Category Archives: Plastic Surgery

New hope for patients with advanced metastatic melanoma. A small study presented at the 2017 World Congress of Melanoma shows that a new immunotherapy can slow the progress of metastatic melanoma. The researchers used tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) extracted from patients’ tumors, The cells are then genetically altered and rapidly grown in the lab, before […]

“The Ugly Duckling Sign” may be the best way for none dermatologist to recognize a melanoma. Most patient education materials talk about using the A,B,C,D, Es of melanoma detection. (Asymmetry, Boarder irregularity, Color variation, Diameter larger than 6mm and Evolution or change). A recent study suggests that for most patients looking for the “ugly duckling” […]

A recent study from France published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at risk factors that should lead to genetic testing for the high risk melanoma gene. Their conclusion was that testing was merited in patients with any 3 of the following: A melanoma under the age of 40 years old. Two […]

The majority of melanomas arise from new lesions rather than existing moles, according to a review published online Aug. 29 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. While we always emphasis the importance of following the appearance of your existing moles the fact is that most melanomas (70%) do not derive from existing […]

A new study from the Journal of Investigative Dermatology has confirmed that the rates of melanoma are still on the rise among white Californians. All the more reason to protect yourself from the damaging rays of the sun, check your own skin routinely and have an annual skin cancer screening exam. Title of article: “Continued […]

A new study suggests that in young patients with thin melanomas (0.5 -1mm depth) there may be an approximately 5% risk of lymph nodes being involved. As such, even though present guidelines do not recommend it, in young patients with melanomas between 0.5 and 1mm sentinel node biopsy may be considered. Association Between Patient Age […]

Recent published study confirms Mohs micrographic surgery as the patients treatment of choice even for superficial skin cancers. Patients in the study preferred Mohs surgery not only because it gave a better long term cure rate but it was seen as a much more tolerable procedure compared to the alternative treatments. Link to abstract: https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=00042728-900000000-99021 […]

We already know that UV protective sunglasses are important to lessen the long term risk of cataracts. Now a recent study shows that most of us do not apply sunscreen to our eyelids, leaving them susceptible to UV damage. Wearing UV protective sunglasses can patch that problem, while looking good at the same time! Read […]

A team from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute studied nearly 19 thousand people and found that current smokers were significantly more likely to develop a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin than non-smokers. “We don’t yet understand how smoking might increase the risk of SCC, but these findings strongly suggest that by quitting, smokers […]

Patients with Parkinson’s disease are about four times more likely to develop melanoma, and conversely, patients with melanoma have a four-fold higher risk of developing Parkinson’s, according to a study published in the July issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The new study included 974 patients with Parkinson’s disease and compared them to 2,922 individuals […]