Category: Skin Cancer
There Is No Such Thing as a Safe Tanning Bed
Do not let a recent viral TikTok by Kim Kardashian persuade you! Tanning beds are harmful. I would even say that tanning beds are worse than natural sunlight. UV radiation is a proven, cancer-causing carcinogen and classified in the same category as cigarettes. The Skin Cancer Foundation reported that more than 419,000 cases of skin …
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Skin Cancer Screenings: What to Expect and How to Prepare
What does it mean if you call and schedule a “skin check” with me? That term can be interpreted in many ways. To a dermatologist at Florida’s Skin Wellness Physicians, a skin check signifies a head-to-toe examination looking for skin cancers, precancerous growths, and atypical moles. Most of the time and effort of the visit is …
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Understanding Jimmy Buffet’s Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Rare but Aggressive Skin Cancer
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), although rare, is a highly aggressive and potentially life-threatening form of skin cancer. Named after its discoverer, Dr. Friedrich Merkel—who identified it in 1875—MCC has gained increased attention in recent years due to its rapid progression and challenging treatment options. This post aims to shed light on this lesser-known skin cancer for …
Understanding Vitiligo Causes Symptoms and Treatments
Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin condition that causes your skin to lose its color or pigment. This medical condition happens when the body’s immune system destroys melanocytes. Melanocytes are skin cells that make melanin, which is the chemical that gives skin its color or pigmentation. When someone has vitiligo, they develop milky-white patches on their …
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It’s Skin Cancer Awareness Month
As a dermatologist in Florida, I am aways promoting skin cancer education, but The American Cancer Society specifically promotes May as Skin Cancer Awareness Month. This month, I emphasize being mindful of the causes of skin cancer, getting annual skin exams, and discussing important skin cancer facts. Skin cancer is the most common cancer, with more than …
Sun Safety: Tips to Protect Your Skin
Sun damage afflicts nearly everyone within their lifetime, especially if they are a full or part-time resident of the Sunshine State. As dermatologists at Skin Wellness Physicians, we explain that damage manifests itself in a number of ways—namely in ways that can lead to skin cancers and premature aging. No matter which consequence of damage it is …
Reapplying Our Focus on Skin Cancer
I know that I sound like a broken record, but I am always looking for a reason to discuss skin cancer prevention for Florida residents and others. With Skin Cancer Awareness Month starting May 1, it is time for a refresher for all my sun-loving Floridians, because skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United …
Healthy Aging Month: 5 Tips for a Healthy Aging Face
September is Healthy Aging Month, and while this topic alone could fill a large textbook, here are five tips from Florida’s dermatology-focused Skin Wellness Physicians to help us move through time more slowly and healthfully: 1) Sunscreen The most important intervention one can do for the health of the largest organ of the body would be …
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Which Skin Conditions Get Mistaken for Skin Cancer?
It’s common to notice a weird-looking mark on your skin from time to time—especially after spending plenty of time outdoors exposed to the sun’s rays—and ask yourself, “Is it skin cancer or something else?” There’s no need to panic and assume the worst. Sometimes these changes on your skin may be nothing to worry about. …
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Illuminating Skin Cancer
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, an ideal time to review the basics of skin cancer with our Florida-based team. You have heard me say this all before, but repetition is key! Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and the world. We kick off the month with Melanoma Monday, which …
