San Antonio. The Alamo. Fort Sam Houston. The Riverwalk. This pleasant, smallish metropolis boasts charm and good food and friendly, smiling people. In late-winter southwest Texas, the climate is mild, the air cool. Well, that's enough about the outside world, cuz for the next 3 days I, your roving AAD meeting reporter and blogger, will be cooped up at the dermatology conference, taking in the products, events, and atmopshere of indoor coffee bars and cheezsy sandwiches for lunch.

Prior to the show, a few vendors have announced stuff:

Candela announced today that it will acquire all share capital of Inolase, LTD. of Netanya, Israel, in a cash transaction valued at approximately $16.5 million, excluding certain earn-out royalty payments contingent on the attainment of specified performance targets. Inolase is the developer and manufacturer of Pneumatic Skin Flattening(TM) (PSF), a vacuum-driven technology that provides pain- free, efficacious enhancements to all laser and light-based devices. PSF is FDA approved for use in hair removal when used with lasers or IPLs and is CE marked. It is also under investigation for use in a variety of other applications including non-ablative skin rejuvenation, skin tightening and treatment of pigmented lesions and tattoos. Jeez, Candela is on a roll.

Canfield Imaging Systems will show off its aesthetic imaging system. Its Mirror software "photoshops" patient images to show how they will look without wrinkles or sagging breasts.

Over at Thermage, a new capital equipment purchase plan will be announced at the AAD. Its Infinity Program introduces a variety of plans that are designed to make its ThermaCool system more affordable to aesthetic practices. The plans come with bells and whistles that include subscription-based plans to purchase treatment tips and other consumables.

I'm hitching a ride to the meeting in about an hour. Stay tuned for more breaking news and tips on where to get the best coffee at the show!