September 2009

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer annually. While we are learning a lot about the disease and how to treat it, the best course of action is preventing it. Many skin cancers develop from precancerous lesions called actinic keratoses, and dermatologists perform procedures and prescribe medications that “search and destroy” these lesions before they turn into cancer.

September means back to school – the end of a busy summer vacation season and time for Mom and Dad to relax as the kids are occupied with new friends and activities. Sometimes the close contact that kids have with each other can lend itself to the development of some common childhood skin infections. Here we review some of the more common infections seen in this age group:

Q: Why do paper cuts hurt so much, and what can I do to treat them?

A: For the small wounds that they usually are, paper cuts can be particularly painful, likely related to several factors. First, paper cuts most commonly occur on the hands and fingers, where the densely packed nerves that give us fine tactile sensations also transmit pain signals from the outer layer of skin (the epidermis). So, in short, paper cuts can directly damage the nerves, causing pain.

All natural, fragrance free, safe for sensitive skin. These are words that we see a lot on beauty products. But what do they really mean? Many assume that using such products is somehow beneficial, but marketing terms may not actually mean what we assume. Here are a few thoughts about common product descriptions and what you need to know about them.

Today’s buzzword in many industries is green, including the personal care and cosmetics business. Words like natural and organic figure prominently on labels and in advertisements. But I’ve discovered it’s hard to get a handle on such terms, even when we are dedicated label readers.

We’ve slathered them with sunscreen all summer and forced them to wear shirts and hats on the beach. Now, as we send them back to school, our kids may be exposed to common skin infections, more likely to break out in groups where they play, roughhouse, and sometimes share personal items.

With concerns about the H1N1 swine flu and other infectious diseases, many schools are adding hand sanitizer to their list of required supplies this year. But this policy leads to several questions: What should we look for when selecting a hand sanitizer? Do these products really work? If they do work, will using them create drug-resistant organisms?

No doubt some of you have seen concerning e-mail reports of children becoming gravely ill after ingesting hand sanitizer. I have two school-aged children, and I decided to find the answers before I set out to buy our school supplies.