Psoriasis, alopecia studies top dermatology reads for week

Studies finding that patients with plaque psoriasis who underwent laser treatment did not show evidence of subsequent koebnerization and that platelet-rich plasma showed a positive effect in treating androgenetic alopecia were among the most-read articles of the past week on Healio.com/Dermatology.

Other widely read articles included research results finding that patients who received a series of light-emitting diode low-level light therapy sessions after thyroidectomy showed improved scar quality compared with a control group:

Platelet-rich plasma shows positive effect on androgenetic alopecia

Patients who received a half-head treatment of platelet-rich plasma to treat androgenetic alopecia showed a clinical benefit at 6-month follow-up, according to recent research.

“This clinical research provides support that the application of [platelet-rich plasma] may have a therapeutic effect on [androgenetic alopecia] and can be used as a safe complementary treatment option,” Rubina Alves, MD, from the department of dermatology at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain and colleagues wrote in their study. Read more

Psoriasis patients treated by lasers show no indication of koebnerization

Patients with plaque psoriasis who underwent laser treatment did not show evidence of subsequent koebnerization, according to recent research.

“Koebnerization did not occur on the face, neck, or scalp in patients with plaque psoriasis who underwent laser treatment, irrespective of the severity of their psoriasis and medication they were receiving at the time of their procedure,” Suzanne M. Sachsman, MD, from the division of dermatology at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. Read more

Valeant board issues statement on CEO's cooperation with Senate Committee on Aging

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International's Board of Directors issued a statement in a press release regarding the Senate Committee on Aging's subpoena to depose J. Michael Pearson, Valeant's CEO.

"The board has requested Mr. Pearson's cooperation in connection with a subpoena for deposition from the Senate Committee on Aging prior to the Committee's scheduled April 27 hearing," the release stated. Read more

LED low-level light therapy reduces scar formation after thyroidectomy

Patients who received a series of light-emitting diode low-level light therapy sessions after thyroidectomy showed improved scar quality compared with a control group, according to recent research.

“The results of this study showed that 14 sessions of 830/590 nm [light-emitting diode low-level light therapy (LED-LLLT)] over 4 weeks at a dose of 60 J/cm2 improved scar quality after thyroidectomy to some degree. Complete absence of pain and side effects suggest that this LED-LLLT protocol can be safely used on Asian skin,” Young Joon Park, MD, from the departments of dermatology and surgery at Ajou University School of Medicine in South Korea, and colleagues wrote. Read more

Low-fluence QS Nd:YAG laser effective in melasma, but with high recurrence rate

Low-fluence Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser was effective and safe in treating melasma; however, there was a high recurrence rate following treatment, according to recently published study results.

Researchers studied 20 healthy Brazilian women aged 18 to 17 years who had Fitzpatrick skin types III to V and mild-to-severe facial melasma. Read more