Two-thirds of women in Hong Kong are dissatisfied with their body shape, according to a survey conducted by The Nielsen Company. Five hundred women aged 25 to 49 participated in the poll, sponsored by global aesthetic device company Syneron Medical and presented at last week's Asian Dermatological Congress in Hong Kong. Women in Taiwan and Australia were also surveyed, with 75 per cent and 46 per cent expressing dissatisfaction respectively. The key concerns in all three populations were "love handles", "bra fat" and bulging tummies.

Atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema that strikes in childhood, has a large impact on the quality of sufferers' lives, a study commissioned by Menarini Asia-Pacific has found. Sixty-five per cent of 1,000 mothers of children with the condition said it affected their lives. Ninety-five per cent made at least one medical visit in the past year, and about one in three spent four hours a day or more caring for their children. Two-thirds spent US$794 in the past year dealing with the condition. "More than 50 per cent of patients will go on to develop asthma and allergic rhinitis if the disease is not managed properly," says Professor Ellis Hon from Chinese University's department of paediatrics.