A New Service

I have had some requests to travel to the patient’s house to consult and perform injections of Botox and filling material. Due to the fact that many of the patients have very busy schedules and cannot find the time to come to the office, I have decided to do this.

If you would like me to come to your house or office and consult with you I would be glad to do so. Contact me via email, on this website, call me at 615-441-5227. There is no charge for travel and the only requirement is that you be located within 30 miles of downtown Nashville.

Consultation fee is $150, botulinum toxin and fillers depend on the areas that you want to treat. In the event you simply want a consultation as to how to treat your skin and keep it healthy and beautiful, that is also possible with just the consultation fee. It is also possible and beneficial to check your skin for skin cancer if you have not had that done.

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Benign Skin Tumors: What are they?

There has been a great deal of discussion regarding skin cancer, but there are many tumors that occur in and on the skin that are benign. First of all, it is necessary to remember that the term tumor does not refer to cancer, but to “swelling.”

What are Benign Tumors?

There are so many of the benign tumors that I will discuss only a few here. Probably the most common are skin tags, which are little floppy outpouches of the skin that occur where skin rubs against skin or clothing. So they are common on the neck and eyelids and can also occur between the thighs.

They are easily removed by a doctor and leave no scar, Seborrheic keratosis is an overgrowth of the outer skin and is usually dark in appearance, which is why they are sometimes confused with malignant melanoma.

However, they are totally benign and cannot become skin cancer, are easily removed by a doctor and leave very little scaring.

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How to Check Credentials on a Cosmetic Dermatologist?

This communication is in two parts. The first is for patients and the second for doctors. As far as patients are concerned, how do you go about finding and trusting a cosmetic surgeon? Some of the worst ways to choose a doctor of any kind is the yellow pages (anyone can advertise) and price (cheap is not always a good thing). The best way is to be referred to the cosmetic surgeon by someone who has seen him and is happy with the results of the procedure, knows he is available and can handle a side-effect should one occur.

The importance of checking credentials

You should not only feel comfortable with him, but you should feel free to ask questions. Has he had the proper training? Since there is not really a category of board-certification for cosmetic surgery, what is his background, and if he is board-certified, in what specialty? How did he get his training to become what he calls himself? Has he performed the procedure you are asking for? How many times? Any side-effects? Is he available and will take care of any side-effects? Can and will he show you pictures of before and after patients that he has performed the procedure?

These are the minimum requirements for questions to ask and you must be satisfied with the answers. If you are not, move on. It is your body, your face and if there are problems there may be consequences you don’t want.

For Doctors

Now, for doctors. There are a number of doctors who either want to stop practicing their specialty and start cosmetic procedures or just add cosmetic procedures to what you are already doing. There are a number of ways to get training. Sometimes you can get doctors in your area to allow you to spend time in their office watching and helping with procedures. There are also courses offered by various groups—but these are not all created equal. Check them out.

There are courses taught by doctors who are not specialists in the area you are seeking and some are not even licensed. Some of the courses are didactic only and some have hands-on but be very careful. If you are allowed ½ syringe of filling material and 20 units of botulinum toxin to treat one patient you are not by any means an expert and not ready to add these types of procedures in your office.

If you can find a doctor who specializes in the procedures in which you are interested and will come to your office and help train you on your patients that is probably the best way. It saves you time and money out of the office and you need not take courses you are not interested in and are not planning to add to your practice. It is also much less expensive because you are still in the office seeing patients, the fee charged is much less than any weekend course. Additionally, your patients can see you are actually trying to train and learn from an expert to help them.

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Dr. Melvin Elson: First-rate Instructions On How To Search For A High-quality Cosmetic Surgeon

http://www.drmelvinelson.com Dr. Melvin Elson TN (615) 441-5227: Discusses the issue and gives Exceptional Information On How To Obtain An Excellent Service In Burns TN For more information on this topic can contact Dr. Melvin Elson at: Dr. Melvin Elson 4081 TN-96 Burns TN 37029 (615) 441-5227

Spring and your Skin

Finally after one of the worst winters on record Spring is coming in. With it come warmth sunshine, southerly breezes, singing birds and new problems for the skin.

Healthy Skin Tips for the Spring

Since we are outside more and there are more things out there from flora and fauna, there are new challenges to keep our skin healthy. First and foremost, don’t forget to use your sunscreen with SPF 30 every morning. Your skin is not used to getting sun as much and can easily burn as well as accumulate more damage.

From the garden comes beautiful new flowers and poison ivy. Poison ivy is ubiquitous and virtually everyone is allergic to it. The old adage “leaves of 3, let them be” is true, but poison ivy dermatitis can also be obtained from the stem or even the root. It can grow as a vine, a shrub or even a little tree.

If you want to kill it, don’t try to cut it down but use a herbicide meant for poison ivy to do so—cutting it down exposes you to the juice. If you must work near poison ivy wear protective gloves and wash the gloves before removing them and then wash your hands and arms. If you do get the rash, which is usually blisters in a line, apply baking soda paste to dry up the blisters and 1% hydrocortisone cream twice a day for the itching. You can also take over the counter Benadryl 12.5mg every 6 hours if needed. If your eyes are involved and start to swell you should consult a doctor.

Another hazard comes from the various insects that begin to stir this time of year. Obviously, it is best to avoid any stinging insect, but not always possible. Certainly, if you know you are allergic to any type of sting you must carry and epi-pen with you everywhere you go and know how to use it. If you are stung by a bee, yellow jacket or wasp and are not allergic, take 2 aspirin and apply cold compresses. If there are multiple stings, go to the emergency room.

Some other secrets

There is also the possibility of snake bite but in the spring they are usually pretty sluggish and you should be able to avoid them. If; however, you do get bit do NOT self-treat. Go to the nearest emergency room and if possible take the DEAD snake with you—it sounds crazy but there is no other way to know what type of antivenom to give you.

Swimming pools and lakes create another hazard—drowning. On the lake wear a life jacket. Watch children in the pool every second and learn from the Red Cross how to do CPR on both adults and children.

Learning a few of these simple things can help you have a safe, happy and healthy Spring.

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What is a Dermatologist?

A great deal of time and effort has been spent here and in other areas as to what constitutes someone specializing in cosmetic procedures, which I do; however, I am a board-certified dermatologist as well.

How is a Dermatologist Trained?

A number of people do not understand what a dermatologist is and how he is trained. Although there are some variables as to the path taken all dermatologists have a similar course to mine. I graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree and then went to medical school where I obtained my MD (medical school is another 4 years).

After that I interned at a hospital for 1 year in internal medicine, although some intern in surgery or pediatrics etc. After internship I spent 3 years in a dermatology residency learning the ways the skin functions, the problems that it undergoes and how to treat them. After being in practice one year, I then became eligible to take the dermatology board exam, which is an intensive full day written exam and if passed a 2 day oral exam. I then became board-certified.

This is a common pathway to becoming a board-certified dermatologist and most take this or a similar pathway. The questions you should ask are:

1. Are you a board certified dermatologist?

2. Where did you obtain your residency in dermatology?

3. Do you have a special expertise in one area such as pediatrics, geriatrics or cosmetic?

Always be certain the doctor you are choosing to be your dermatologist is a dermatologist and not someone who just likes to treat skin disease.

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