The latest in Reuters Group Plc

Targeted drug side effects add to cancer costs

2011-12-21T14:30:27Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Painful rashes and other skin-related side effects of newer targeted cancer drugs may jack up treatment costs, suggests a new study.

The average cost of treating each cancer patient who came into a dermatology clinic with skin, hair and nail complaints was almost $2,000, researchers reported this week. That included expenses related to doctors' appointments, derma...

Tanning lotion users more likely to stay out of sun

2011-12-19T15:00:07Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who use sunless tanning lotions and gels tend to cut back on outdoor sunbathing and trips to tanning beds, according to a new study from Georgia.

Researchers said the findings -- close to 40 percent of women surveyed said they had limited time in the sun because of the products -- mean that the products may be a way to convince women seeking a t...

Panel backs skin cancer advice for youths

2011-11-08T14:30:11Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A government-backed expert panel joined in the fight against skin cancer on Tuesday with a proposal urging doctors to counsel fair-skinned youths about sun protection.

"The definition of fair skin is it doesn't tan very well, so stop trying!" said Dr. Virginia Moyer, head of the Reuters Health) - Certain areas of the United States, including the Midwest and Mountain regions, have an especially hard time holding on to dermatologists, according to a new study.

While most skin doctors who did their residencies in the South or on the West coast, for instance, stayed nearby to practice, othe...

Botox and texting may not mix: report

2011-06-22T12:30:34Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Are you a typical American teenager who sends more than 1,000 text messages each month? If so, Botox might impair your communication prowess, suggests a new report of a 17-year-old who had the treatment for a condition that causes excessive sweating.

Doctors who use Botox said they had never heard complaints of texting imp...

No physical explanation for delusional infestations

2011-05-16T13:30:16Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People complaining that they were infected with bugs, worms, eggs, fibers, and even triangles, generally had a clean report on medical exams a new study finds.

Although many of the patients diagnosed with "delusional infestation" did have dermatitis -- an itchy skin condition -- the researchers weren't sure if that was causing the symptoms, or if it was a result o...

Dermatologists should ditch their neckties but keep white

2011-04-12T20:30:09Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - A U.S. survey of patients at dermatologists' offices sends a clear message to doctors about their attire: scrap the necktie, but don't lose the white coat just yet.

"We're going to proclaim that ties are dead," said Dean Morrell, one of the study's authors and director of pediatric and adolescent dermatology at the Reuters Health) - A new survey of patients at dermatologists' offices sends a clear message to doctors about their attire: scrap the necktie, but don't lose the white coat just yet.

"We're going to proclaim that ties are dead," said Dr. Dean Morrell, one of the study's authors and the director of pediatric and adolescent dermatology at the Reuters Health) - Many daily skin creams that claim to provide ultraviolet protection and anti-aging benefits may not have enough of the critical ingredients needed to block UV-A light, according to new research.

That means consumers who rely on these products may be vulnerable to the effects of UV-A rays, including skin darkening, wrinkles, and skin cancer, in some cases.

Th...

Tree Man

2010-11-30T13:49:25Z

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Hold the lime with Corona, may cause skin reaction

2010-10-18T20:30:14Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - In a TV advertisement for Corona beer, a woman on a beach, irritated by her companion ogling a bikini-clad blonde, squirts him with the lime sitting atop his beer.

He may be in for worse than a surprise: a nasty skin reaction that one doctor is calling "Mexican beer dermatitis."

A substance in lime juice, if left on the skin in the sun, can cause the skin to become...

Watch the lime juice when drinking Corona: skin doc

2010-10-18T13:30:39Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Have you seen the Corona TV ad in which a woman, irritated that her beach companion has been staring at a bikini-clad blonde, squirts him with the lime sitting atop his beer?

Well, according to a dermatology journal out today, he may have been in for worse than a surprise: a nasty skin reaction that one doctor is calling "Mexican beer dermatitis."

Dr. ...

Man's best friend may help kids with allergies

2010-10-13T19:30:41Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Life with the family dog will give young children hours of loyal companionship, cherished memories -- and, in some cases, possibly even better health.

A study in the Journal of Pediatrics says that children with a family history of allerg...

Editor changes industry-backed tanning pill study

2010-08-03T15:47:07Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A journal editor has scrubbed a line supporting the use of a L'Oreal-Nestle tanning pill from the conclusion of a company-sponsored study.

The edits come days after a Reuters Health story -- http://link.reuters.com/wuv52n -- about serious shortcomings in the report.

Dr.

2010-07-23T11:45:52Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Science doesn't just help to invent new products, it can push existing ones.

Look no further than the beauty industry. It does lots of testing and flaunts products with scientific terms like microbeads, enzymes and rejuvenating serums. But what are the data behind them? And what if the company selling the product did the tests?

Take Inneov Sun Sensitivity, a nutritional supplement "c...

Americans turn cold shoulder to sunscreen: poll

2010-07-16T13:16:06Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Even as summer temperatures soar, Americans are turning a cold shoulder to sunscreen, according to a poll released on Friday.

Only one-fifth of Americans wear sunscreen before going outside most days during the summer and just under one-third apply it even a few days during the season, according to the Marist ...

Skin condition linked to cancer risk: study

2010-06-24T14:45:09Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with the skin condition atopic dermatitis may be at greater risk of getting cancer than those without it, new research hints.

But it's unclear whether this increased risk is related to the medication patients take for the condition, or the condition itself, the researchers emphasize.

Atopic dermatitis is a type of eczema, or skin inflammation, that arises from an allergic reac...

