Washington, March 8 : Dermatologists have achieved a significant success in improving the appearance of ageing hands by using sclerotherapy, a longstanding treatment for spider veins.

Dr. Mary P. Lupo, clinical professor of dermatology at Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans, shared her professional experience using sclerotherapy to treat prominent veins common in aging hands at the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy).

Washington, Mar 8 : People with severe psoriasis are at an increased risk of developing serious medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, says a dermatologist from University of Pennsylvania.

He has also found that patients with severe psoriasis may have shorter life expectancies than those without the condition.

Those with severe psoriasis may die three to five years earlier than patients who do not have the disease.

Washington, Mar 8 : A combination of laser therapy has been found to safely and effectively treat one of the most common skin conditions that plagues teenagers and adults alike-acne.

Dermatologist Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, MD, PhD, FAAD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., demonstrated how photodynamic therapy combined with a long-pulse, pulsed-dye laser and topical 5-aminolevulinic acid provides long-lasting clearance of acne lesions.

Geneva  - The healthcare needs of women in areas stricken by conflict are being neglected and often ignored, the International Committee for the Red Cross' (ICRC) specialist on women in war has said, ahead of International Women's Day on Sunday March 8th.

"During conflict women are made more vulnerable," Nadine Puechguirbal, the ICRC's specialist on the women and war told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. Women's health needs can be neglected while the burden they shoulder, particularly looking after a family, can become harder.

Melbourne, Mar 7 : Australia''''s new guideline on alcohol consumption has stated that two alcoholic drinks a day can put people at a greater risk of dying. The guidelines, which were released on March 6 by Australia''''s top health advice body, warn that the health benefits of alcohol have been overstated.

It said that someone consuming two drinks a day has nearly one chance in 100 of dying from alcohol-induced injury or illness, than they do from drowning, being in a pedestrian accident or an accidental fall.

Washington, Mar 7: A new study from University of Gothenburg, Sweden has found that parental depression has an adverse impact on children.

Lead researcher Britt Hedman Ahlstrom has revealed that children take on an enormous amount of responsibility for the ill parent and for other family members.

Depression changes the relationship between a parent and his/her children, since they no longer communicate with each other as they used to.