Dr. Fife featured in Skin & Allergy News

Posted on 10. Feb, 2011 by Dr. Douglas Fife in Medicine

Skin & Allergy News featured Dr. Fife’s lecture during the Las Vegas Dermatology Seminar sponsored by the Skin Disease Education Foundation (SDEF). The article summarizes several procedures Dr. Fife has found to be effective in treating acne scars, including dermabrasion, excisional techniques, and skin needling.

The article is titled, “Treating Acne Scars? Lasers Not Required,” by Lorinda Bullock. Click here to read the full article.

Dr. Fife presents lecture to Skin Disease Education Foundation on current treatment of acne scars

Posted on 27. Jan, 2011 by Dr. Douglas Fife in Medicine

Douglas Fife, M.D. was invited to present a lecture to Board Certified Dermatologists and Dermatology Residents at the Las Vegas Dermatology Seminar, sponsored by the Skin Disease Education Foundation.  Along with reviewing the classification of acne scars, the lecture gave a practical step-by-step review of the most common techniques.  Treatments were grouped into the following four categories: 1) Resurfacing procedures, 2) Lifting procedures, 3) Excisional techniques, 4) Other.  The specific procedures reviewed by Dr. Fife included subcision, filler injections, skin needling, subtotal/staged excision, elliptical ecxcision, punch excision, punch elevation, chemical peels, CROSS technique, chemabrasion.  A separate lecturer covered laser resurfacing, which Dr. Fife also performs routinely in the office.  Dr. Fife stressed that Dermatologists who specialize in acne scar therapy should be familiar with all of the possible treatment options available to treat patients with acne scars.  Acne scarring is a complex skin problem which can be extremely distressing to individuals affected by it.  It is also is sometimes difficult to treat–multiple procedures are usually required over a period of time, and the improvement is unpredictable.  Results can be maximized when the most appropriate procedures are selected to treat a patient’s specific scars.

Dr. Fife chairs Comprehensive Acne Scar Therapy course at the ASDS in Chicago

Posted on 01. Dec, 2010 by Dr. Douglas Fife in Medicine

Douglas Fife, M.D. was invited to chair a course covering all of the current and most effective treatments for acne scars at the 2010 joint annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) and American Society of  Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery (ASCDAS) October 21-24.  In planning the course, he invited guest speakers Greg Goodman, M.D. from Victoria, Australia and Christine Lee, M.D., East Bay Laser Institute to be co-presenters.  The goal of the course was to teach dermatologists in the U.S. and abroad tips and techniques for treating patients with acne scars.  As part of the course, all aspects of acne scar treatment were covered, including setting appropriate expectations, grading and classifying acne scars, “lifting” procedures such as punch elevation subsicion, focal and volumizing fillers, laser resurfacing, (including fully ablative, fractional CO2 and fractional non-ablative lasers), and how to modify treatments for patients of different skin pigmentation.  Dr. Fife specifically covered the topics of focal dermabrasion, CROSS chemical peels, punch excision, other excisional surgery, skin needling, and newer techniques such as ReCell and botulinum toxin for the treatment of scars.  The session, which required a separate tuition from the conference admission, was the most well-attended early morning course of at the ASDS meeting.  The ASDS/ASCDAS annual meeting is the premier academic meeting for Dermatologic Surgeons and Procedural/Cosmetic Dermatologists.

Total Fx fractional CO2 laser treatment for acne scars

Posted on 09. Mar, 2010 by Dr. Douglas Fife in Medicine

Surgical Dermatology and Laser center is now offering Total Fx laser treatment of acne scars.  The total FX laser by Lumenis is a fractional CO2 laser, which drills small holes into the skin in order to remove scar tissue, induce collagen remodeling, and smooth out the skin surface.  The Total Fx laser is a part of the comprehensive acne scar therapy offered by Douglas Fife, M.D., an acne scar treatment physician.  To treat an acne scar optimally, a physician needs to have the tools, knowledge, and experience to perform multiple different types of procedures.  Mild acne scarring can be improved by one or more fractional laser resurfacing procedures alone, but more significant scarring (where there are visible depressions or atrophy of deeper tissues under the scar) requires “lifting” or “preparatory” procedures such as subscision, punch elevation, or fillers prior to laser resurfacing.   All of these procedures are offered by Dr. Fife at the Surgical Dermatology & Laser Center in Las Vegas, NV.

