Patient Education
Straight answers to common skin questions
Short, plainly written articles on the questions patients actually ask — each one reviewed by a board-certified dermatologist at this practice, with the supporting literature cited at the bottom.
Is a Base Tan Protective? Does a Tanning Bed Once a Week Matter?
A base tan is real, but it gives about SPF 2 to 4 and the sessions that build it carry their own risk. Here is what a tan does and does not do before a trip.
Do I Need Sunscreen in the Car or Indoors by a Window?
It depends on the glass and the time. Windshields block most UVA, side windows and plain glass block less, and no trial has tested sunscreen used only behind glass. Here is a proportionate answer.
Why Does My Pilonidal Cyst Keep Coming Back?
The crease is still deep and moist, loose hair collects in it, and a midline wound heals poorly. Here is what the research shows about recurrence by operation, the cleft lift, and when a second opinion makes sense.
Do Silicone Scar Sheets Work?
A scar guideline puts silicone first for raised scars; the trials behind it are small and weak. Where it helps, where it does not, and what the trials actually did.
My Biopsy Says ‘Atypical Mole.’ Is That Cancer?
Not melanoma, and most never become one. What mild, moderate and severe mean, why labs word it differently, and what usually happens next.
Will a Pilonidal Cyst Go Away on Its Own?
A quiet pit may never need treatment. An abscess needs to be drained, and a tract that keeps leaking rarely gets fixed at home. Here is what the studies show for each.
Should You Put Hydrogen Peroxide or Rubbing Alcohol on a Cut?
For an everyday cut, no. Here is why peroxide fizzes and turns skin white, what the lab and trial evidence shows, why alcohol has no trial at all, and what to use instead.
Steri-Strips: When Do They Come Off, and Can I Remove Them Myself?
The strips are made to loosen on their own, and no study sets a day. What to check if one falls off early, and why your own surgeon's sheet decides.
Should You Cover a Wound or Let It Breathe?
Open wounds and scrapes do better moist and covered. Stitched incisions are a different question, and the trials found little difference. Here is the evidence, and why your surgeon's instructions come first.
How Do I Know If My Stitches Are Infected?
Normal healing, infection, and an allergic rash from ointment can look alike. Here is how to tell them apart, and when to call the surgeon who placed your stitches.
Can Stitches Get Wet? When Can I Shower or Swim?
A quick shower and a long soak are different questions. Here is what three randomized trials found about getting stitches wet, where the evidence stops, and why your own surgeon's instructions come first.
Can You Put Neosporin on Stitches?
Ointment is good for a stitched wound, but Neosporin is not the one we recommend. Here is what we use in our office, and why your own surgeon's instructions come first.
Can Mohs Surgery Be Used for Melanoma?
Yes, for selected melanomas. Here is how Mohs compares with wide excision, what the recurrence and survival studies show, and who may be a candidate.
Should You Put Neosporin on a Wound?
Probably not. Two of its three antibiotics are among the most common causes of allergic skin rashes — and for a clean wound, plain petrolatum works just as well.
I Just Had a Melanoma. What Are My Odds of Getting Another One?
Higher than average, but most people never get a second one. Here are the real numbers, when the risk is highest, what raises it, and what follow-up looks like.
Is There Such a Thing as a Safe Amount of Sun?
Several large studies link sun-seeking habits with longer life. Here is what they found, why a link is not a cause, and what still protects your skin.
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