Okay, okay.  Magnifying mirrors may have their place in the world. But for your skin's sake, please stay as far away from them as you can! I am a firm believer that more often than not your skin will improve the less you do to irritate it. When I removed my trusted and powerfully lit magnifying mirror from my counter a ...

If the Medical Intensive Care Unit has a scoreboard, I don't want to see it. Some days it feels like the home team always loses. Patients that look like they are about to recover take a nosedive. The real fighters eventually give up. The most hopeful clinicians must face the grim inevitable. But sometimes you just need one, good ...

Growth factors enhance the skin's natural ability to heal and regenerate to produce more youthful skin. Growth factors are proteins that regulate cellular growth and the activity of skin cells. There are multiple growth factors responsible in maintaining healthy skin. As we age, the production of growth factors such as ...

I had my first jaw dropping patient last week. You know, working in cardiology, you see a lot of the same thing. Acute coronary syndrome, atrial fib, heart failure...Turn 'em and burn 'em, that's my motto. Thursday, I had my first patient that I was completely side-bombed over. That day, an 86-year-old female presented to the ED for ...

Have you noticed that we live in a dehydrated world full of carbonated beverages, caffeine and alcohol? I know people who consume multiple sodas, juices and coffees a day. But what about water? Drinking adequate amounts of water daily is important for overall good health because water aids in digestion, circulation, absorption and even ...

Here at the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) 2013 conference in Orlando, leagues of NPs are gathered for 3 days of educational sessions, CE credits and networking.  At today's opening session, hundreds of NPs were welcomed to the Hilton Orlando's Orange Ballroom to launch the week's events. NAPNAP president ...

There are several presentations for patients who have or believe they have ''bugs'' in or on their skin. There are the haves, have nots and the ''I know I have it and I brought proof but have nots.'' The haves are easy to diagnose. The most common of these are lice, scabies, ticks, bed bugs and the occasional erythema migracans. The have nots ...

As spring and summer entice the sunshine and warm weather, short sleeves or sleeveless tops and spaghetti straps are the favorite fashion. Yet some people prefer long sleeves and sweaters year-round because they feel self conscious about their arms.  Due to the social climate of southern California, patients come to our clinic ...

Working in medicine, specifically dermatology, we know there is no such thing as a ''healthy tan.'' When it comes to educating younger generations, I wish the effects of sun were immediate. I wish when a young girl stepped out of the tanning bed she saw dark spots, wrinkles and skin cancers forming on the body. Only then might ...

My first encounter with homelessness was while living in Ecuador. Homelessness there is pervasive and hard to miss. It is present on most street corners and does not discriminate, affecting both old and young; it is quite merciless and ruthless. I remember seeing kids as young as 3 years old with plastic cups begging on the streets. They had a ...