Duke Dermatology held a Healthy Skin and Body Day on July 28, 2007 at Rogers Grove International Church in Durham. This program was part of a national project sponsored by the North American Hair Research Society and Procter and Gamble. Dr. Elise Olsen, Director of the Duke Hair Disorders Research and Treatment Center, is Chairman of a group of dermatologists who are conducting studies to determine the incidence and discover possible contributing factors of a hair disorder, central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA). This disorder is seen almost exclusively in African American women and its pathogenesis is not known. In an effort to gather more information on this condition, Over 50 individuals joined together at this exciting and educational event. Dr. Olsen and Dr. Amy McMichael, a dermatologist at Wake Forest University who is part of this collaborative effort, performed scalp and hair evaluations and administered hair loss questionnaires to screen individuals for CCCA. They were helped in this by Duke Dermatology staff including Mya Shackleford, Mary Tabron, Dina Bryant and Eric Lai. Other activities that day included skin cancer screening by Duke faculty member, Dr. Rob Walters, and resident, Dr. Steve Higgins, and health seminars educating the public about skin care and general health concerns. Seminar lectures included Skin Cancer in African Americans given by Duke Dermatology Chairman, Dr. Russell Hall, Healthy Skin discussed by Dermatology resident, Dr. Kate Reed, and a Vaccine Update by Dermatology Fellow, Dr. Holly Bartell. The event was a successful endeavor which gathered information about hair loss in African American women, educated the public about skin health and raised awareness in the community of medical advances.

Fraxel® Laser Treatment now available at Duke. Fraxel® Laser Treatment is a safe, non-invasive procedure that resurfaces the skin with minimal downtime. This FDA approved procedure has proven to be effective in the treatment of acne scars, melasma, and photodamage. It improves skin texture, reduce pore size, erases unwanted brown spots, and smoothes wrinkles. For additional information or to schedule a consultation, contact Dr. Claude Burton at (919)684-5337. Questions can also be emailed to dukefraxel@mc.duke.edu. Additional information is available at the Fraxel® website. View videos of the procedure.

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