jmarkus's blog

As Mohs surgery becomes an ever more widely accepted and available treatment option for nonmelanoma skin cancer, it is very important to know how to choose the right surgeon.

Technically, any surgeon who can cut the skin and process the tissue using the Mohs method is performing Mohs surgery – there is no specialized quality control requirement for surgeons who decide that they want to do Mohs. Consequently, as the interest in Mohs increases, it becomes especially important for a patient to select a qualified surgeon. What’s at stake? Nothing less than a patient’s chance for being cured and avoiding disfigurement.

In the first two posts of this Mohs Learning Series, I described the reasons why Mohs is gaining popularity and why the need for Mohs is greater than ever. But how did the unique procedure that is Mohs surgery begin? Who was the first person to conduct Mohs surgery? What is the future for Mohs surgeons and patients?

I answer all these questions and more with a simple description of the Mohs history and the development of the American College of Mohs Surgery. I hope that you will find this history as fascinating and relevant in today’s Mohs environment as I do!

Question: I’ve heard so much about the high cure rates for Mohs surgery in treating nonmelanoma skin cancers. Why isn’t Mohs surgery popular for malignant melanoma?

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.

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.

While the ideal scenario is to avoid getting mosquito bites in the first place, that’s certainly easier said than done. But here’s a helpful preventive tip: about 30 minutes before you go outside, take Claritin® or Zyrtec® to get antihistamine into your system before your first encounter with a mosquito. I find I have a very mild reaction if I’m bitten, with little swelling, redness, or itching.

Ah, the joys of summer. Time for outdoor activities, picnics, family play – and mosquito bites. For those of us who live in mosquito territory, it can negatively impact our enjoyment of the outdoors.

Mosquitoes can spread disease like West Nile virus, malaria, and dengue fever. The cycle starts with the bite, when a hungry female mosquito pierces the skin to gain access to blood. In the process, she leaves behind saliva, which irritates the skin and causes itching and redness.