Efficacy and Safety of Nemolizumab in Patients With Moderate to Severe Prurigo Nodularis: The OLYMPIA 1 Randomized Clinical Phase 3 Trial.

Importance: Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a chronic and debilitating skin condition, characterized by intense itch with multiple nodular lesions. Nemolizumab demonstrated significant improvements in itch and skin nodules in adults with moderate to severe PN in a previous 16-week phase 3 study (OLYMPIA 2).

Objective: To assess the efficacy and occurrence of adverse events in adults with moderate to severe PN treated with nemolizumab vs those receiving placebo.

Development and Validation of a Novel Holistic Skin Quality Assessment Scale.

Background: Radiant skin is a common patient request and the result of multiple contributing factors. Currently, there is no standardized methodological approach that facilitates assessment of skin quality from a holistic perspective.

Aim: To develop a holistic methodological process to assess skin quality using a scale that helps identify treatment priorities, facilitates conversation with the subject, and helps manage expectations, supports long-term treatment plans, and tracks treatment progress over time.

Inhaled Analgesia in Dermatologic Settings: A Comprehensive Overview of Methoxyflurane.

Pain management is an important aspect of dermatologic procedures, which are typically performed on awake patients in outpatient settings. The first-line modalities for procedural analgesia during most dermatologic procedures are topical and injectable local anesthetics, such as lidocaine. However, in some medical and cosmetic dermatologic procedures, pain cannot be effectively managed with local anesthetics due to procedure-specific lack of efficacy, large treatment surface areas, high dosage requirements, allergies, or other contraindications.

Turn Your AART into a HIT Using a Complete Range of Aesthetic Injectables: Methodology for Combining Products to Maximise Patient Outcomes.

Purpose: Optimizing outcomes of aesthetic treatments with injectable products usually requires a consideration of the entire face to ensure balance, along with combination treatments that align with the patient's goals. To help injectors, a method of assessing the patient and developing an individualized, holistic treatment plan was developed. This methodology is termed Assessment, Anatomy, Range, and Treatment (AART™) and Holistic Individualized Treatments (HITs™).

Effectiveness and Safety of a New Hyaluronic Acid Injectable for Augmentation and Correction of Chin Retrusion.

Background: A hyaluronic acid (HA) filler intended for non-surgical improvement of chin appearance should ideally be of high strength/firmness (high G') to allow for deep injections on the bone. HASHA (Restylane Shaype) is a new hyaluronic acid (HA) injectable with high G' and high HA concentration (25 mg/mL), engineered by the new NASHA-HD (High Definition) technology. HASHA is suitable to be placed periosteally, aiming to mimic the natural shape of the bony chin.

Increasing Precision When Targeting the Depressor Anguli Oris Muscle With Neuromodulators: An Ultrasound-Based Investigation.

Background: Neuromodulator treatments of the perioral region are increasingly popular and aim to modulate the position of the modiolus. The predominantly targeted muscle is the depressor anguli oris (DAO) which allows for the modiolus to reposition cranially once temporarily relaxed.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the precise anatomic position of the DAO in relation to the marionette line, thereby increasing precision and reducing adverse events during neuromodulator treatments.

Simplifying the injector's armamentarium: An international consensus regarding the use of gel science to differentiate hyaluronic acid fillers and guide treatment recommendations.

Background: The Restylane portfolio of soft tissue fillers spans a wide range of indications, due in part to their complementary manufacturing technologies [non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid (NASHA) and Optimal Balance Technology (OBT/XpresHAn)]. Using an array of products, injectors can achieve a holistic, natural looking effect for their patients. However, with a wide range of products it may be difficult to choose an optimal combination.

A Practical Guide to Advanced Topical Drug Delivery Systems in Dermatology.

Dermatological diseases such as atopic dermatitis, acne, and psoriasis result in significant morbidity and decreased quality of life. The first line of treatment for such diseases is often topical medications. While topical delivery allows active drug to be delivered directly to the target site, the skin is a virtually impermeable barrier that impedes delivery of large molecules.

Global Expert Opinion on Cryolipolysis Treatment Recommendations and Considerations: A Modified Delphi Study.

Background: Cryolipolysis is an increasingly popular nonsurgical fat-reduction procedure. Published treatment guidance and adverse event (AE) management protocols are limited.

Objective: A modified Delphi study aimed to establish global expert consensus on the use of CoolSculpting (Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie Company, Irvine, CA), a noninvasive cryolipolysis treatment system.

Fixed Combination Halobetasol Propionate and Tazarotene Lotion for Plaque Psoriasis.

A novel fixed combination lotion containing the super-potent corticosteroid halobetasol propionate 0.01% and retinoid tazarotene 0.045% (Duobrii™) has recently been introduced and indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults.

