Thank You For Voting Us Best Dermatologist on Long Island!

The best dermatologist on Long Island is important for people who need some help feeling comfortable in their own skin. From acne to irregular moles, a dermatologist is there to make sure everything on is smooth on the surface. We bring you this years winners for Best Dermatologist on Long Island.

Long Islanders Voted Dr. Jeffrey Ellis from Belaray Dermatology in Plainview Best Dermatologist on Long Island!

Belaray means beautiful, and that’s how Jeffrey Ellis’ patients feel when they walk out of his office. Dr. Ellis’ goal is to provide comprehensive compassionate care for adults and children in a timely manner. Belaray provides specialized skin care for patients of all ages, from general dermatology, like acne treatment, to surgical dermatology, like scar revisions and even medi-spa esthetic services.

To the gardening world it may have always been considered a fact, but science has never proved the widely held belief that watering your garden in the midday sun can lead to burnt plants. Now a study into sunlit water droplets, published in New Phytologist, provides an answer that not only reverberates across gardens and allotments, but may have implications for human sunburn.

The team conducted  experimental studies to determine how the contact angle between the water droplet and a leaf affects the light environment on a leaf blade. The aim was to clarify the environmental conditions under which sunlit water drops can cause leaf burn.

These experiments found that water droplets on a smooth surface, such as maple or ginkgo leaves, cannot cause leaf burn. However in contrast the team found that leaves with  small wax hairs are susceptible to leaf burn. This is because the hairs can hold the water droplets in focus above the leaf’s surface, acting as a magnifying glass. The latter not only partly confirms the widely held belief of gardeners, but also opens an analogous issue of sunburn on wet human skin.

It seems that drying off thoroughly when you get out of the water may both prevent a chill – and a burn.

Wine May Shield Breast Cancer Patients From Radiation Side Effects
Italian study suggests its natural antioxidants protect the skin

A glass of wine a day cut the risk of treatment-linked skin toxicity by two-thirds in women undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer, Italian researchers report.

Skin reactions are a common side effect of cancer radiation therapy, and, while medications can help prevent these problems, they can be expensive and often have their own side effects. In some cases, drugs used to reduce radiation-linked side effects can actually protect breast cancer tumor cells, according to a news release from the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

So, researchers at Catholic University and the National Research Council in Italy wondered if the natural antioxidants found in wine might work to ward off radiation-linked damage.

In the study, 348 women with breast cancer were divided into three groups depending on the dose of radiation received. The researchers found that patients who drank wine on the days they had their treatment had lower rates of Grade 2, or higher acute toxicity, than those who did not. In fact, women who drank one glass of wine a day had a 13.6 percent rate of skin toxicity compared to a 38.4 percent incidence among patients who did not consume wine, according to the study.

“If wine can prevent radiotherapy-induced toxicity without affecting antitumor efficacy, as we observed, it also has the potential to enhance the therapeutic benefit in cancer patients without increasing their risk of serious adverse effects,” study author Dr. Vincenzo Valentini, a radiation oncologist at Catholic University in Rome, said in the news release. “The possibility that particular dietary practices or interventions can reduce radiation-induced toxicity is very intriguing.”

The findings were published in the August issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics.

source: http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=630061

Izzie, from Grey’s Anatomy, was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma in season five.

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer, that is most common in fair skinned individuals.  In sun prone areas, like New Zealand, about one in fifteen Caucasians will be diagnosed with one.  Most melanoma is diagnosed after age 40, with only about 14% of cases diagnosed in younger individuals. In the US, about 55,000 cases are diagnosed per year, and on average one person dies every hour from this cancer.

Melanoma, when diagnosed early, is almost always treatable.  When diagnosed late, the prognosis is often poor, and effective treatment options limited.

What should you do?

1. Protect yourself from the sun using hats, seeking shade, and avoiding peak hours of the day (from 10am-4pm)

2. Learn what the signs of a problem are – when you examine your moles and freckles

2. Make an appointment with your dermatologist for a full body skin examination – and bring your family

Here is information about clinical trials in NY for treating Melanoma

Smile at the world… and the world will smile back.