Laser therapy may ease type of eczema

2010-06-03T10:30:44Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Laser therapy that delivers a concentrated beam of ultraviolet light may help ease a hard-to-treat form of eczema, a small study suggests.

The study, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, compared the effects of laser therapy versus corticosteroid ointment in 13 patients with what is known as the prurigo form of atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis is a type of eczema, or ...

Early paracetamol, antibiotics tied to eczema

2010-05-20T13:30:35Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children given antibiotics or the pain reliever paracetamol in infancy may be at increased risk of developing eczema in later childhood, a new study from Spain hints.

But the findings don't mean that parents should avoid using paracetamol -- known in the US as acetaminophen (Reuters Health) - Children of highly educated parents may be more prone to an irritating skin disorder than peers from less educated families, a new study suggests.

Austrian researchers note in the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology that as many as one in five children between the ages of 6 and 14 suffer from atopic dermatitis, a common type of eczema, which causes itchy and scaly rashes.

Accord...

Should patients see the dermatologist together?

2010-04-20T14:31:07Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If you're frustrated by long waits to see a dermatologist, you and your skin doctor might want to consider a group appointment, a new study in the Archives of Dermatology shows.

Researchers looked at shared medical appointments, which are an increasingly popular approach to improving the quality and efficiency of patient care. These appointments typically involve having patients with simil...

Can you become addicted to tanning beds?

2010-04-19T15:02:15Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If you're someone who lies in a tanning bed too much, you may be likely to suffer from addictive behavior often seen with substance abuse, as well as anxiety, according to a new study.

Catherine Mosher and Sharon Danoff-Burg, researchers at Reuters Health) - A targeted heat treatment appears to alleviate bothersome and sometimes painful plantar warts, researchers from China have found.

Plantar warts are skin growths on the soles of the feet caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which enters the body through tiny cuts and breaks in the skin. Plantar warts often develop beneath pressure points in the...

Melanoma survivors at higher risk of other cancers

2010-03-16T13:01:14Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Melanoma survivors are at increased risk of other cancers as well as the return of their skin cancers, according to a new study, leading National Cancer Institute researchers to urge lifelong follow-up of such survivors.

The study included data from more than 89,500 patients collected from 1973 to 2006. There...

Your old mascara may be spoiling your looks

2010-04-16T06:58:29Z

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - The average British woman's cosmetic bag is out of date by a worrying four years, according to a study on Wednesday.

Women are using cosmetics well past the use-by date, unaware that some products could be magnets for germs which could damage their health and looks, said Sara Stern, Director of Cosmetics at retail chain Debenhams.

"Bri...

Severe form of psoriasis ups heart disease risk

2010-04-16T07:32:59Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with severe forms of the inflammatory skin disease psoriasis are more likely to die of heart-related causes and stroke than those without the condition, new research shows.

In fact, for people with the severe form of psoriasis, the condition is a bigger risk factor for heart- and stroke-related death than high blood pressure, Dr. J...

Acupuncture may relieve eczema-induced itching

2010-10-24T15:29:14Z

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Face looking old? Don't blame your genes

2010-04-16T08:09:35Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Don't blame genes for aging facial skin. A new study of twins suggests you can blame those coarse wrinkles, brown or pink spots, and dilated blood vessels on too much time in the sun, smoking, and being overweight.

Because twins share genes, but may have different exposures to environmental factors, studying twins allows an, "opportunity to control for genetic susceptibility," Reuters Health) - Chronically itchy skin can take not only a physical toll but a psychological one as well, a new study suggests.

Research has linked various skin conditions, such as severe acne, psoriasis and eczema, to higher risks of depression, anxiety and stress in some individuals. But it has not been clear whether chronic itchiness -- a common symptom of skin disorders -- can cause its own distress.<...

Fat-dissolving procedure carries infection risks

2010-06-14T11:55:49Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - French researchers are calling into question the safety of a cosmetic procedure that offers to melt away fat without surgery, exercise or pills.

The doctors, writing in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, warn that the procedure, known as mesotherapy, can also leave patients with particularly hard-to-treat and potentially disfiguring bacterial infections.

Mesotherapy involves t...

Psoriatic arthritis common in people with psoriasis

2010-09-01T12:14:37Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - As many as 14 percent of people with psoriasis may also have psoriatic arthritis, research shows.

Psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that combines symptoms of psoriasis, such as dry, scaly skin, with arthritis symptoms such as joint pain and inflammation.

"People with psoriasis who complain of pain in their joints or back may have an important and treatable arthritis,"

Skin cancer can be inherited: studies

2010-04-16T09:54:27Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Want to reduce your risk of skin cancer? Wear sun screen, of course. But two new studies suggest that choosing your relatives carefully could also be helpful.

One found that having an identical twin with melanoma increased a person's own risk of developing the disease much more than having a fraternal twin with this type of skin cancer. The other found that having a sibling or parent with ...

Psoriasis treatment may up cancer risk

2010-09-01T12:14:45Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Patients with moderate to severe psoriasis may need life-long treatment with a variety of therapies to relieve symptoms of the scaly skin condition and research has shown that both traditional and newer therapies for psoriasis can increase patients' risk of certain cancers.

Long-term treatment with so-called PUVA therapy, they note, is associated with increased risks of deadly malignant me...

Wikileaks Berkeley

2010-12-14T22:31:11Z

Beverly Dove holds a sign as she speaks during a city council meeting in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010. The council in this famously liberal city is considering a resolution Tuesday night bestowing hero status on Pfc. Bradley Manning, the soldier at the center of the