Skin is not see-through because light that hits it is scattered by collagen as it passes through. It is analogous to trying to see in the fog with your car’s high beams — the light is scattered in all directions and much of it bounces right back at you. Read more…
I seemed to have a run on psoriasis patients this week. It is not surprising; psoriasis is often worse in the winter when the air is dry and when there is less sunlight. Both warm humid air and sunlight will improve psoriasis.
If you have psoriasis, please visit the National Psoriasis Foundation site –it’s an excellent resource about psoriasis and its treatments. They will also help you find a dermatologist in your area who treats psoriasis!
See also: Severe Psoriasis Linked to Increased Risk of Death
Photo of psoriasis from University of Manchester School of Medicine website.
In the United Kingdom, the iconic white coat worn by physicians for over a century has met its end. Citing the tendency to harbor infection, the government has started to phase them out.
Here in Southern California, where casual wear is standard for many physicians, the white coat is an endangered species. Ironically, at my local farmers’ market there is a woman selling organic cures for illnesses; she is a naturopathic physician and invariably wears her embroidered, knee-length white coat while standing amidst her jars of thyme and huckleberry. The same long white coats are worn by cosmeticians and medial assistants at cosmetic centers everywhere.
Why is it that just as physicians are tossing their coats, ancillary health care providers are donning theirs?
Growing up, our family physicians were always dressed impeccably, and always in white. In medical school it was a hard-earned honor to wear the short white coat on the wards. As a physician I will only see patients while I am dressed properly: a shirt, tie, shined shoes that click on the marble floors, and a long white coat.
Do patients actually care if their doctor wears a white coat? Should they care?
Dr. Benabio grew up in a little Italian neighborhood in Providence, RI. An Ivy League graduate, he was also ranked number one in his medical school class. While in medical school, he served as class president and as president of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, to which he was elected in his third year. He also served as a member of the North Carolina Medical Society House of Delegates.
In his final year of medical school, he was honored with the prestigious Faculty Award, the R.W. Pritchard History of Medicine Award, and the Excellence in Dermatology Award. He served as chief resident in his dermatology residency in Southern California.
He is the author of numerous scientific articles and abstracts and has written a book chapter on lasers in dermatology. He has been mentioned in or appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Muscle and Fitness Magazine, Dermatology News, Dermatology World, Self Magazine, Allure Magazine, Details Magazine, AOL Online, MSNBC Online, FOX Online, Woman’s World Magazine, Best Health Magazine, and O, The Oprah Magazine. He will be in upcoming Elle Magazine. Glamour, and on iVillage.com.
He is also a founding member of and the skin care expert for Livestrong.com, the new health and wellness website from Lance Armstrong. He is also the founder of The Derm Blog which has had over 1 million unique visitors.
Dr. Benabio is board certified in dermatology and is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. He is a Volunteer Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of California San Diego. He lobbies for the American Academy of Dermatology Association in Washington, DC and is a member of a number of professional organizations including the American Medical Associations, the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, The Dermatolgy Foundation, and the American Society for Lasers in Medicine and Surgery. He lives in downtown San Diego and, in addition to blogging, loves bodybuilding and politics.
He can be reached at Dr.Benabio [at] TheDermBlog [dot] com. He is @Dermdoc on Twitter.
