Dermatology

Dermatologists writing on KevinMD about skin: skin cancer and sun exposure, hair loss and what it costs emotionally, aesthetic medicine and its evidence, racial bias in dermatology AI, why primary care needs more dermatology training, and the business of a new practice. Board-review cases make up part of this archive. Two maintained records draw on this archive: Private equity and corporate medicine: what physicians say, in their own words, and Artificial intelligence: what physicians say, in their own words.

MKSAP: 27-year-old woman is evaluated for a 4-week history of wheals

mksap

Conditions and Diseases

August 4, 2013

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.

A 27-year-old woman is evaluated for a 4-week history of wheals, characterized by a burning sensation without pruritus. Each individual lesion persists for 48 hours and slowly resolves, leaving a bruise. Current medications are diphenhydramine, hydroxyzine, cetirizine and oral contraceptives. The patient’s mother has systemic lupus erythematosus.

On physical examination, vital signs are normal. She …

This is why you should wear sunscreen

Joyce Ho, MD

Conditions and Diseases

July 5, 2013

I recently celebrated my birthday with a 9-hour picnic and for the first time in my life I was aware that some of my friends were starting to wear large hats and sunscreen. In fact, one of my friends was asking me about tinting her windows to block out excess sun.

Finally we are all now realizing what our mothers have been telling us since day 1 and what was popularized …

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This is why you should wear sunscreen

Skin cancer does not discriminate

Adam Friedman, MD

Conditions and Diseases

May 15, 2013

Melanoma

For people of color, skin cancer may not be top of mind as a significant health threat. But as I tell my patients in the multi-cultural borough of the Bronx, NY, skin cancer does not discriminate and it impacts all populations regardless of color.

While somewhat rarer in skin of color, skin cancers, including potentially deadly melanoma, do occur and can be quite …

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Skin cancer does not discriminate

How the nanny state mentality hurts public health

Sherry Pagoto, PhD

Conditions and Diseases

April 16, 2013

tanning salon

When my daughter was born, I hired a nanny. Her name was Kelly. She was great, a savior. She collaborated with me in running the household, enforcing the rules of the home. She even had a set of her own rules. I learned from her and her rules because she had more experience tending children than me. She wasn’t a dictator, …

Who really won when Accutane was pulled off the market?

Michael Kirsch, MD

Medications

January 28, 2013

I was engaged in one of my pleasures, sitting in a coffee shop leafing through medical journals. Usually, I am perusing newspapers. I spend many hours each week combing through various newspapers and routinely forward items of interest to folks of interest. No newspapers today. I have a few gastroenterology journals to look through. My professional reading habits have evolved over my career. I am more interested in reading about …

MKSAP: 27-year-old woman is evaluated for a 4-week history of wheals

mksap

Conditions and Diseases

January 20, 2013

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.

A 27-year-old woman is evaluated for a 4-week history of wheals, characterized by a burning sensation without pruritus. Each individual lesion persists for 48 hours and slowly resolves, leaving a bruise. Current medications are diphenhydramine, hydroxyzine, cetirizine, and oral contraceptives. The patient’s mother has systemic lupus erythematosus.

On physical examination, vital signs are normal. She …

MKSAP: 46-year-old woman with an intensely pruritic rash

mksap

Conditions and Diseases

December 1, 2012

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.

A 46-year-old woman is evaluated for a 4-day history of an intensely pruritic rash on her face and neck. She started using a new facial moisturizer about 1 week before the onset of the rash. She has stopped using the moisturizer, but the rash has persisted. She has treated the rash with calamine lotion …

Why doctors should care about fracking

Deep Ramachandran, MD

Physician

October 20, 2012

Let’s all agree on two things.

First, that energy independence is good for our country. Second that clean drinking water is also good for the country.

The development of America’s huge stores of natural gas, have given us a remarkable opportunity to accomplish the former. In particular, the process of “fracking” has made it possible to increasingly tap those huge natural gas stores. Natural gas sits in rock formations, but releasing it …

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Why doctors should care about fracking

MKSAP: 40-year-old woman with a symmetrically distributed rash

mksap

Conditions and Diseases

October 7, 2012

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.

A 40-year-old woman is evaluated for a 4-month history of symmetrically distributed, severely pruritic, grouped erosions on her elbows, knees, back, and buttocks. The skin lesions began as red spots that developed into papules and then vesicles, which broke down as she scratched them. She reports normal bowel habits. She has no other medical …

Why doctors should attend residency graduations

Wes Fisher, MD

Physician

June 19, 2012

June in the United States heralds the month when residencies end and new ones begin. While much will be written soon about the dangers of entering hospitals this time of year (this story never seems to tire with mainstream media), I would like to step back and reflect on why doctors should consider attending residency graduations. I had the pleasure of doing so recently.

Excitement. With all of the dreary news of …