Stuff I learned in Dermatology

By Maureen Ayers Looby

I recently did a rotation in dermatology at HCMC and the U of M, which was awesome! Apart from all of the interesting diagnostics I learned, there was also a lot of practical information I wanted to pass on. Some of things you maybe already know, but I felt like we said some of the same things over and over.

1) UVA rays are the ones that cause wrinkles, brown age spots, and allergies to the sun. They can penetrate through glass windows, so even though you can't get sunburn through a window, you should still be cautious spending too much time in front of windows without sunscreen. I love this picture below, which demonstrates this phenomenon. It shows both sides of a woman's face, one that received an abundance of UVA through a window she sat in front of for years, the other which was protected.

2) UVB rays cause sunburn and skin cancer. They break DNA bonds which is what is believed to cause skin cancer. They're most responsible for the long-lasting tan. They also induce the production of Vitamin D. UVB rays are filtered out by glass windows.

3) UVC rays are the most dangerous type but are absorbed by the ozone, so we don't have to protect against them (unless you live in Australia beneath the hole in the ozone!)

4) If you have truly dry skin, the only way to get it to moisturize is to soak for 10 minutes in a bath and apply moisturizer immediately when you get out to trap the water in. Moisturizing lotions only make the skin more supple but don't actually get water into the epidermis. One of the doctors I worked with recommended taking at least one bath a week in the winter, and two per week if it is below zero (because the temperature in MN also has a lot to do with the moisture level in the air). You can sort of appreciate how it might take 10 minutes for the water to get all the way through the stratum spinosum (the top layer of skin). You can't moisturize your skin by drinking a lot of water, because there are no blood vessels directly to the skin to carry the water there.

5) Moles that don't change tend to not be worrisome. Moles that change in shape, color, or texture are the ones to worry about. Doctors can assess the moles they see, but they can't know if the moles are changing. This is why looking at yourself and keeping track of what your moles look like is important. And if one is changing, tell your doctor.

6) There is no good treatment for stretch marks. Stretch marks are defects in the dermal layer of the skin (which is the deep layer), so putting creams/ointments/lotions on the epidermis isn't likely to do anything for them. Plus, nothing has really been shown to work. Save your money.

Next up: Integrative Medicine in Hawaii!!!
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