Medical Dermatology

It is said that "chronic itch is the skin equivalent to pain." Itching disrupts sleep, limits your activities, diminishes your concentration and generally is quite maddening. We will scratch, claw and tear up our skin to satisfy that annoying itch sensation. It is poorly understood by modern medicine but the burden on patients is very real and taxing to even the most stoic of individuals. A psychological component complicates its definition and study, as just thinking about itchy things can cause you to itch.

So You Think Your Moles Look Fine?

You have heard the message by now: Melanoma is deadly. You also probably know that it is the fastest growing cancer in the United States and that one American every hour dies from melanoma. Millimeter for millimeter, it is the deadliest cancer. Rather than bore you with statistics on this horrid disease, allow me to share with you some fascinating background on it you may not have heard before.

I see men in my office every day. Most come in under their own volition while many are dragged in by wives and girlfriends. We don’t like to admit it, but we have many of the same skin concerns as women: odd-shaped blemishes; hair in the all wrong places; skin ravaged by the passage of years brought on by a lifestyle that perhaps wasn’t very healthy. We don’t feel like the person looking back at us in the mirror.

Is an SPF of 100 better than 50? What do the terms waterproof, water resistant, and broad spectrum really mean? If you are confused you are not alone. After a lot of arm wrestling back and forth, the FDA finalized its new sunscreen guidelines for consumers. Hopefully the simplification of these terms will dispel some of the confusion-at least a little.

Tips for Finding the Right Person to Help You Look Your Best A qualified cosmetic dermatologist, supported by the equipment and resources of a quality facility, can do wonders to help you feel better about your appearance and maintain healthy skin. This article provides tips to help you select the skin-care specialist who you will feel best seeing.

Parents, teachers and daycare providers, in following the guidelines for keeping the flu at bay, may be unwittingly causing a bigger problem. I began to see them a few years ago. Children with red, swollen hands, littered with bleeding cracks and scales.

"We are supposed to sing Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star and not stop washing our hands until the song is over," a boy told me. "Do you think it is contagious? We've been having him wash with antibacterial soap. Several other kids in his class have the same thing," said his mother.