A Clinicoepidemiological Study of Melanoma in Young Patients (20 Years of Age or Less) in Alberta, Canada, From 1992 to 2011.

The epidemiological trends of malignant melanoma have been well described in the literature. However, there remains a paucity of population-based studies assessing melanoma epidemiology in our younger patients (20 years of age or less). Other studies indicate that melanoma incidence has risen in pediatric populations over the last several decades and that these tumors may display different clinical characteristics from those arising in adult populations.

Practical Guidelines for Managing Patients With Psoriasis on Biologics: An Update.

The paradigm for treating inflammatory diseases has shifted dramatically in the past 10 to 20 years with the discovery of targeted therapeutics or "biologic" agents. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriatic arthritis, and psoriasis, among others, are reaping the benefits of decades of bench to bedside research, allowing them to live more productive lives with less side effects than traditional systemic therapies. Despite these advances, many physicians unfamiliar with biologics are left to care for the basic needs of these patients and may be unaware of the multisystem comorbidities associated with psoriasis and the screening, monitoring, and other special considerations required of biologics patients.

Granulomatous Tumoral Melanosis Associated With Pembrolizumab Therapy: A Mimicker of Disease Progression in Metastatic Melanoma.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy has revolutionized the treatment of advanced melanoma, with these agents significantly improving survival for patients with metastatic disease. With the increasing use of these agents, the number of adverse reactions secondary to their use has also increased. Sarcoidosis and sarcoid-like reactions are one such immune checkpoint inhibitor-related adverse event.

Injectable DaxibotulinumtoxinA for the Treatment of Glabellar Lines: A Phase 2, Randomized, Dose-Ranging, Double-Blind, Multicenter Comparison With OnabotulinumtoxinA and Placebo.

Background: Injectable daxibotulinumtoxinA (RT002) is an investigational botulinum toxin Type A in clinical development. It is formulated with a proprietary peptide and offers the potential of a longer acting neurotoxin therapy.

Objective: To compare the safety, efficacy, and duration of response of daxibotulinumtoxinA with onabotulinumtoxinA and placebo [www.

Therapeutic approaches to cellulite.

Cellulite is a condition that affects the vast majority of women. Although it is of no danger to one's overall health, cellulite can be psychosocially debilitating. Consequently, much research has been devoted to understanding cellulite and its etiopathogenesis.

Laser and Light-Based Aesthetics in Men.

Men represent an important evolving segment of the cosmetic market. With the growing acceptability of cosmetic procedures along with societal and workplace pressure to maintain youthfulness, men increasingly seek the advice of aesthetic practitioners. Despite this so-called "Menaissance," there is a paucity of published literature regarding laser and light treatments of male skin.

A clinicopathologic review of a case series of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans with fibrosarcomatous differentiation.

Background: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans with fibrosarcomatous differentiation (DFSP-FS) is a rare variant of DFSP with a more aggressive clinical course, characterized by higher rates of local recurrence, metastasis, and death.

Methods: We conducted a clinicopathologic review of all DFSP-FS cases that occurred in Alberta, Canada, from 1997 to 2007.

Results: Of the 75 DFSP cases reviewed, 4 demonstrated fibrosarcomatous differentiation.

Future directions in cutaneous laser surgery.

This article presents an overview of future trends in cutaneous laser therapy and technology. To enhance efficacy and specificity of treatment, new wavelengths directed at both old and new targets are on the horizon. New applications, including the use of lasers to aid in the detection of skin cancers and to enhance drug delivery, are being used and investigated.

Abbreviations for device names: a proposed methodology with specific examples.

Background: Many devices used in dermatology lack generic names. If investigators use commercial device names, they risk the appearance of bias. Alternatively, reliance on ad-hoc names and abbreviations may confuse readers who do not recognize these.

Epidemiology of sebaceous carcinoma in Alberta, Canada, from 1988 to 2007.

Background: The epidemiology of sebaceous carcinoma (SC) has not previously been examined in a Canadian population.

Objective: To determine the epidemiologic trends of SC in Alberta, Canada, from 1988 to 2007.

Methods: This study was a population-based, retrospective, epidemiologic analysis of SC in Alberta over a 20-year span.

Treatment of tattoos with a picosecond alexandrite laser: a prospective trial.

OBJECTIVE To study a picosecond 755-nm alexandrite laser for the removal of tattoos to confirm the efficacy of this therapy, focusing on the effect of therapy on the target lesion as well as the surrounding tissues and quantifying the number of necessary treatments. DESIGN Fifteen patients with tattoos were enrolled. Treatments were scheduled approximately 6 ± 2 weeks apart.