The Total FX acne scarring procedure includes two different laser treatments.  The first is called “Deep Fx” in which hundreds of microscopic laser columns are pulsed on the skin to the depth of almost 1mm.  This is followed immediately by another entire facial laser treatment called “Active Fx,” in which wider but more shallow spots of laser columns are delivered  onto the skin.  The Active plus the Deep Fx equals “Total Fx.”  It is a revolutionary procedure which treats acne scarring with less downtime and side effects when compared to complete CO2 laser resurfacing.  Because only 25-50% of the skin surface is treated by the laser, the untreated skin allows for faster healing with less risk of infection, prolonged pain, and scarring.

Dr. Fife organizes Las Vegas Chapter of The National Melanoma Awareness Project.

Posted on 22. Jan, 2010 by Dr. Douglas Fife in Medicine

The National Melanoma Awareness Project (NMAP) is an educational outreach program dedicated to educate middle school and high school students about sun safety and skin cancer, with an emphasis on self-screening for earlier detection and prevention of melanoma.  The Las Vegas Chapter was recently organized by Douglas Fife, M.D. of the Surgical Dermatology & Laser Center.  Dr. Fife previously worked with the NMAP in Orange County while Dr. Fife was in Dermatology Residency at University of California, Irvine and lectured to students at Tustin High School in Orange County.

The goals of the NMAP (from www.spotaspot.org) are:

  • To provide a network for collaboration on national skin cancer educational outreach efforts
  • To educate the community about the realities of skin cancer, with emphasis on prevention and early detection of melanoma through sun protection and frequent self-screening
  • To leave students with an interest in teaching their friends and loved ones about melanoma
  • To increase awareness, knowledge, and suspicion of melanoma in future physicians across medical specialties
  • To personalize teaching about melanoma and to connect those affected by it through sharing of real-life stories

The Las Vegas Chapter of the NMAP will be visiting high schools and middle schools to educate students starting in the Spring of 2010.  If you are interested in having lectures at your school or if you are interested in joining the NMAP, please contact Dr. Fife at dfife@surgical-dermatology.com or visit www.spotaspot.org.

A comfortable, contemporary office in Southwest Las Vegas.

Posted on 22. Dec, 2009 by surgical derm in Medicine

Final touches are being completed to the interior design of the Surgical Dermatology & Laser Center, located at 9280 W. Sunset Rd, Suite 310, Las Vegas, NV 89117. The color schemes, flooring, furniture, fixtures, and artwork were chosen by Heather Fife, the lead designer in the project. Heather states, “We wanted to create an office which is contemporary and cosmetically appealing, but at the same time is comfortable for patients who have to spend hours at the Center during their Mohs surgeries.” The office is a mix of warm tan, brown, and grey, with Oahu teak floors in the waiting room and exam rooms. The waiting room furniture is black comfortable leather, and accent sconces in the waiting room and hallways provide soft light and a comfortable effect. For patient comfort and convenience, the waiting room has a television, a refrigerator with free beverages, and complimentary snacks. Each procedure room is also equipped with a flat screen television with cable for those patients who will wait in rooms during Mohs surgery. The office is designed to achieve the Center’s goal of providing excellent service and the most cutting-edge care to each patient who enters the door. Please see our website in the future for a “virtual office tour”.

Surgical Dermatology and Laser Center to open January 18, 2010.

Posted on 25. Nov, 2009 by surgical derm in Medicine

After many months of careful planning and work, the Surgical Dermatology & Laser Center will open its doors for patients on January 18, 2010. We are very excited to begin serving physicians and patients in the Greater Las Vegas area! The practice’s two main areas of emphasis will be acne scarring therapy and skin cancer surgery and reconstruction. The office has been equipped with the most state-of-the-art instruments and technology necessary to take excellent care of all surgical and acne scarring patients. Dr. Douglas Fife, who completed 5 years of training after medical school to become an expert in Mohs Surgery, Dermatologic Surgery, and Acne Scarring Therapy, is excited to become an integral part of the medical community and be a resource for all physicians in the area.