According to a study published the March issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, Botox may lift patients’ “spirits” by “literally wiping the frowns” off their faces.  It has been long known that our facial expressions can influence our mood – and simply smiling can make you feel better.  Not surprisingly, it seems that Botox can have the same beneficial effects.

Research suggests that Caffeine kills some skin cancer cells.  According to a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology this month,  “caffeine could be added to sunscreen to boost protection against the most common form of skin cancer.”  We do not find this surprising.  Infact, we have thought that for a long time.  That is why we offer our patients a sunscreen that has Caffeine as well as potent antioxidants from green tea.  We believe that the best protection you can get is by combining sunscreen, caffeine, and anteoxidants – and that is just what we do in our Anteox Sunscreen.

BBC News reports, “An unlicensed medicine which can be injected to produce a tan may be responsible for worrying changes in skin moles, say doctors. Two women told Salford dermatologists that they had both injected ‘Melanotan’ shortly before noticing the problem.” One woman “had two moles on her foot which had increased in size and darkened over just a few weeks. The other, who was 30, told doctors that the moles on her back had also rapidly darkened.” Medical watchdog groups “have issued warnings about the untested nature of the Internet-supplied jabs, the British Medical Journal reports.

We do not recommend to our patients the use of this product.

Scientists have discovered the earlier the vaccine is used, the better. Skin cancer can
take years to develop and the jab works best if given before cells begin to mutate within the skin.

It raises the possibility that the vaccine, which has a better safety record than many
others, could be used in childhood to protect against the disease later in life, providing
further studies support the latest findings.

Malignant melanoma kills around 1,700 people a year and is the third most common
cancer in people aged 15 to 39. Over-exposure to the sun’s rays is the biggest cause and since the mid-1990s there has been a 24 per cent increase in cases in the UK.

Some evidence suggests even a few early bouts of sunburn in childhood can be enough to trigger the cellular changes in moles that lead to skin cancer later in life.

Cells within moles become cancerous and start to divide uncontrollably, eventually
spreading through the body. So far, the only proven way of reducing risk is to protect the skin against sunburn by using high protection creams and wearing suitable clothing. But scientists have recently discovered the yellow fever vaccine, given to thousands of tourists heading for tropical climates in Africa and South America, seems to ‘power up’ the immune system to fight early cellular changes.

When skin cells, called melanocytes, become malignant they produce tiny amounts of a substance called HERV-K-MEL.

This substance sends a signal to the immune system to release antibodies to try to fight the rogue cells. It’s thought this immune system response is too weak to halt aggressive cancers such as melanoma once they have set in.

But if the immune system could be put on ‘red alert’ before cancerous changes even begin, it would have a better chance of destroying rogue cells as soon as they appear.

Tests show the yellow fever vaccine contains a very similar substance to HERV-KMEL that prompts the immune system to release antibodies into the blood ready for any cancer ‘attack’.

In the latest research, an international team of experts from the UK, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands studied more than 28,000 patients to see if having the vaccine affected their chances of cancer.

The results, published in the journal Vaccine, showed the risk of melanoma was reduced by up to 70 per cent in those who had the jab.

But the risks only started to fall at least ten years after the vaccine was given.

The reasons are unclear, but researchers think because skin cancer can take decades to develop, it may be crucial the jab is used before any ‘hidden’ changes in skin cells.

In a report on their findings they said vaccines may only offer protection if given ‘during the first few years of life’.

They added: ‘The results suggest a simple preventive strategy is possible. But the
immune response needed may have to be induced by vaccination long before the
tumour is clinically evident.’

More than 400 million people around the world have been vaccinated against yellow
fever since the drug first emerged in the late 1930s.

Only one in 100,000 people suffers a severe adverse reaction, a better safety record
than many other vaccines.

Dr Joanna Owens from Cancer Research UK said: ‘This is interesting research.
But it needs more detailed follow-up studies and we are a long way from being able to
say this vaccine will protect against melanoma.

