General Dermatology

Skin Cancer

In addition, to treating Basal Cell and Squamous Cell Carcinoma, we frequently treat Melanoma of the Skin. This can be a very distressing diagnosis to receive. The first line of defense against Melanoma is to find it early. We do this by doing regular and routine full-body skin exams. This is usually done in higher-risk patients who either have a family history of melanoma, history of frequent sunburns or tanning bed use, or other genetic cancer syndromes.

Found early, Melanoma is generally very treatable with surgical removal, providing an excellent prognosis. Depending on where on the body these techniques can vary between an excision done all on the same day, or delayed over several days while the margin is completely examined by the Dermatopathologist we work closely with.

Sometimes, despite our best efforts Melanoma is found where it is deeper or progressed to other sites in the body. We would still be honored to walk with you in this journey. Melanoma of the Skin is an exciting area of research currently, with many new immunotherapies emerging every day that are more effective than any treatment we have had in the past. We will help get you to the right specialists for further imaging and treatment as indicated. We will also continue to follow you with regular skin exams and support as needed.

Sun Damage

Many of us have spent a lot of time in the sun. Past exposure either during childhood or in your adult life can have caused significant damage to your skin. While we cannot undo the past exposure we would love to help you find a plan to decrease your risk of a skin cancer in the future or increase the chances that we find it while very small. We use freezing with Liquid Nitrogen, Creams, Blue Light, and Chemical Peels to decrease the precancerous lesions on the skin as well as vitamin supplements to help protect from the damage done. Of course, we always recommend an excellent broad-spectrum SPF use on a daily basis. We’d love to discuss personalized options for your lifestyle as well.

Wrinkles and Fine Lines

Has the pandemic put an extra wrinkle in your forehead? Ours too! Book an appointment and we can discuss ways to erase it! Or if you’d prefer to discuss options for natural aesthetic enhancements, we are always happy to talk about what we have to offer.

Dermatitis, Psoriasis, and Eczema

The Skin is the largest organ of the body, so when it is uncomfortable you are very uncomfortable. There are many conditions that can make the skin very inflamed. This can lead to itching, scaling, burning, and many sleepless nights. Often times this type of condition, called Dermatitis, may require a biopsy to help us narrow down what is causing your particular rash. We then can use that information to guide your further treatment. Sometimes this is as simple as providing better moisture for your skin or using a steroid cream to calm the inflammation. Other times we need to utilize Patch Testing of the skin to try and find an allergic trigger. In other cases, there is an underlying condition such as Psoriasis or Eczema that we need to treat more aggressively with oral or injectable medications. We will work with you to find the right solution for your skin. Sometimes this takes some time, but we will be here to support you along the way.

We are big advocates for our patients with Psoriasis. Psoriasis affects roughly 3% or 7 million of our friends and family in the United States. Thankfully this is a field of growing research with many new treatments available to us. We’d be happy to take the time to discuss your options for treatment.

Acne

Acne can be one of the more frustrating things that happens to our skin. Whether you are a teenager or an adult still dealing with this chronic condition, we have options for treatment. We offer a range of topical creams, cleansers, and systemic medication. We also use Isotretinoin via the Ipledge System for severe cases of difficult to treat acne. The pandemic has also brought us “Maskne”. We have some solutions for this as well. Sometimes this is more due to another common ailment on the face called Rosacea. This can be treated with topical creams, low-dose oral antibiotics, and sometimes laser. We would love to evaluate you and try to find the best combination for your particular situation.

Lesions

We will be happy to examine all lesions. We will often ask the history of the growth to see how quickly we might need to fit you in. We use the ABCDEs of pigmented (brown or black) growths to help us determine what might be higher risk of being a skin cancer. The A stands for asymmetry, moles should be nice and round. B stands for borders being irregular, C stands for color, this should be regular and even. D stands for diameter, usually less than a pencil eraser. E stands for evolution. Generally, any growth that is new, growing, changing, having symptoms such as bleeding or not healing after 2-4 weeks should be seen by us.

We will generally use a specific technique called Dermoscopy to evaluate the lesion even more carefully. This tool allows us to look at the skin very closely determining if there is a pattern of concern. We can then discuss doing a skin biopsy to further make a diagnosis.

In addition, there are growths that, while benign, are bothersome, growing, disfiguring, or symptomatic. Growths such as skin tags, cysts, and keratoses can often be easily removed. Sometimes this is considered cosmetic by your insurance company so we can discuss pricing at your appointment when we also discuss what to expect with healing and discomfort.

If you suspect you have a growth that is concerning please call us today to make an appointment to be seen.