THE SKIN CANCER TIPPING POINT: ARE WE THERE YET?
Photo Credit: depositphotos.com
Unlike many other diseases, we know what causes the majority of skin cancers –exposure to the sun’s damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays. Despite this, skin cancer treatments ranked as the most commonly performed procedures by American Society for Dermatologic Surgery members in 2015 for the fourth year in a row – confirming the growing incidence of this disease.
What gives?
ASDS.NET
The numbers of new cases may be rising, but many dermatologists are cautiously optimistic that we are making slow and steady progress on all fronts and are nearing the skin cancer tipping point.
Here’s why:
New Treatments
BURN NOTICE
You would have to be living under a rock not to know by now that tanning is bad for you. So why are so many people still soaking up the sun? Researchers say it’s all about the endorphins.
Tanning makes you feel good, it can be a relaxing experience, and it improves your mood (like recreational drugs do) and therefore, you keep doing it. For some women, tanning also makes them look skinnier, which is an added incentive. High risk sun exposure is said to be more common in teens. Bad sunburns in your youth can greatly increase your chances of developing skin cancer as an adult.
Beverly Hills Dermatologist Zein Obagi explains some of the dangers, “Whether you get your tan at the beac
MEET SUSAN BARD, MD: VANGUARD DERMATOLOGIST
Susan Bard, MD, a cosmetic and medical dermatologist at Vanguad Dermatology in New York City, loves what she does, and as a result, patients naturally gravitate toward her.
“I love taking care of people and I love making people feel good about themselves,” she tells Beauty in the Bag. “ There is something about talking to patients and listening to their stories. It’s not just about their skin conditions, but about their life and experiences. I love being able to provide answers and solutions to their questions and skin conditions.”
The best part? “I love even more when they return back to the office after I’ve treated a condition and they are satisfied and excited about
MEET KENNETH MARK, MD: DERMATOLOGIST AND MOHS SURGEON
With offices in Manhattan, Long Island’s glamorous East End and Aspen, Colorado, Kenneth Mark, MD, caters to a very savvy sect. Many of his patients don’t want to look like they have had any work done, and most won’t tolerate anything, but minimal downtime. It is here that Mark works his magic, blending tried-and-true procedures like chemical peels with some of the newest non-invasive energy-based technologies to achieve natural results with limited recovery time. In addition to his private practice, Mark also serves as a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York University.
And he loves what he does and has no plans of slowing down. “What may be a small procedure
