Dissolve Fat, And Treat Acne

Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, USA, are using the Free-Electron Laser at specific wavelengths (selective photothermolysis) to heat up fat, which is then excreted by the body - without harming the skin. They say this technique could be used for treating cellulite, acne and heart disease.

Click to read more ...

Signaling Proteins May Represent Biomarkers For Melanoma Detection

For the first time, researchers studying patients with abnormal moles have identified proteins that could help predict whether such moles will progress into melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. The study provides promising evidence that the proteins may represent potential biomarkers for prevention therapy. The results were announced today at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The study, abstract number 5742, also looked at the effect of a common treatment for melanoma, interferon, on the levels of these biomarker proteins.

Click to read more ...

Medical spa comes of age: Lasers take aim at pesky tattoos

Medical spa comes of age: Lasers take aim at pesky tattoos

On a recent afternoon, a doctor carefully brushed a laser over Jennifer Summers’ arm, gently erasing a tattoo that she never quite liked and which serves as a painful reminder of a friendship gone bad.

She drove two hours from Vermont to Boston for the 20-minute procedure at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Dermatology Laser & Cosmetic Center.
To be rid of that unpleasant little chapter from her life, she will have to make the trip at least five times.

Click to read more ...

Medical Spas Offer Beauty On The Run, But Physicians Advise Choosing Carefully

Clients of Morphosis Rejuvenation Studio in San Jose can make a beauty pit stop to zap away acne, smooth pesky wrinkles and plump skinny lips -- all between shopping and grabbing a latte.

``We like to call them lunchtime treatments,'' says Linda Levenson, a nurse practitioner and founder of Morphosis at Santana Row. ``There's virtually no down time. You can get something done, put on your makeup, and go back to work. It's like running another errand.''

Medical spas such as Morphosis are a fast-emerging category in the spa industry and in aesthetic medicine, proliferating in shopping centers and strip malls in the Bay Area and across the country.

Click to read more ...

A Merger Agreement With Virtuoso MedSpa

P.D.C. Innovative Industries, Inc. has signed a merger agreement with Virtuoso MedSpa, Inc., a company that offers non-invasive medical cosmetic skin care in a luxurious, relaxing spa environment.

Click to read more ...

Report: Almost 4 million Botox treatments performed in 2005

The number of cosmetic procedures climbed to more than 10.2 million last year, most of them office-based, minimally invasive cosmetic fixes such as Botox injections.

Click to read more ...

La Fontaine Aesthetics, 'Fusion' Spa, Opens its Doors

La Fontaine brings the science and technology of advanced medical and dental aesthetics together with a relaxing Thai spa and wellness experience. Translation: a one stop shop for non-surgical aesthetics like Botox, Restylane or Sculptra, Cosmetic Dentistry Services, a wellness and nutrition program, and traditional, relaxing spa therapies with a Thai philosophy and theme.

Click to read more ...

Medical Spas: Cosmetic Dermatology Offers Treatment Options

Speaking today at the American Academy of Dermatology’s (Academy) skin academy 2005, dermatologist Susan H. Weinkle, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla., discussed patients’ three most common cosmetic concerns and offered tips for maintaining healthy skin.

Click to read more ...

11.9 Million Cosmetic Procedures In 2004

The number of surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in the United States increased by 44 percent in 2004 to a total of nearly 11.9 million, according to statistics released today by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). The number of surgical procedures increased 17 percent and the number of nonsurgical procedures increased 51 percent from the previous year. The most frequently performed procedure was Botox injection and the most popular surgical procedure was liposuction. ASAPS, a national not-for-profit organization for education and research in cosmetic plastic surgery, annually conducts the nation's most authoritative survey of U.S. physicians performing cosmetic procedures.

Click to read more ...

9 Medical Spa Tips For Success

Between 2002 and 2004, the medical spa industry grew by 109%. The demand is far from being met, and 2005 is going to see the largest number of Medical Spa openings yet. If you are going to open a Medical Spa this year, check out these 9 tips to Medical Spa Startup Success.

Click to read more ...

Medspas: Unique Care and Treatment for Skin of Color

Speaking today at the American Academy of Dermatology’s (Academy) skin academy 2005, dermatologist Eliot F. Battle, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Howard University in Washington, D.C., addressed a variety of conditions that are common in people with skin of color and how to treat them.

“Skin of color reacts differently from Caucasian skin to almost all medical and cosmetic dermatologic treatments,” said Dr. Battle.  “It’s more sensitive and it’s more prone to problems of discoloration and scars.”

Click to read more ...

Surgeons hope to earn a cut of spa market

Dr. Allen Guinn III has seen feast and famine in the field of cosmetic surgery during the past five years.That's why he moved his Aurora Plastic and Hand Surgery practice into the former site of the Tuscany Manor restaurant -- a 19th-century mansion in Lee's Summit.

Set on a hilltop near Interstate 470 and Douglas Road, the stately structure is the most recent -- and novel -- of several Kansas City-area sites where traditional plastic surgery practices have augmented themselves with trendy medical spa services.

Click to read more ...