A new study presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine’s (SNM) 56th Annual Meeting showed that a radioactive skin patch can treat basal cell carcinoma safely. The patch contains radioactive phosphorus-32 and it was tested in 8 people who had basal cell carcinoma on the face. Normally a skin cancer like this would be treated with surgery or radiation. Both could be potentially disfiguring depending on the extent and location of the cancer.

Instead of the usual options, these patients chose to try sealed patches that were custom-made according to the size and shape of their particular skin cancer. The patches were applied 3 hours a day for 3 days. Three months later biopsies of the skin cancer sites showed no cancer.

According to the researchers, phosphorus-32 has a limited range that keeps it from affecting the underlying bone and blood vessels so it does not cause any toxicity to the rest of the body. Blood and other tests confirmed this in these 8 patients.

I think this is a very exciting discovery for many reasons. Not only could this save people with basal cell carcinomas from disfiguring surgery, it also potentially opens the door to treating other skin cancers with minimal fuss.

I don’t know of anybody who doesn’t want healthy skin, but how do you know when you have it? Sometimes it seems that judging skin health is almost “in the eye of the beholder.” Or like good art, you know it when you see it.

In the past there weren’t many medical studies that gave objective criteria on what makes skin appear healthy. However, lately, this has been a fairly hot topic, and now we have some good studies that reveal specific healthy skin characteristics.

Any idea what they are?

Researchers from Hallym University in the Republic of Korea presented the results of a study at the Experimental Biology 2009 meeting in New Orleans. In this study applying a topical concoction made from ellagic acid prevented the major causes of wrinkles after exposure to UV radiation.

Ellagic acid is an antioxidant found in many different fruits, vegetables, and nuts like raspberries, cranberries, and pomegranates. The researchers found that this antioxidant prevented the inflammatory response and destruction of collagen that lead to the formation of wrinkles.

Do you have a rash that you think might be caused by an infection? Skin infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi are common. Take a look at these pictures of rashes caused by various infections and see if yours matches.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that affects 1% to 3% of the world’s population. It is characterized by periodic flare-ups of well defined, red patches covered by a silvery, flaky scale on parts of the body and the scalp. There are several types of psoriasis but the most common type is chronic plaque psoriasis.

There are many different topical treatments for psoriasis, but a Cochrane review found that two often used topicals work best together. Based on 131 studies the review found that Vitamin D products like Dovonex combined with high-strength corticosteroids, groups I & II were the most effective topical treatments.

This is good news for people who have mild psoriasis because these are medications most primary care physicians feel comfortable prescribing. But for people who have numerous plaques, it’s difficult to apply topical medications on every plaque.

Tea tree oil and silver are both good antiseptics that can kill different types of micro-organisms, but researchers from the University of Wolverhampton presented their research at the Society for General Microbiology Meeting which showed that combining tea tree oil and silver nitrate makes a more effective antimicrobial. The combination was able to kill Staphylococcus aureus, which causes abscesses and cellulitis, and Candida albicans, a yeast which causes intertrigo.

This discovery led the researchers to use oils similar to the skin’s natural oils to deliver the mixture to infected wounds. Because this delivery method causes the medicine to be released slowly, the researchers were able to use lower doses of both chemical and reduce side effects.

Researchers are making great strides in understanding how wounds heal and I think it’s a fascinating area of study. I predict that wound care in 5 years will be completely different than wound care now.

Genentech, the company that makes Raptiva (efalizumab) to treat psoriasis, recently announced it has begun a voluntary, phased withdrawal of the drug from the U.S. market because it has the potential to cause progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare, progressive neurological disease that’s usually fatal. By June 8, 2009 Raptiva will not be available in the United States.

The drug is not being withdrawn immediately to give physicians and patients taking Raptiva time to safely and appropriately discontinue treatment. Because it’s possible that abruptly discontinuing Raptiva may cause a severe flare of psoriasis, it is very important that patients work with their physician to taper the medication instead of stopping it abruptly.

PML is a disease of the central nervous system caused by activation of the John Cunningham (JC) virus. The JC virus causes an infection without symptoms in childhood and 86% of adults have antibodies.

In most people the JC virus is latent in the kidneys and parts of the immune system. But in people who are severely immunocompromised, the virus can reactivate, travel to the brain, and infect the cells that make myelin, an insulating sheath that surrounds nerves and is essential for proper functioning of the nervous system. The median survival time for people with PML, without HIV infection, is 2.6 months.

According to Genentech, there have been 3 cases of PML in people who were taking Raptiva. Another patient who was treated with Raptiva developed progressive neurologic symptoms and died of unknown causes.

In a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology researchers found that drinking coffee or tea lowers a person’s risk of developing nonmelanoma skin cancer. This protective effect had been documented in the past in mice and the current study found the same results in human skin cells.

The researchers believe that caffeine protects the skin by blocking a specific pathway that leads to cell death in people exposed to UV radiation. It is possible that targeting this pathway may further prevent or reverse damage from UV radiation.

I for one would be thrilled if this research holds up. Imagine drinking your morning cup of coffee knowing that you’re protecting your skin from the sun. That’s a much easier habit to keep up than putting on sunscreen.

Medications, known as biologics, that target specific parts of the immune system can be very effective treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. Because these medications do affect the immune system, people taking them are at a higher risk of developing infections. In the past researchers have come up with conflicting data about which viral infections might be triggered by biologics.

In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that Remicade and Humira, but not Enbrel, increased a person’s risk for developing shingles. Shingles is a reactivation of the chicken pox virus that can be very painful and cause serious pain after the rash has resolved.

There is a vaccine for shingles that reduces the severity and complications of the rash, and it’s recommended for people who are 60 or over and others who are considering taking immune-suppressing medications. This would be especially important for people who are contemplating starting Remicaide or Humira for rheumatoid arthritis.

Shingles is a painful rash caused by a reactivation of the chicken pox virus. Fortunately there is a vaccine to help prevent shingles from occuring. The vaccine, Zostavax, made by Merck, is recommended for everyone over 60 years old and people who are contemplating taking medications that suppress the immune system.

Merck recently announced that the increased demand for Zostavax has exhausted their supply and it may take four to five months before new vaccine is shipped.