Living

It’s that time of the year for many of us in the snow belt. It’s classic car show time. Mustangs, T-Birds, expensive imports, all varieties of convertible leave the hibernation...

In 1988, I was diagnosed with melanoma. I had just returned from a year of working in London right after finishing my college degree in Los Angeles. I had thought...

At a conference in late August, I was asked by a colleague about my Stage IV melanoma diagnosis. He was surprised, maybe a little dismayed, by the calm and almost...

There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel of steamy, summery heat and humidity. September is here, and we can all, literally, breathe a little easier. Fall...

I have the gift of gab. And I absolutely adore my next-door neighbor. Those two things combined led to an unexpected (and unwelcome) result for me recently. It was a...

“They can put a man on the moon, but they can’t…” You fill in the blank. Ever since Neil Armstrong made that “giant leap for mankind” we have been comparing...

I knew which dresses I wanted to wear to back-to-back spring and summer weddings, but I wasn’t sure what to do about my skin. For starters, both dresses were short-sleeved...

Tanning after skin cancer? Wait, hear me out. I grew up tanning as often as I could. It was just something we did here in Florida and as a teen...

“Do as I say AND as I do.” This variation on a familiar quote is firmly in play when I speak to my family about skincare and sun protection. Everyone...

Inspect, evaluate, determine: these are words that come to mind when self-checking for melanoma. Look for asymmetry, jagged borders, color changes, large diameters, and anything evolving or changing in one’s...

Many people find after a skin cancer diagnosis, they have an urge to change their lifestyle. The includes wearing more sunscreen, getting regular skin checks, and even eating healthier. Certain...

I’m going to say this upfront – I love my dermatologist. I think having a good doctor-patient relationship is extremely beneficial in one’s skin cancer journey. That is why I...

I am sorry to have to do this, but we have another acronym to deal with in the world of skincare and sun protection. Just when you thought that you...

One of my tennis teams was called Mass Confusion because we were based in Massachusetts and we were confused (though we did win a lot). Well, I now have three...

I grew up in Southern California and attended an integrated high school in Los Angeles. Every day, thirteen buses filled with children from all over the city would join us...

Numbers aren’t my thing. Some are more irritating than others. I lost count years ago as to the number of visits I have had with my dermatologist, and I never...

I have had so many Mohs surgeries that, while for the first couple I was nervous, I mostly view them as an inconvenience keeping me from tennis, running, and yoga...

I grew up lying in the sun, eating cupcakes, and breathing in cigarette smoke, not a great combination. These were poor choices. Refer to nearly every other article I have...

Did you ever do anything when you were younger that you now look back on and say to yourself, WHAT WAS I THINKING? I can remember more than a few...

On Saturday, August 5th, my wife and I participated in our fifth annual Miles for Melanoma 5K held in Memphis, Tennessee. I say participated because I no longer run in...