SERP (DETAILS) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2010
Defined Benefit Pension Plans And Defined Benefit Postretirement Plans Disclosure Abstract
Defined Benefit Plans General Information		On June 24, 2011, the Company’s Compensation Committee adopted the Medicis Pharmaceutical Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (the “SERP”), a non-qualified, noncontributory, defined benefit pension plan that provides supplemental retirement income for a select group of officers, including the Company’s named executive officers. The SERP is effective as of June 1, 2011. Retirement benefits are based on a SERP participant’s years of service and average earnings (base salary plus cash bonus or incentive payments) during any three calendar years of service (regardless of whether the years are consecutive), beginning with the 2009 calendar year. A SERP participant vests in 1/6th of his or her retirement benefit per plan year, effective as of the first day of the plan year, and becomes fully vested in his or her accrued retirement benefit upon (1) the participant’s normal retirement date, provided that the participant has at least fifteen years of service with the Company and is employed by the Company on such date, (2) the participant’s separation from service due to a discharge without “cause” or resignation for “good reason” (as such terms are defined in the participant’s employment agreement, or in the absence of such employment agreement or definitions, in the Company’s Executive Retention Plan), or (3) a “change in control” of the Company. A SERP participant accrues his or her retirement benefit based on (x) the participant’s number of years of service with the Company (including prior years of service), divided by (y) the number of years designated for such participant’s tier (which ranges from five to twenty years).
Other Comprehensive Income Defined Benefit Plan Net Prior Service Cost Credit Arising During Period Before Tax		$ 33,800,000
Defined Benefit Plan Amortization Of Prior Service Cost Credit	400,000	400,000	0
Deferred Tax Assets Tax Deferred Expense Compensation And Benefits Postretirement Benefits	$ 12,000,000	$ 12,000,000

General information regarding defined benefit plans. A defined benefit pension plan is a plan that defines an amount of pension benefit to be provided, usually as a function of one or more factors such as age, years of service, or compensation. An other postretirement defined benefit plan is an arrangement that is mutually understood by an employer and its employees, whereby an employer undertakes to provide its employees with benefits other than pensions, after they retire in exchange for their services over a specified period of time, upon attaining a specified age while in service, or a combination of both. Any plan that is not a defined contribution plan is a defined benefit plan. General descriptive information about the employer's defined benefit plans, including employee groups covered, type of benefit formula, type of benefits, cost sharing arrangements, funding policy, types of assets held, and significant nonbenefit liabilities, if any. Also includes information pertaining to multiple employer plans, which are accounted for as single-employer plans.

+ References+ Details

The pretax cost (credit) of benefit changes attributable to plan participants' prior service resulting from a plan amendment or plan initiation that occurred during the period. The cost has not yet been recognized in net periodic benefit cost. A plan amendment includes provisions that grant increased (decreased) benefits based on services rendered in prior periods.

+ References+ Details