Upcoming Conference!
HFM National Training Conference
August 21-23, 2006- Tampa, Florida
Heath Care Food Management 2006 National
Training Conference: Plans
are underway to bring you another fantastic
conference filled with powerful speakers,
cutting-edge educational seminars, valuable
networking sessions, and a week of fun in
the sun with colleagues and friends!
One of the many
expert speakers at the conference will be
Cheryl Whitman, CEO of Beautiful Forever
Medical Spa Business Consulting. The topic
of her discussion will be
Healthcare Retail held on Wednesday,
August 23 at 2:15 to 3:15pm and again at
4-5pm.
So mark your
calendars for the
2006 HFM National Training Conference,
at the
Saddlebrook Resort,
August 21 - 25 in Tampa, Florida.
Secluded on 480
pristine acres, Saddlebrook Resort Tampa,
features deluxe guest rooms, one-bedroom and
two-bedroom suites, four restaurants, three
swimming pools, the Arnold Palmer Golf
Academy, two championship golf courses,
Hopman Tennis Program, 45 tennis courts in
all Grand Slam surfaces, Sports Village with
a Fitness Center, Wellness Center and the
European style spa. For more information,
visit the Saddlebrook Web site at
www.saddlebrookresort.com.
If you have questions
about the HFM Conference or your
registration, please call HFM at
212.297.2166 or visit the web site at
www.hfm.org/events/conf/upcoming.html.
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First Of Its Kind
Study Finds Patients Report Looking An
Average Of Five To Six Years Younger
Following BOTOX(R) Cosmetic Treatment
Facials
Medical News Today
By Alastair Carruthers; Steven Fagien
29 Jul 2006
A first-of-its-kind analysis of data from
multiple studies has found that a large
proportion of patients report looking an
average of five to six years younger than
their current age after treatment for
multiple upper facial lines with BOTOX(R)
Cosmetic (Botulinum Toxin Type A, Allergan,
Inc.).(i) As many as 63 percent of patients
receiving BOTOX Cosmetic reported looking
younger than their current age after
treatment for upper facial lines -- i.e.,
moderate to severe glabellar lines (the
vertical "frown" lines between the brows,
often referred to as the "11s"), crow's
feet, or multiple facial lines in the
forehead area -- compared to just 23 percent
of patients receiving placebo. The findings
were presented today at the American Academy
of Dermatology Academy '06 meeting in San
Diego.
"Patient satisfaction is a key measure of
success when using BOTOX Cosmetic to treat
facial lines, but clinical trials usually
rely on physician assessments to measure
treatment results," said Steven Fagien,
M.D., an aesthetic oculoplastic surgeon in
Boca Raton, FL and one of the study
investigators. "The studies included in our
analysis are the first to accurately and
reliably assess the patient's own
self-perception of age following BOTOX
Cosmetic treatment. Using this approach, we
found a sizeable proportion of patients
perceived they looked younger than their
current age following treatment with BOTOX
Cosmetic -- an outcome that is an important
goal for many patients seeking medical
aesthetic treatments."
For this analysis, data from 249 patients
treated with BOTOX Cosmetic or placebo from
five clinical studies were analyzed. Using
the Self-Perception of Age (SPA) measure to
directly assess each patient's perception of
his or her own age-related appearance,
patients in each of the clinical studies
were asked to indicate whether they feel
they look their current age, younger than
their current age, or older than their
current age. The SPA scale was administered
both pre-treatment and at four weeks
post-treatment.
At week four post-treatment with BOTOX
Cosmetic, 39 percent of patients receiving
20 U for glabellar lines, 44.8 percent of
patients receiving 12 U for bilateral
treatment for crow's feet, and 62.5 percent
of patients receiving 64 U for multiple
upper facial lines reported looking an
average of five to six years younger
relative to their current age. In
comparison, only 23 percent of patients
receiving placebo reported they looked
younger at week four post-treatment.
"Patients treated for multiple facial lines
perceived that they looked younger than
those who were treated with BOTOX Cosmetic
for glabellar lines or crow's feet alone.
This suggests that the overall, subtle
smoothing in the appearance of facial lines
achieved by treating multiple areas may be
an important factor in a patient's
perception of looking younger," said
Alastair Carruthers, M.D., a cosmetic
dermasurgeon in Vancouver, Canada and a
co-investigator in the study. "In Canada,
where BOTOX Cosmetic is approved for the
treatment of multi-facial lines, I have
found that by using the SPA questionnaire
with my patients I can work with them to set
appropriate expectations and goals for
treatment to ensure optimal results."
This study was funded by an
unrestricted grant from Allergan, Inc.
(i) Carruthers A, Carruthers J, Cox SE,
Fagien S, Finn JC, Kowalski JW, et al.
Patients' self-perception of age after
botulinum toxin type A treatment of upper
facial rhytids: results across multiple
studies. Presented at the American Academy
of Dermatology '06 Meeting (July) in San
Diego, CA. [Poster P2401]
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Ethnic patients
fastest-growing segment of cosmetic patients
Jul 28, 2006 - Dermatology Times E-News
By: Cheryl Guttman
People of color are the fastest-growing
segment of cosmetic patients, so learning to
use lasers safely and correctly for ethnic
skin will mean "your doors are open" to more
patients, said Eliot F. Battle Jr., M.D., at
the American Academy of Dermatology's
Academy '06.
