Medical Advances: The Best PR Money Can Buy
Skin care and cosmetic enhancement/cosmetic surgery
Edward B. Lack MD
President, MetropolitanMD
Chicago’s Cosmetic Surgery Center
Are news articles about scientific advances in skin care hyped?
I am struck by the need for physicians to make headlines by writing articles of questionable merit in medical journals and the thirst of the media to pick up these articles as grist for their voyeuristic publications in order to sell more advertising.
Two cases in point: Newsweek picked up the ridiculous article by a dermatologist who gave anecdotal evidence that botox could be used to treat depression. He theorized that the absence of frowning produced a happier outlook in the patient. His own published pictures showed patients with depressed eyebrows staring in what might be interpreted as angry poses. How he connects the appearance of sadness to the appearance of anger as a sign of a more positive affect is puzzling. Since he has frozen the patient’s brows, why not do that to the whole face and he can simulate stroke- certainly no cause for depression. Today I read about an article that purports to show skin resurfacing with peels or lasers reduces skin cancer. The sample size was small, the control group was different from the trial group, and peels have been used for over 2000 years and no one has asserted that they saw a reduction in skin cancer in such patients. Also, for almost 30 years we have known that tretinoin (Retin A, Retinol, etc) can prevent up to 90+% of new skin cancers in patients who have had previous skin cancers. My patient’s have been doing that since 1980 and to my knowledge compliance is high as is patient satisfaction. I think most of us would prefer applying a drop of cream to our face each night as opposed to having our skin resurfaced.
If writers are having trouble using common sense, then readers need to do it for themselves.
Edward B. Lack MD
President, MetropolitanMD
Chicago’s Cosmetic Surgery Center
Are news articles about scientific advances in skin care hyped?
I am struck by the need for physicians to make headlines by writing articles of questionable merit in medical journals and the thirst of the media to pick up these articles as grist for their voyeuristic publications in order to sell more advertising.
Two cases in point: Newsweek picked up the ridiculous article by a dermatologist who gave anecdotal evidence that botox could be used to treat depression. He theorized that the absence of frowning produced a happier outlook in the patient. His own published pictures showed patients with depressed eyebrows staring in what might be interpreted as angry poses. How he connects the appearance of sadness to the appearance of anger as a sign of a more positive affect is puzzling. Since he has frozen the patient’s brows, why not do that to the whole face and he can simulate stroke- certainly no cause for depression. Today I read about an article that purports to show skin resurfacing with peels or lasers reduces skin cancer. The sample size was small, the control group was different from the trial group, and peels have been used for over 2000 years and no one has asserted that they saw a reduction in skin cancer in such patients. Also, for almost 30 years we have known that tretinoin (Retin A, Retinol, etc) can prevent up to 90+% of new skin cancers in patients who have had previous skin cancers. My patient’s have been doing that since 1980 and to my knowledge compliance is high as is patient satisfaction. I think most of us would prefer applying a drop of cream to our face each night as opposed to having our skin resurfaced.
If writers are having trouble using common sense, then readers need to do it for themselves.
posted by Edward Lack MD at 8:32 PM
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