When traveling, I’ve often wondered why the TSA agents don’t wear the little dosimetry badges that all medical and dental personnel who work around X-rays wear on their lapels. It’s a standard safety precaution in the industry, another method of ensuring that medical personnel aren’t inadvertently getting exposed to too much radiation at work. Well, […]
When the FDA re-approved silicone breast implants for general use, back in November of 2006, one of the conditions was that the two major manufacturers and the FDA would co-operate to do some ongoing follow-up studies about implant safety and effectiveness. Now, approximately 5 years later, the FDA has released an update, discussing the first […]
Here’s a cool new idea: spray-on skin grafts. Using the ReCell kit, a small skin biopsy is processed, turning the sliver of skin into a suspension of cells. This takes about 30 minutes. The resulting liquid is then sprayed onto the area of second-degree burns. And here’s a bonus: you can cover a much bigger area […]
This week, the FDA announced a series of changes that will affect how sunscreens are labelled. This is a good thing for consumers: the manufacturers will have to be very clear about whether the product products against UVA rays, or the more typical UVB. Misleading terms like “sunblock” and “waterproof” are going to be eliminated. […]
Source: Dermatology Times E-News A new study reveals dramatic results for an experimental drug designed to attack a melanoma tumor’s genetic trigger in patients with advanced disease. About half of melanoma patients’ tumors carry a mutation of the BRAF gene, which causes skin cells to reproduce out of control. The experimental drug, called PLX4032 or […]
More bizarre parenting, this time from the UK. Plastic-surgery obsessed mom gives daughter a voucher for breast augmentation…but she’s only SEVEN. Here’s the story, from the Daily Mail: ******** She made the headlines last year when she confessed to teaching her then six-year-old daughter Poppy to pole dance. And now Sarah Burge is back in the […]
With a name like the SPY system, you might think that “Q”, from the James Bond series, would be introducing the technology with a clipped “Pay attention, 007”. Not the case here, though. Despite the neat moniker, the SPY system is a Canadian-made tool to help surgeons figure out whether tissue is getting the correct […]
The drug Aromasin appears to cut the odds of breast cancer by 65 percent in high-risk postmenopausal women, new research has found. Unlike other anti-estrogen drugs like tamoxifen, Aromasin doesn’t seem to have an increased risk of uterine cancer or blood clots.Aromasin, an aromatase inhibitor, is currently approved for early breast cancer patients, but is […]
Say goodbye to the USDA Food Pyramid. The Pyramid, introduced in 1992, has been replaced by a simpler new graphic, the Plate. It’s a lot simpler, and easier to understand. There’s less emphasis on grains, and more emphasis on fruits and vegetables, which now make up one-half of the plate. It’s all part of the […]
“You look great in leather!” I see that leathery sun-damaged skin too often, here in sun-drenched Florida! And it’s hard to fix! In all seriousness, though, here are some tips about how to preserve your skin from sun damage and avoid skin cancers, from skincancer.org – Seek the shade, especially between 10 AM and 4 PM. […]