"You will never be a laser expert until you
can treat brown skin," says Dr. Battle, who
is director of laser surgery at the Cultura
Cosmetic Medical Spa in Washington, D.C.,
and assistant clinical professor of
dermatology, Howard University Medical
School.
Treating blacks is challenging, he says,
because "We are a mixture of every race. ...
Every time I treat an African-American, I'm
treating someone different" from the last
patient.
The four "crucial" laser parameters
dermatologists must master to treat ethnic
skin safely are wavelength, fluence, pulse
duration and cooling, Dr. Battle says.
Longer wavelengths and longer pulse
durations are safer, he says, and cooling is
the most important factor in treating skin
of color.
Side effects and blistering can occur when
the skin is heated beyond 45 degrees
Celsius. Side effects in black skin can
occur up to 48 hours after a procedure such
as laser hair removal, he says.
Dermatology
antibiotic mainstays ineffective for
community-acquired MRSA infections
Jul
28, 2006 - Dermatology Times E-News
By:
Cheryl Guttman
Dermatologists in outpatient practices
should maintain an index of suspicion for
infections caused by community-acquired
methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(CA-MRSA) and recognize the need to
prescribe alternatives to the usual
antibiotics that can be relied upon to
effectively treat the majority of skin and
skin structure infections they see, says
Kenneth J. Tomecki, M.D., department of
dermatology, The Cleveland Clinic
Foundation.
"Ninety percent of skin and skin structure
infections encountered by dermatologists in
their offices or in outpatient clinics are
caused by methicillin-susceptible S. aureus
and beta-hemolytic streptococci, and those
infections can be eradicated by treating
empirically with a first-generation
cephalosporin or an anti-staphylococcal
penicillin. Those drugs, however, are not
effective against CA-MRSA," Dr. Tomecki
says.
Seventy-five percent of CA-MRSA infections
involve the skin, and they typically occur
in younger persons, especially in athletes
who play contact sports, individuals who
have been recently released from prison or
in individuals who are drug abusers. Any of
those findings in a patient who presents
with a furuncle or cellulitis suggests that
a specimen be obtained for culture and
sensitivity testing.
Incision and drainage is of paramount
importance in treating any furuncle/abscess,
and may be curative by itself in about 75
percent of CA-MRSA infections. When an
antibiotic is needed, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole
(TMP/SMX) can be considered first-line
except in geographic areas where resistance
to TMP/SMX is high. Clindamycin and
tetracycline represent good second-line
choices in the latter situation. Other
alternatives include the newer antibiotic
linezolid (Zyvox), or vancomycin or
daptomycin (Cubicin) if the infection is
severe.
"Patients should also be advised about using
antibacterial soaps or washes and other good
hygiene measures, and dermatologists should
also not forget about hygiene practices,
including the frequent use of alcohol-based
hand rubs," Dr. Tomecki says.
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Allergan Says '06
Sales May Exceed $2.81B
By MSP Staff
07/14/06 Business Trends
Botox-maker Allergan Inc. said Monday its
2006 sales would be between $2.81 billion
and $2.95 billion, reflecting the biomedical
company's recent acquisition of Inamed Corp.
Irvine, Calif.-based Allergan maintained its
previous guidance for full-year 2006
earnings per share of $3.56 to $3.62,
including expected stock-option expenses of
20 cents per share.Analysts surveyed by
Thomson Financial estimate full-year
earnings per share of $3.56 on revenue of
$2.76 billion.Allergan completed its $3.2
billion takeover of Inamed last week. Inamed
makes a range of "dermal filler" products
used to smooth wrinkles that Allergan sees
as a complement to its market-leading Botox
antiwrinkle treatment. Inamed also makes
saline and silicone breast implants.
Allergan intends to retain virtually all of
Inamed's sales force, Allergan management
said during a conference call with Wall
Street analysts Monday.For the year,
Allergan said its pharmaceutical sales would
generate between $2.45 billion and $2.54
billion in sales, excluding the revenues
from products acquired by its takeover of
Inamed.The company pegged Botox sales
between $870 million and $905 million,
excluding sales in Japan.
Among the product lines acquired from Inamed,
Allergan expects sales of breast aesthetic
products to reach between $180 million and
$200 million, while sales from its dermal
filler business will range between $45
million and $55 million.
The sales estimates of the Inamed products
are for an unspecified nine-month period of
2006, the company said.
For the first quarter, Allergan expects to
see between $600 million and $610 million in
sales, excluding the sale of Inamed
products. Allergan said first-quarter
earnings per share will be between 80 cents
and 81 cents, including expected
stock-option expenses of 4 cents per share.
Analysts estimate first-quarter earnings per
share of 82 cents.Shares of Allergan rose 4
cents to $111.96 in afternoon trading on the
New York Stock Exchange.
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