Dermatology, Cosmetic Surgery, Mohs Micrographic Skin Cancer Surgery & Laser Surgery

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Monthly Archives: July 2011

Kim Kardashian Diagnosed With Psoriasis

On a recent episode of “Keeping up with the Kardashians” Kim Kardashian took time to visit her dermatologist and discovered that a flaky rash on her leg was in fact psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a common skin condition that causes skin redness and irritation. Most people with psoriasis have thick, red skin with flaky, silver-white patches called scales. Unpredictable and irritating, psoriasis is one of the most baffling and persistent of skin disorders. It’s characterized by skin cells that multiply up to 10 times faster than normal. Skin cells grow deep in the skin and normally rise to the surface about once a month. In persons with psoriasis, this process is too fast (about 2 weeks instead of 4 weeks) and dead skin cells build up on the skin’s surface.

People who get psoriasis usually have one or more person in their family who has psoriasis. Kim’s mother, Kris Jenner, revealed that she also suffers from psoriasis. Not everyone who has a family member with psoriasis will get psoriasis.

While there is no cure for psoriasis there are many treatments that can help control the condition.

Check out my contribution to a Self Magazine article about Kim’s Psoriasis HERE


Laser Hair Removal Diary

Laser hair removal is a procedure that causes thermal injury to the targeted hair follicle, causing the unwanted hair to fall out, while avoiding damage to the normal surrounding tissue. Learn more about Laser Hair Removal HERE.  While some cosmetic procedures provide instant results laser hair removal requires a little time and patience. To see maximum results it typically requires 5-7 sessions spaced a few weeks apart. After each treatment you will start to see less and less hair. Follow our patient’s journey to smooth underarms. We will be updating her progress every few weeks. Below you can see her improvement after just one treatment.



Check out video below to watch Laser Hair Removal in action

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Today in the office: Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is a medical procedure used to eliminate varicose veins and spider veins. Sclerotherapy involves the near painless injections of a detergent or irritant, that causes small spider veins to collapse and no longer fill with blood.The solution irritates the lining of the blood vessel, causing it to swell and stick together, and the blood to clot. Over time, the vessel turns into scar tissue that fades from view. In the video below you can appreciate how the blood vessel blanches away when injected.

Learn more about Sclerotherapy HERE

Zac Efron’s Extra Nipples?

*image via gawker

It is not widely known, but about one in 50 women and one in 100 men have a third nipple. This goes by several names besides “third nipple”. It is a supernumerary nipple, accessory nipple, pseudomamma, polythelia, or polymastia. It is often not entirely developed as a fully functioning nipple. Sometimes it can be mistaken for a mole. The third nipple usually has no clinical significance as long as nothing else is wrong.

They are not properly formed like normal nipples and can usually be found on an imaginary ‘milk line’ between the armpit and inner thigh. If you feel uncomfortable about yours, it’s probably best to speak to your dermatologist or general practitioner to determine whether surgery is needed. One celebrity that stands out as possibly having one, possible two, accessory nipples is Zac Efron. Extra nipple or not I’m sure there would be plenty of girls lined up for Zac.

Check out my contribution to these post about Zac Efron’s suspected extra nipples here, here and here

Not Your Average Cookie

This morning I wandered into the kitchen in our office to refill my water bottle when a little white box on the table caught my eye. When I opened the box I let out a little laugh. We often get goodies from drug reps at the office but this one had taken it to another level.

Cookies with the product printed directly on the cookie. Definitely made me laugh.

 

Road Rash Woes

scrape*

Today when I was examining a 16yr old patient for a wart follow-up on her hand I noticed that her arm and leg were covered in scrapes and bruises. When I asked what happened she told me, “I fell off a car”. Fell off a car? I repeated. “Yep, fell off a car”. Apparently her friend swerved while she was holding on to the outside.

-note to self: politely ask my friends not to swerve next time I am holding on to the outside of a car

Her next question was, “how do I prevent my scrapes from scarring?”

While there is nothing you can do to completely prevent scarring there are some things you can do to help minimizing scarring:

  1. Keep the wound covered. Don’t let the wound dry out and scab over. Wounds heal better when they are kept moist and covered.
  2. Don’t pick. If your wound has formed a scab do not pick it. Traumatizing the wound can lead to further scaring.
  3. Stay out of the sun. While your skin is healing UV exposure can cause discoloration forming an unsightly scar.
  4. Minimize movement. Tension and motion can cause the scar to widen, so try your best to avoid activity that pulls the skin around the wound tight.

*When searching for a picture of a scrape I came across the above photo. It’s actually a temporary tattoo. Did you know they make bruise tattoos too?

Parking Lot Consult

On Friday the office kicked off the holiday weekend by enjoying some Starbucks Frappuccinos and Cake Pops (if you haven’t figured this out yet our office really likes food, especially sweets). After a busy afternoon Dr. Lee and I happened to leave at the same time at around 5pm. Her car pulls ahead of me when I see her notice a patient at the front door. She hops out of the car and after a brief conversation the patient scans the empty parking lot making sure she doesn’t have spectators. She then pulls her blouse aside showing Dr. Lee something on her neck. I smile and wave as I pass Dr. Lee’s parking lot skin consultation. I’m not sure exactly what came of this encounter but I’m sure the patient was thankful that she did not have to wait through the long holiday weekend to get some help.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

It’s going to be in the high 90s in our part of sunny Southern California. Our office is closed on Monday so we are all looking forward to a long weekend. Some of us will head to the beach, while others will hunker down in a cool air-conditioned house. If you decide to have your fun in the sun make sure you have a good sunscreen with you. We made sure our sample basket was stocked for all of our patients.

Keep having a wrinkle free summer!

What’s in your closet?

One of our sample closets

What’s in your closet? Your sample closet that is? In Dermatology we seem to get a lot of medication samples. Samples enable you to try the medication prior to filling a prescription. While we have many brand name medications samples in our office this does not mean that we only write brand name prescriptions. We write many generic prescriptions when appropriate. There are many things to think about when writing a prescription:

  • Is the medication going to help the patient’s condition?
  • Is the patient going to use the medication? (if you have to take a pill 5 times per day are you really going to take it?)
  • Can the patient afford the medication?
  • Does the patient have any medication allergies?

Some offices or large hospitals have actually banned drug samples to avoid influencing treatment. What do you think about drug samples? Are the beneficial for the patient or do you think they lead to increased medications costs?

What’s New

In The Media and Other News

Watch Dr. Sandra Lee Make Varicose Veins Disappear on The Doctors!
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Dr. Sandra Lee Discusses What To Do About Warts on Fox Studio 11 LA
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Get Rid of Sweaty Palms - Dr. Sandra Lee on Fox Studio 11
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