Looking Your Summer Best: a Memphis Dermatologist

George Woodbury Jr. M.D. (07/10/2022)

Your skin, hair, and nails are all part of the same organ system, the Integumentary System. Let’s take a look at strategies used by Memphis Dermatologists like myself, to improve our patients’ skin.

First, a great skin health strategy is for you to go on your own ‘Mole Patrol.” Get to know everyone’s moles in your family (possibly friends’ moles, too). Yes, I’m suggesting that you get your family members completely naked, to inspect them, or to look them over. Remember that it’s normal for most people to develop between 5 and 35 moles, or collection of pigment-producing cells, between the ages of 5 and 35.

The patient in the photo below has a Melanoma on his forehead. I've myself diagnosed eight people so far this year with Melanoma, mostly by getting a good look at their skin, on a skin cancer check.

The real problem is that certain moles can be atypical, or high risk. We do lose about one American live about every hour, 365 days a year, to this particular type of skin cancer: Melanoma. The good news that Melanoma if caught early is entirely curable by a minor, out-patient removal under local anesthetic.

Below is another photo of a Melanoma:

So what do you look for?

We Dermatologists teach patients to look for what we call the A, B, C, D, E warning signs of Skin Cancer, including Basal Cell Skin Cancer, Squamous Cell Skin Cancer, and Melanoma. Dermatologist Surgeons like myself look for the following signs:

A stands for Asymmetry: one half of the lesion does not match the other half.

B stands for Border: a jagged border, perhaps like the coast of Maine, rather than of Florida.

C stands for Color change: different hues of brown or black within the lesion, or one mole that’s darker in color compared with the person’s other moles.

D stands for an increasing Diameter.

E stands for Evolving: if the lesion is changing, it’s best to bring it to the attention of a Board-certified Dermatologist.

The patient with the mole in the photo below for instance should come to the attention of a Board-certified Dermatologist right away. Fortunately this ended up being a benign type of mole called a congenital nevus.

And while you’re doing this ‘Mole Patrol” on your friends and family members, if you happen upon certain other skin conditions, such as Acne, Rosacea, Scalp Dandruff, Psoriasis, or Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis), realize that Board-certified Dermatologists now have many new therapies to offer, to help to clear these skin conditions: newer antibiotics (both topical antibiotics like Clindamycin and Amzeeq®and oral antibiotics like Sarecycline), new topical and oral steroid medicines, newer steroid-free creams and ointments (such as Pimecrolimus, Tacrolimus, Eucrisa® Ointment, and Atopiclair® Ointment).

Maybe your skin condition is causing itching, or an expanding rash. Never itch in silence! Get help from a Dermatologist. Allergy patch testing is a way of searching for trigger chemicals or “allergens,” like dyes, fragrances, nickel or formaldehyde. Maybe the culprit is a fungal infection, generally treatable with prescription creams or tablets. My own Dermatology practice since 1993 is with Rheumatology and Dermatology (www.Rheumderm.com;1-901-753-0168), in Cordova, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis. You can find a Dermatologist close to you by going to the American Academy of Dermatology web site, AAD.org, then plugging your zip code into the “Find a Dermatologist” tab.

Be aware that I am also President of Big River Silk™ Skincare Inc., a company that manufactures and distributes exfoliating moisturizers and cleansers to counteract skin aging from the sun, to help people find hypoallergenic products (SCIENCE SIMPLIFYING SKINCARE™). Check out our GlycoShea Creams and HypoShea Moisturizer Cream, and our AmberSoy Soap Gel (www.Bigriversilkskincare.com).