Living

You might be the very person this article needed to find. Has a friend just texted you that she has skin cancer? Do you have a brother or grandparent who...

We all want to feel like we are in control of our own lives, and I am certainly no exception. In fact, it is so important to me to maintain...

You know when you go into a store expecting to buy one thing and leave with a cartload? Well, that’s kind of what happened to me at my last visit...

I saw an article the other day titled “Moving On After Skin Cancer.” For a moment, I felt a range of emotions. I felt sadness, because I have never had...

I have seen Mohs surgery spelled Moh’s, Mose, and even Moes and Moe’s. It is understandable for this to happen. Mohs is a kind of odd word, and certainly not...

“Cut!” the director yelled. “There is something over on the steps.” And with that, a tube of sunscreen was removed from the set. It was supposed to be 1883, but...

Topical chemotherapy is a difficult road with many hills and curves to navigate. It requires clear directions, a list of expectations, and some especially specific aftercare instructions. Notice, I said...

My hands are a mess. I don’t mean they are messy, but I can see the effects of the sun every time I look at them: Brown patches and spots...

While I was at a hair appointment recently, I noticed one of the other customers in the salon. She stood out from the other customers, to me at least, because...

Editorial Note: Nominations for 2024 are now closed. We are very excited to announce the launch of the 2024 Social Health Awards program! The Social Health Awards is an awards...

I’m kind of excited right now. I have been advocating for sun safe-practices for several years now, and it can get discouraging at times. It’s difficult to see progress past...

As we wrapped up the first of what would become several interview sessions, I asked Trena Brown to reflect on her melanoma journey. Trena will be the first to tell...

“Well, you’re a radiation therapist. You will always recommend treating with radiation!” That’s not always true. I understand that skin cancer therapies are not a one-size-fits-all approach. There are cases...

Let’s face it: skin surgery can be traumatic. The thought of a nearly-complete-stranger removing parts of my skin makes me cringe. It makes me feel so out of control and...

What is a prior authorization except a requirement designed to make a patient crazy? What is its purpose, if not to make a patient spend valuable minutes if not hours...

In case no one else has told you yet today, you are important and loved. The fact that you are on this planet makes someone else happy each and every...

As a melanoma survivor, my dermatologist is my lifeline. I have had four dermatologists in my life. The first treated my melanoma in California. One died. I moved away from...

I’m in a mood today. This is unusual for me, because I’m typically a generally happy, upbeat person. But today, I am not. I think it has to do with...

Let’s cut right to the chase. Tanning is dangerous. Tanning can and, for far too many of us does, lead to skin cancers including melanoma. Visiting tanning salons is simply...

When I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2003 and my doctor admonished, “stay off the internet.” It wasn’t that hard for me to do. I didn’t have a...