Maui Derm 2014 Conference Highlights

The successful aesthetic consult

Kent Remington, M.D., guides patients through his method for conducting a successful aesthetic consult, he told attendees at the MauiDerm 2014 meeting. Knowing a patient's "real" reasons for aesthetic improvement — and shifting from a monotherapy toward performing a full-face rejuvenation following a multitherapeutic approach — are essential in achieving excellent aesthetic outcomes, he told attendees at the MauiDerm 2014 meeting. The aesthetic consult is where this shift takes place. By connecting with your patient and then engaging your patient through education, you instill trust. Remember that patients are not paying for a unit or a joule, they're paying for good results. Read more

Neuromodulators not equal

Joel Cohen, M.D., explained to attendees at MauiDerm 2014 the differences among the three approved botulinum toxin products and how to use them successfully to take advantage of their unique properties. He recommended that doctors really think about these products as unique and begin to use them for their individual properties. They're not interchangeable, he said. Conversion factors are inadequate, studies have found, so there's no perfect conversion ratio. And it's very difficult to make direct comparisons between products because studies have been designed differently, there has been an evolution of endpoints and study design may lead to limitations in how you are able to interpret the data. Read more

Beware of fake toxins

Michael Gold, M.D., at the MauiDerm 2014 conference shared his insight into the world of fake botulinum toxins. There is a huge counterfeit market, he said. It behooves dermatologists to be aware, because they are very easily acquired over the Internet or purchased overseas and carried into the United States. These fake products look exactly like their legitimate counterparts, and the consequences of acquiring and using such products can be highly detrimental to patients — not to mention,it's illegal to use fake products. Read more

The purpose of aesthetics

We're learning more about the aging process and how it occurs at different levels: from the surface of the skin, all the way down to the bony structure. Our purpose in aesthetics is to understand this process and to work with it to highlight the natural beauty of an individual, Ava Shamban, M.D., told attendees at the MauiDerm 2014 meeting. Beauty is an experience of sight, smell and sound. We, as purveyors of beauty, want to make sure that everything that we do on the face makes the face memorable, Dr. Shamban said. She explained her concept of the Signature Feature and how to use it for a successful aesthetic outcome. Read more

Poster highlights from MauiDerm 2014

Couldn't make it to MauiDerm 2014? Here is a brief collection of some of the research featured in poster presentations at the conference. Read more

Please stay tuned to Dermatology Times as we bring you more daily highlights from Maui Derm 2014 and further in depth coverage on the data presented following the meeting.