At Vanguard Skin Specialists we treat patients from a wide variety of age groups, ethnic backgrounds, and personal genetic and medical histories. Some patients struggle with chronic acne, others with sun damage and hyperpigmentation, and others with any (or more than one) of the long list of dermatologic conditions that range in severity from annoyance […]
dermatologist
Should I Be Worried If I’m Diagnosed with an Atypical Mole?
The problem with diagnosing moles and weeding out the potentially harmful from the benign is that moles are incredibly common. In fact, nearly everyone in the United States has at least one common mole, and those who do typically have several. Common moles are harmless and very rarely develop into skin cancers. However, the distinction […]
Sunscreens That Vanguard Dermatologists Use
As the weather continues to warm and more and more people begin setting plans for spring and summer getaways, it’s important to find a sunscreen that suits your lifestyle and your skin type. Picking that perfect sunscreen can be difficult, but with unprotected sun exposure accounting for millions of new skin cancer diagnoses each year […]
Patients Who Feed My Soul
By Dr. Vinh Chung Carlos (not real name) was the last patient on my schedule for the day. He was coming in because of a skin cancer on the right side of his nose. I was seeing him at a Vanguard dermatology clinic located an hour away from Colorado Springs, where I live. We had […]
Memories of Haiti
By Taylor Leyva Going into this trip, I actually prepared myself a lot for the end of it. I knew that I would leave Haiti completely shattered and, in all honesty, it did take me weeks to sift through memories and feelings in order to piece together what I truly took away from the […]
When a melanoma does not look like a melanoma
By Dr. Renata Prado Board-certified dermatologist & fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon Every day, as a dermatologist who specializes in skin cancer, I educate my patients on the signs of the deadliest skin cancer–melanoma. Dermatologists and our patients learn to memorize the ABCDE signs of melanoma: Asymmetry Border irregularity Color variations Diameter over ¼ inch (6 […]
Why you should never, ever get into a tanning bed
By Dr. Renata Prado Board certified dermatologist & fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon You have a big occasion coming up: prom, graduation, wedding. You think you will look a lot better with a glowing tan, and sign up for indoor tanning. I am here to tell you why this is a very bad idea. I can start […]