‘The best way to reduce your risk of melanoma is still to stay safe in the sun.’

source: dailymall

Bloomberg News (11/16, Scott) reported that a “vaccine to prevent skin cancer may be ready for children within five to 10 years.” In fact, the “Australian scientist who created vaccinations for cervical cancer” has tested such a vaccine on animals.

According to Gardasil developer Prof. Ian Frazer, “it was not yet known how many skin cancers were caused by the” human papillomavirus, “a common infection which can turn abnormal cells into cancer,” AFP (11/16) added. Yet, the “new vaccine would target” human papillomavirus, and it “would be used on children aged between 10 and 12 to prevent them from developing skin cancer,” according to Frazer, who is expected to deliver “his findings to the Australian Health and Medical Research Congress on Monday.”

But “just how soon the vaccine will be made available depends on the tests,” the U.K.’s Daily Mail (11/17, Shears) notes. Prof. Frazer said, “If we get encouraging results with humans we will try and push it on as fast as we can.” He added that it is generally accepted “that papillomavirus causes at least five percent of all cancers globally — so one in 20 of the cancers that people get is caused by the infection.”

Yet, according to the Sydney Morning Herald (11/16), “Prof. Frazer said his team had found a way to turn on and off certain cells to allow the body to fight cells that had turned cancerous, or cells infected with viruses, such as papillomavirus.” He said, “We can teach the immune system the trick it needs to fight the viruses that cause these skin cancers relatively easily with a vaccine but getting them to go to the right place and do the right thing is the challenge.” The vaccine, however, would only “guard against squamous cell carcinoma…not deadly melanomas.” The Melbourne Herald Sun (11/16,Riley) and Australia’s The Age (11/17) also cover the story.

Experimental Drug Ustekinumab Trumps Enbrel in 3-Month Trial; Longer-Term Results Unknown

An experimental drug called ustekinumab shows better treatment results than an established drug, Enbrel, for treating moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in a new trial.

In a news release, the drug company Centocor, which makes ustekinumab and sponsored the study, calls the new drug “superior” to Enbrel.

But Amgen, the drug company that makes Enbrel, notes that the study only lasted for 12 weeks and didn’t address long-term safety.

Both ustekinumab and Enbrel are biologic drugs. Ustekinumab targets two inflammatory chemicals, interleukin 12 and interleukin 23. Enbrel is a TNF blocker; that is, it inhibits tumor necrosis factor (TNF).

In the new study, 903 patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis either got ustekinumab (in a higher or lower dose) or Enbrel for 12 weeks.

Patients in the ustekinumab groups got one shot of the experimental drug in their assigned dose when the study started and another shot four weeks later. Patients in the Enbrel group got two shots of Enbrel every week for 12 weeks.

Study’s Results

By the end of the study, 65% of patients in the lower-dose ustekinumab group and almost 71% of those in the higher-dose ustekinumab group had, at most, minimal signs of their psoriasis, according to their doctors, compared to 49% of patients treated with Enbrel.

Both drugs were generally well tolerated and had similar safety profiles during the study, according to data presented in Paris at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress.

“This study is significant for the dermatology community, as it is the first comparator trial of biologic therapies for psoriasis,” researcher Christopher Griffiths, MD, FRCP, of England’s University of Manchester, says in a Centocor news release.

“Treatment with ustekinumab … has demonstrated significant clinical efficacy with infrequent self-administered injections. Both are important considerations when evaluating the burden of disease for many adult patients living with moderate to severe psoriasis and who are candidates for a biologic treatment,” Griffiths notes.

In an email, Sonia Fiorenza, Amgen’s director of corporate communications, tells WebMD that “the big question with any new therapy, especially one targeting a new pathway, is not short-term efficacy; it’s long-term safety. This 12-week study doesn’t address that question.”

Fiorenza says Enbrel “continues to have a consistent safety profile,” has been used for 16 years, is “the number one prescribed biologic in psoriasis, and 80% of patients are highly satisfied with Enbrel.”

Centocor has submitted ustekinumab for FDA approval. In June, an advisory panel recommended that the FDA approve ustekinumab. The FDA often follows the recommendations of its advisory panels, but it’s not obligated to do so.

By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD