tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-343754652012-02-13T02:18:25.084-06:00This is a blog concerning health issues in the field of Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery. From time to time socio-political issues will be discussed.Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.comBlogger1561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-47818284014746672011-11-08T10:29:00.000-06:002011-11-08T10:30:42.362-06:00

Cancer headlines dominate the lay press yet public response to this sometimes preventable and sometimes curable disease is muted if not downright self defeating. There are many reasons for a sluggish response to an obvious problem and I will mention just a few. The government: Government funding of cancer research is at an all-time low relative to GDP, government spending, and the military

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-25434254313739208182011-10-23T19:21:00.000-05:002011-10-23T19:22:38.145-05:00

Some years ago I was traveling in Italy when I found a shirt that I decided to buy. It was a beautiful shirt, very classic, very sharp. It was so fine that I decided it was too wonderful to wear. Something might happen to it. It could get stained. It could be damaged in the wash. Who knows what might happen to it? And so it sat in my closet these 5 years. It looked very handsome on the hanger.

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-86821012350780985762011-10-18T23:11:00.001-05:002011-10-18T23:16:01.739-05:00

The sign above the corner of Irving Park and Lincoln Avenue, an otherwise non-descript corner in Chicago reads: “You didn’t choose to get cancer. You can choose to fight cancer”. Good sound bite. Lousy message. For the naive, for the unsophisticated, for the panicked patients and families alike it sounds so good to fight cancer. I must ask, “How successful has anyone you know been in “

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-47524611664103082822011-09-21T09:27:00.001-05:002011-09-21T09:27:46.298-05:00

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; -Shakespeare Would that I had written those famous lines. Yet often have I quoted them, even as I have indulged myself in fanciful daydreams. So it is no great surprise that in my recent travel to Vienna I learned that that which I have often called “God’s

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-71623874842237301862011-06-21T23:01:00.000-05:002011-06-21T23:02:13.621-05:00

The 19 year old sophomore sat on the exam table looking at the floor. A college student with obvious charm and kindness, she appeared withdrawn and shy. Covering her face were pustules , redness, and several cysts. Her mother was in tears fearing her child could not continue college because of depression concerning her appearance. They had been to a “doctor”, at a dermatologist’s office for the

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-61984082161269213282011-06-07T11:42:00.001-05:002011-06-07T11:43:40.686-05:00

As I have tried to make abundantly clear the United States is the only country in the industrialized world that does not provide universal health care for its citizens. We have preferred crisis management to preventive medicine and we use emergency rooms of hospitals as triage units and primary care offices for the poor. In my judgment the reason for the lack of consensus on the need for

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-36446851899596754882011-05-21T08:00:00.000-05:002011-05-21T08:02:48.305-05:00

A study appeared in a journal titled “Obesity” which was reported by a group from the University of Colorado. In a nutshell the study used sophisticated techniques to prove a doubtful if not unsubstantiated conclusion. More than 100 years ago Mark Twain wrote (quotations are used despite my paraphrasing) “There are three kinds of lies in the world. There are lies. There are worse lies. And then

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-31986263353967180282011-05-01T19:49:00.002-05:002011-05-01T23:23:24.394-05:00

The Stem Cell hype just won’t go away. I don’t know if this is Western culture or United States culture, but the continuous promotion of tenuous concepts for commercial gain is downright boring if not pathetic. While relatively few physicians spend their time evangelizing specious concepts for their own gain, a few individuals tweak the monetary imaginations enough to produce headlines and

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-55383594734322711312011-03-21T21:09:00.001-05:002011-03-21T21:13:50.767-05:00

A review of the literature in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology reveals a risk for increased incidence of breast cancer in men treating hair loss with systemic drugs (specifically Propecia). A short history lesson is in order. Somewhere in the bible vaguely residing in the poorly recalled parts of my memory there was a fellow named Samson, whose strength (and by extension his virility) were

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-35697811572703401742011-03-10T20:57:00.000-06:002011-03-10T20:58:36.085-06:00

On television and in the movies they may note: the following may be considered graphic. Use parental discretion before viewing. I wonder in this graphic internet world whom they are addressing.So- fair warning to all. If discussing skin problems of genitalia or sexual problems is too graphic for you, parental discretion is advised (I am thinking I have not seen these warnings on the Cialis and

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-17356725627657608592011-02-27T22:11:00.000-06:002011-02-27T22:12:33.579-06:00

I recently attended the annual Southbeach Symposium which functions somewhat as the premier meeting of dermatology experts in the field of cosmetic dermatology, especially as it relates to lasers and physical therapies of the skin. Under the direction of Dr Mark Nestor this course has been the gold standard for the past 9 years providing objective scientific data on the validity of concepts and

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-11844736357449899302011-02-03T23:23:00.000-06:002011-02-03T23:24:25.362-06:00

It’s cold out and my car is snowed in. The sun is shining and the snow is pure white, a sign of innocence and peace. If I don’t turn on my TV I can believe that this is the state of the world. Regardless it is a time to commune with nature and to free associate. When you are a dermatologist and you free associate you might wander to thoughts of the effects of cold temperatures and skin. Studies

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-84684407057267686282011-01-24T22:27:00.000-06:002011-01-24T22:30:08.166-06:00

Who do you trust? Sounds like a great title for a game show or a self-help book. Maybe I will use it someday. Do you trust your broker or financial adviser? Does your 401K self regenerate? Do you trust your banker? Does the bailout of Citigroup and Bank of America resonate? Do you trust a lawyer….? Excuse the pause. I was choking. Do you, can you, trust anyone anymore? Do you trust your doctor?

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-21749810689966253872011-01-16T20:56:00.002-06:002011-01-16T20:57:24.938-06:00

Liposuction is the most popular cosmetic surgical procedure performed in the United States. Liposuction, often termed liposculpture , can be used to enhance body shape. It is not a weight loss procedure. Obesity may be the single greatest problem in the United States. In the future, with young people becoming obese at ever increasing rates it will be the single greatest health problem that we

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-87168990491207647342010-12-20T22:40:00.001-06:002010-12-20T22:40:40.767-06:00

3,5000,000! That is 3,500,000 new cases of skin cancer in the US in 2011.While the numbers are discouraging, the population, especially young people, continue to ignore warnings of unhealthy sun exposure and more importantly dangerous exposure to UVA and UVB radiation in tanning salons. This number also belies 40,000 new cases of malignant melanoma and more than 8,000 deaths from skin cancer in

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-84072988756609569372010-12-12T21:43:00.001-06:002010-12-12T21:47:02.449-06:00

“He who can swim can get pearls from the bottom of the sea; but he who cannot swim goes under. Hence only he should dive for pearls who is practiced in swimming.” Translated from German: Abraham Joshua Heschel ‘s Maimonides As one might guess I am reading Heschel’s Maimonides and I am surprised and pleased at how much I have learned about the Jewish people and about myself. The

Dr. Edward Lack MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642593006465662817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-7132312374655079872010-11-10T10:38:00.002-06:002010-11-10T10:38:41.553-06:00

Skin Care For All Ages can be divided into 3 categories: Self Care, Cancer prevention, and Anti-aging techniques. After the age of 20 skin starts a long journey of thinning which does not become perceptible for about 30 years if the skin is not abused. After the age of 35 the oil content of the female face begins to decline and the need for replenishment of the face begins. Therefore we can

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-61940158603134508222010-10-26T08:08:00.000-05:002010-10-26T08:08:34.452-05:00

Recently ads for a stem cell facelift have been promising to enhance signs of facial aging by injecting stem cells derived from liposuction harvest into the face. This follows much of the minimally effective PRP injections for the same purpose. What makes the stem cell nonsense particularly vexing is that there is no evidence that the injected fat even has stem cells within the transplanted

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-15663652604088059962010-10-20T09:08:00.002-05:002010-10-20T09:08:39.340-05:00

It is so easy and so logical to be jaded. 57% of the senate are lawyers and all are multimillionaires. Corporate America and possibly foreign interests are investing huge amounts of money in political campaigns designed to represent the citizens of the United States, not the Corporate entities of the world. Marketing campaigns obfuscate and dominate so that companies who sell everything from ice

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-41217693399458903162010-10-10T21:36:00.000-05:002010-10-10T21:36:21.484-05:00

The blessing and the curse of being a cancer patient is the very present knowledge that today may be one’s last on earth. The blessing is that God gives most of us some warning and we can plan the rest of our lives as we see fit. “Why me” makes no sense since we have not only lived the blessing of life, we are now given the privilege of enjoying what is a finite time left on earth. This is

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-25451980433550846052010-10-04T21:33:00.002-05:002010-10-04T21:33:48.799-05:00

No matter how loud the rejoinder, “it’s nothing” dismisses the content and reduces the listener to a passive, virtual inanimate object. For instance, Protagonist: “I am sorry I forgot your birthday”. Responder: “It’s nothing.” Translation: You blew it and I am not going to acknowledge my feelings.” Protagonist: “I should have paid more attention before I blurted out what I said.” Responder: “It’s

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-67298715252401022582010-09-23T23:02:00.000-05:002010-09-23T23:02:26.950-05:00

I have returned from the 11th Annual meeting of the Austrian Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and, as expected, it was a wonderful experience. First a bit about Croatia: Croats speak Croatian. Ok, OK it seems obvious, but … worth noting. Also many do not speak English and despite communications difficulties, these are the friendliest and most helpful people that I have met in my travels. At one

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-36377299303517863772010-08-31T19:53:00.001-05:002010-08-31T19:56:54.229-05:00

There are 2 reasons to attend a medical meeting: the lectures and the coffee. The purpose of the lectures is obvious. The coffee, however, is the meat of the meeting. I will be speaking in Croatia in a few weeks and the excitement is two-fold. First I will be able to present my work on soft tissue rejuvenation using low energy lasers and newer fillers like hyaluronic acid and poly-L-lactic acid

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-15503450132283429712010-08-25T10:58:00.000-05:002010-08-25T10:58:14.348-05:00

Whoah!. Little Lady …(inflection as spoken by John Wayne to Janet Leigh). Did you see them figures on the rise of skin cancer in the latest publication of The Skin Cancer Foundation? Between 1994 and 2009 the number of yearly skin cancer cases in the US has risen from 1 million cases per year to 2 million cases per year. Malignant melanoma now kills 8600 Americans per year – up from 8000.

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-4227119586748620372010-08-01T09:54:00.001-05:002010-08-01T09:56:39.588-05:00

I began my medical practice in 1973 knowing nothing about how to run a business let alone a medical practice. A highly respected teacher and dermatologist was kind enough to refer me to his attorney to help get me started. Bernard Kleinman was himself a respected tax attorney who took me under his wing and treated me like a son. When we first met I asked him how I might  evaluate someone as a

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-46855958550180694972010-07-25T17:39:00.000-05:002010-07-25T17:39:03.974-05:00

Yahoo just released its current report: Best Hospitals (in the U.S.) 2010-11: the Honor Roll. There were no surprises although I believe I could find another 14 hospitals equally good. The list includes John Hopkins, Mayo Clinic- Rochester, Mass General, Cleveland Clinic and others; and much as I see the logic in this list I also see the perverse irrationality in its construction. For instance:

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-55432557694192463022010-07-15T13:55:00.003-05:002010-07-18T13:25:18.260-05:00

Sometimes it’s good to reflect on where we have been and where are we now. Sometimes it even leads to where are we going, but for this blog that will have to wait another day. I have practiced liposculpture since 1992 so I have seen the fads and the promises and the disappointments and mostly I have seen an incredible evolution in body contouring. For what must be first and foremost, the

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-38064682693233681762010-06-29T21:17:00.000-05:002010-06-29T21:17:24.733-05:00

As my friend and mentor on Mad Money, Jim Cramer, likes to say: When the facts change, change your position. It is so easy to make fun of experts after they stake out a position that is tenuous at best, even when they are your colleagues. So it was when I took out my pen-cudgel and attacked the bandwagon proponents of Vitamin D. You know who they are. They are the doctors who have you come in

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-21223970631913951682010-06-20T12:18:00.004-05:002010-06-20T12:23:49.155-05:00

A person cannot live without seeing with his eyes. A blind person is also a person but if you are not seen you are nothing.                                 Per Olov Enquist My appreciation to my wife for translating this beautiful piece of prose from her native Swedish. As you can “see” seeing with your physical eyes is not the subject of this man’s observation. Seeing with your heart and mind

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-26520171218499658032010-06-09T11:26:00.000-05:002010-06-09T11:27:14.597-05:00

For the last decade fads and bogus claims have promised to remove or reduce stretch marks, wrinkled skin, scars, and cellulite without actual proof. These money-making schemes have brought riches to some entrepreneurs and little pleasure to patients who have opted to have a variety of creams, potions, and treatments applied to their faces, bodies, and especially thighs. At last the wait may now

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-21063986326371449002010-05-25T20:16:00.000-05:002010-05-25T20:17:23.003-05:00

Peter (not his real name) developed a red spot on the tip of his nose 2 years ago. He is now 16 years old. Last week the spots became more red and formed 2 blisters. His mother took him to a board certified plastic surgeon. The surgeon told the mother he didn’t know what the lesion was but that he could cut it out. He advised them Peter would be left with a permanent scar on his nose.A 30 year

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-12224892255331502362010-05-11T23:21:00.000-05:002010-05-11T23:22:46.547-05:00

Baldness comes in various shapes and sizes, but when it appears on a woman’s head it is always bad. The problem is of such magnitude that doctors vacillate between dismissing female hair loss complaints and ordering a battery of tests they have little idea what to do with. An organized approach to the problem is necessary. In many cases hair loss can be slowed or stopped and in some cases it can

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-38350132079442046612010-04-27T08:24:00.002-05:002010-04-27T08:28:24.691-05:00

Jim lies in a hospital bed clinging to life as I write this blog. Ten months ago he was diagnosed with severe mitral valve disease and advised to have surgery. Jim declined. As his health deteriorated he could no longer put off surgery. He had a choice of going to a community hospital or to a university hospital. He wanted to stay near home so he chose to stay in the community. The morning after

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-63953790433441880182010-04-09T22:29:00.001-05:002010-04-09T22:31:38.909-05:00

Hair presents a conundrum of conflicting problems to women. On the one hand they are troubled by loss of hair, any hair at any time. The presumption is that hair is flattering, youthful, and aggrandizing. At the opposite end of the spectrum women obsess about what to do with hair when they have it. Used incorrectly, as it is often worn by women, it works to their disadvantage (a bald man can

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-58591608405614413412010-03-31T08:26:00.000-05:002010-03-31T08:27:03.011-05:00

Pan-facial atrophy. The 21st century word for the aging face. As fat and bone, muscle, and skin whither, the face shrinks and wrinkles. Most important, the face looks older. To my regret Google Tyra Banks and Sandra Bullock. What a shame these 2 lovely ladies don’t understand the gestalt they communicate with their newly minted gaunt appearance. It seems strange that in a country where our

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-31537387858259231632010-03-24T10:43:00.001-05:002010-03-24T10:49:29.800-05:00

The poor prune. Delicious and rich looking as it may be it is saddled with epithets like “prune-face”, a “wrinkled grape”, and a prune every morning keeps you “regular”. For a fruit whose taste is enjoyed by so many the euphemisms seem dishearteningly displaced and not the least metaphoric. I mean, isn’t the image of the aging face wrinkled and collapsed? Don’t we think of the elderly as sweet

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-25280203834624612272010-03-16T23:13:00.002-05:002010-03-16T23:18:38.840-05:00

Professor Higgins: “Why can’t a woman … be more like a man? Men are so faithful, gracious and nice. Men are so caring, sagacious and polite. So why can’t a woman … be more like a man?”This is another version of “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”. Perhaps more chauvinistic and without acknowledging biases, yet trying to understand the differences between the sexes. And yes, there are

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-50810893292272811872010-03-10T09:07:00.003-06:002010-03-10T09:15:13.799-06:00

The Oscar show is always a fun-filled affair, although mostly boring to the television viewer. For me it is an insight into popular social trends in the US especially as regards appearance. Last year I noted that the producers kept the anorexic youth characterized with their not so young leader Angelina Jolie in the audience and instead featured mature women on stage sporting full faces and

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-62643911088927453972010-03-01T22:23:00.002-06:002010-03-01T22:29:11.971-06:00

Neoadjuvant Therapy. Adjuvant Therapy. Learn these words. One or the other may save your life if you get cancer. I am largely alive today because I was one of the first participants in a clinical trial using neoadjuvant therapy to treat my pancreatic cancer in 2002. I will write more about that later.Neoadjuvant therapy can refer to treatments given to reduce tumor size or improve survival before

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-1342994507643763542010-02-17T07:35:00.001-06:002010-02-17T07:36:15.906-06:00

The Supreme Court of the State of Illinois struck down tort reform more than a week ago. There are several ramifications which doctors and patients in Illinois should understand.• Illinois will now move from one of the 5 most dangerous states in the union in which to practice medicine to the most dangerous state• Physicians will resume their egress from the state and within the next several years

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-38237040780541722492010-02-07T21:15:00.004-06:002010-02-07T21:20:30.507-06:00

My wife won’t let me have lunch with Liv Ullman. At least she won’t facilitate my having lunch with Liv Ullman. My wife is Swedish. Liv Ullman is Norwegian (almost the same). We will be visiting Swedish friends outside of Nice next summer. Liv Ullman lives outside of Nice. I have asked my wife to call her best friend to find someone who knows Liv Ullman and to invite her to have lunch with me.

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-28538933322781324252010-01-26T14:21:00.000-06:002010-01-26T14:22:34.048-06:00

The dichotomy in the hype of filler products for facial rejuvenation has confused physicians and made intelligent comparisons on the part of the public virtually impossible. In order to understand the confusion in marketing fillers I will divide the protagonists into 2 camps: the manufacturers and salons (medispas) vs. cosmetic surgeons which include sophisticated dermatologists, facial plastic

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-49218393682345771302010-01-21T10:19:00.000-06:002010-01-21T10:20:22.318-06:00

Skin of color is a term in dermatology referring to people other than Caucasian . It came about because of recognition of some of the unique characteristics of darker skinned people with regard to treating skin disease or signs of aging. For instance, a laser may cause lightening or darkening of skin color in a darker skinned patient and yet be perfectly safe for a white skinned

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-18902320438895977732010-01-10T22:25:00.001-06:002010-01-10T22:27:07.513-06:00

I am not sure how many of the public noticed a provision in the proposed health reform legislation that would have placed a federal tax on cosmetic procedures. The provision was known as the Bo-TAX and it aroused a unified response from the medical community in general and organized medicine in particular. This proposed tax was a clear example of how out of touch the Congress is with the needs of

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-33605624611170942382010-01-03T11:56:00.001-06:002010-01-03T12:09:58.751-06:00

On or about August 27, 2002 I awoke in the morning and went to work as usual. I did not know that my world as I knew it was about to change irrevocably. On a subliminal basis I knew that I had cancer of the soul. My marriage was in name only, my family dissipated, my work was my passion. I did not understand that in a few hours, a Kafkaesque moment, I would turn yellow and the cancer in my soul

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-18956112936307338242009-12-06T12:27:00.000-06:002009-12-06T12:28:39.831-06:00

One of the rewards of a career in medicine is getting to know people from many walks of life on an intimate basis. This is also true of meeting other doctors who possess many skills including intelligence, wit, perspicaciousness, verbal skills, and so on. I have enjoyed countless hours listening to great teachers lecture on everything from basic science to pathophysiology; from the psychology of

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-51598787830246884342009-11-30T22:34:00.000-06:002009-11-30T22:35:18.223-06:00

Today I saw a new patient. She is female, educated, economically stable, about 54 years old. Several months ago she sought treatment for spider veins on her legs. She went to a … laser clinic. The clinic treated her with some injections and some lasers and they burned her skin and her spider veins remained. So she decided what she needed to do was go to a … vein clinic. That doctor did a Doppler

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-74570365317877776012009-11-22T13:53:00.000-06:002009-11-22T13:54:36.339-06:00

Two thousand four hundred years or so ago, Cleopatra spent great amounts of effort preserving the legend of her infamous beauty. Such was her power that the succeeding Roman conquerors agreed to preserve her image in Egypt only after her nose was forcibly amputated from every remaining relic in her likeness. Cleopatra was apparently known for her mineral baths and one supposes her facial

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-15720022293860838012009-11-14T10:03:00.001-06:002009-11-14T10:07:21.563-06:00

President Obama lost his initiative to reform health care in the United States when he abandoned his Midwest political base. As difficult as it is for Americans to understand the health care debate over the past year, it is virtually impossible for non-Americans to understand what has transpired. Consider the following:• The United States is the only country in the industrialized world without

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-38241753381400644342009-10-18T11:19:00.004-05:002009-10-18T11:42:21.522-05:00

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that an adequate amount of vitamin D should be obtained from a healthy diet that includes foods naturally rich in vitamin D, foods/beverages fortified with vitamin D, and/or vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D should not be obtained from unprotected exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.Epidemiologic studies suggest an association between low serum

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-35632621725494390982009-10-14T09:02:00.003-05:002009-10-14T09:22:36.755-05:00

I recently spoke with a woman I will call Jane. Read her story. It could be you some day and there is so much to learn from her. Jane has pancreatic cancer. For one year Jane had abdominal symptoms and a host of doctors misdiagnosed her and probably thought she was neurotic. They never tested her for pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cancer killer in the world! Finally, after major weight

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-62687855283231773652009-10-03T11:24:00.006-05:002009-10-03T18:13:49.414-05:00

Why does a patient have cosmetic surgery at a med-spa? Is it to save money? I just consulted with a patient who had been to a med-spa and my fee for liposculpture was actually 3000.00 less than the med-spa. Is it because of better advertising? To be sure med-spas have better visibility than individual physicians because that is their main overhead. Is it the greater fool theory, ie put something

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-400739634845764442009-09-27T12:16:00.007-05:002010-06-16T07:52:06.402-05:00

On August 7, 20/20's Medical Mysteries presented a segment on painful sexual intercourse moderated by Dr. Timothy Johnson, ABC's chief medical editor. Through the course of interviews with 2 medical exerts and 3 female patients Dr. Johnson presented the deleterious impact of vulvo-vaginal diseases on the lives of patients and their families. While some critics of the program complained that the

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-10973613981140560192009-09-22T08:23:00.003-05:002009-09-23T10:44:47.439-05:00

Breast reduction in women who are either "blessed" with excessively large breasts or have developed excessive breast enlargement with weight gain or pregnancy has traditionally been a difficult procedure with potential significant complications and always accompanied by large scars. By contrast breast reduction in men has been successfully treated with liposculpture since 1992 and has a long

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-79765922427660449742009-09-10T06:49:00.002-05:002009-09-10T07:06:21.718-05:00

I watched President Obama’s speech last night and I found myself filled with anger. I dreamt about the speech and I awoke with anger. I watched bobble-head Nancy and I was angry. I watched the Republicans sit on their hands or wave their sheaf of papers in derision and I was filled with anger. I heard the Congressman from South Carolina shout at the President and call him a liar during his speech

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-16721453202783713442009-08-29T11:17:00.003-05:002009-09-01T20:33:06.065-05:00

If you haven't noticed, the leaves are changing, there is a nip in the air, and the smells of fall have arrived. Only a quick glance at the calendar betrays the obvious conclusion that Autumn has begun. Not to brag, but I told many of my patients in July that fall would come a month early this year. I knew it because my allergy patients were suffering and my eczema patients were scratching. These

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-1535420061002917252009-08-23T12:30:00.003-05:002009-08-23T12:58:05.052-05:00

As a youngster I enjoyed getting under my classmates skin (nothing has changed). I would taunt "Your epidermis is showing ...". I encouraged my son to do the same and when his classmates found epidermis referred to the skin I encouraged him to taunt "Your proboscis is showing ..."I was at the European Academy of Dermatology meeting in Munich this summer and there I learned your dermatoporosis may

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-45788485092459198612009-08-16T16:25:00.003-05:002009-08-16T16:54:03.752-05:00

Type in "mommy makeover" in google. There you will find a list of cosmetic surgeons who propose to restore the body of any newly blessed mother from the ravages of her pregnancy. I don't know about you but I find the term "mommy makeover" degrading. How does an adult male/female physician refer to a patient as mommy and then presume to treat the patient with respect. For that matter how does a

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-3838760093541103882009-08-04T17:59:00.005-05:002009-08-04T18:16:06.419-05:00

from WebMDThe World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced today that it has moved UV tanning beds to its highest cancer risk category -- "carcinogenic to humans."Prior to the move, the group had classified sun lamp and tanning bed use as "probably carcinogenic to humans."In an interview with WebMD, the IARC’s Vincent Cogliano, PhD, called the

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-1566761330703671042009-07-25T11:12:00.001-05:002009-07-25T11:16:00.307-05:00

There can be no debate that universal health care is a necessity for the United States if we are to survive economically and as a healthy nation. Nevertheless all sides in the argument for how it should be enacted are guilty of misleading statements and inuendos that relegate universal health care in the United States to an unfulfilled dream.The President: President Obama is protecting his

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-74938554225730814062009-07-23T21:55:00.000-05:002009-07-23T21:56:37.173-05:00

I attended the joint meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology and the European Academy of Dermatology last month. The meeting was the first of its kind and the quality was excellent. The setting was Munich, Germany about which I will write in another blog. Suffice it to say that Munich is a beautiful city and the Bavarian people were charming and hospitable. To me the most startling

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-68651746578321598192009-06-20T14:55:00.000-05:002009-06-20T14:56:18.897-05:00

It is interesting that the Obama health care plan will cost more than 1.5 trillion dollars according to the Congressional budget office when European nations are able to provide universal care for their entire population at much less than ½ the cost. This only points out the reality that the Obama plan is nothing more than a political expedient which benefits the insurance industry (depending on

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-44011173869963140092009-06-15T08:18:00.000-05:002009-06-15T08:19:27.737-05:00

As a technophobe I suffer from all of the insecurities and indignities of anyone ignorant of modern technology. In a reversal of the ancient rituals of respecting the elderly and indeed of seeking out the wisdom of the elderly I have to turn to my young daughter to operate my computer, to decipher software, and to even make me aware of what is now possible. It is enough that the modern age forces

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-91339684790925225142009-05-25T14:04:00.000-05:002009-05-25T14:05:37.664-05:00

My wife wants a new set of dining room chairs. She says our old chairs are not good because if she leans back in the chair her clavicle falls through the openings at the back of the chair. She doesn’t know that her clavicle is in the front of her body. That really wouldn’t matter to her anyway, and if I told her where her clavicle is she would say that when she falls through the chair her whole

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-33261633273829033472009-05-17T08:42:00.003-05:002009-05-17T09:30:31.701-05:00

A funny thing has happened to the medispa industry. They now feel you don’t need a doctor for your cosmetic medical and surgical needs. Their thinking and marketing promotes technician expertise to the public. They often have an emergency room doctor or other non-cosmetic trained physician listed as a medical director. This legitimizes the practice of medicine in the medispa according to state

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-83775121208805218882009-05-05T20:34:00.004-05:002009-05-05T21:04:26.143-05:00

Cellulite: Your dimpled pastHas left onlookers quite aghastWhen you show your puckered faceThe bearer feels herself disgraced.Away you beggar, you sloth of visionI will erase your every impressionWhether by sleuth or slight of handYour fate is sealed to my command!Were that I could will cellulite away, I would be rich, I would be famous, I could be King. Alas, it is not yet to be, but not for

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-87756555495997503122009-04-19T12:35:00.004-05:002009-04-28T22:25:49.561-05:00

Suntan parlors are still poorly regulated, poorly understood, and full of misrepresentations to promote their industry. K, a patient at the offices of MetropolitanMD for several years, went to a suntan salon several weeks ago. She likes to go to suntan parlors because she thinks she looks healthier with a bronzed skin color. On that day she felt some burning of her right ear, right neck, and

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-48162123451128205642009-04-05T18:15:00.004-05:002009-04-05T18:22:16.628-05:00

U S Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsburg, Dr. Randy Pausch, Patrick Swayze, Michael Landon, Fred Gwyne, Jack Benny, Rex Harrison, Donna Reed, Richard Crenna, Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Crawford. They all had pancreatic cancer and most of them died of the disease. I also had pancreatic cancer. Three of us are still alive.Do you know anyone who has or had pancreatic cancer? My guess is that you

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-12580143433045543792009-03-14T22:47:00.002-05:002009-03-14T22:48:34.655-05:00

I want to talk about cosmetic medicine, honest I do. But every time I try to focus I see Obama changing stripes. No longer the common man, he has become beaurocratic man! He sold out to every pedagogic interest group that he and Nancy Pelosi can revel in. Believe me, I grew up in an environment of pseudosophisiticates who claimed to know what is best for the common man, all the time convinced

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-70184682677622928202009-02-22T23:50:00.003-06:002009-03-24T08:28:01.802-05:00

I just finished watching the Oscar Awards and it was predictably another vapid experience taking up too many hours of my life. Nevertheless it left me some impressions and some awards of my own.First, I reiterate that this has been the best movie season in the past decade. Consider Milk, Defiance, Changling, Doubt, The Reader, Benjamin Button, Dark Night, Slum Dog, The Wrestler, and Frost/Nixon

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-6142700445497245362009-02-16T08:20:00.001-06:002009-02-16T08:29:29.476-06:00

Latisse is the one of the few of a line of cosmetic products that actually works. Bimatoprost ophthalmic solution does grow eyelashes, makes them thicker, and sometimes makes them darker in the vast majority of users. The drops are placed on the eyelashes of the upper eyelid nightly for 4 months. Thereafter it will be placed on the eyelash up to several times per week. If patients decide to

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-58582474980085519382009-02-10T22:49:00.000-06:002009-02-10T22:52:14.282-06:00

My wife returned from Sweden this week. She told me of seeing 2 beautiful young Swedish women walking down the street. They were dressed smartly and coiffured accordingly. But when she got close she noticed both ladies had thick coats of make-up on their faces that would have been comical had these women not been so obvious in wanting to appear attractive.The art of make-up goes back thousands of

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-20666836561396548592009-01-31T17:33:00.002-06:002009-01-31T17:43:20.299-06:00

Katie Couric cut her hair! While I would like to fantasize that she finally got the message after reading my blogs, the reality is probably that one of the sylists at CBS thought we had seen enough of the bushwoman style. Now it falls to Maria Botaromo, nerd-queen of CNBC to follow suit (as a card carrying Nerd myself I too paid homage to the sensuous Maria until she went bush-woman on me).As I

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-22934214034184529662009-01-07T22:18:00.006-06:002009-01-07T22:40:22.349-06:00

Early in 2008 when we learned Patrick Swayze had pancreatic cancer I was one of the first to condemn his behavior. He went into public denial and claimed his cancer was being cured with chemotherapy. He had pictures of himself smoking cigarettes. He denied the damage that cancer does to individuals and their families.Tonight on the Barbara Walters interview Patrick Swayze showed himself to be

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-91878256586325736752009-01-05T07:54:00.001-06:002009-01-05T07:55:51.540-06:00

Our last conversation with Brad revealed how reproducible geometric relationships determine beauty in one’s face regardless of race or gender. Now I asked Brad to describe what qualities in a woman’s face are attractive to him. The following are 6 variables that will attract and enchant Brad Pitt or any other man.Smile – Simple as that sounds it is not practiced often enough. When I compared

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-51495012471509106652008-12-21T09:36:00.000-06:002008-12-21T09:37:25.687-06:00

I have another Brad Pitt blog for everyone, but something important came up and I need to think about the meaning of Xmas at this time. I hope all of you will follow my lead and rent the movie “After the Wedding” by Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier. Watch it with someone you love. Anytime is a good time for reflection, yet Xmas is always the best time to reflect.May I be so banal as to remember what

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-35909347996210472462008-12-09T15:54:00.002-06:002008-12-09T16:28:29.539-06:00

For all of us who have loved and lost and loved again it is axiomatic that without active interference we are attracted to the same characteristics as our last love whether they be appearance or personality. For better, I chose active interference in my life and married the woman who is my soul-mate. Enough of that until a later time.So, looking at appearance only, one would have to guess that

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-26203784510062899962008-11-25T18:57:00.003-06:002008-11-25T19:20:31.195-06:00

It goes without saying that Thanksgiving is a time for thoughtful reflection of who we are, what we have, how blessed we live. We are in the midst of a recession, and yet for most of us our lives are quite wonderful. If we must spend a little less it is a wake up call to be humble and to remember who we are and where we came from. Maybe even where we are going.So I am a bit chagrined and even

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-2293703294461415872008-11-18T20:52:00.005-06:002008-11-18T21:13:50.384-06:00

Ahem! Time to get back to basics. We are through with the election and President-elect Obama has his hands full. The CEO of the auto industry testified today that the industry's problems are caused by the world economy. He ignored the fact that I and people like me have not bought an American made car for 30 years because it is our impression that they are inferior. The CEO of Citigroup says

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-27345393873853768952008-11-05T07:31:00.004-06:002008-11-05T07:50:51.393-06:00

Congratulations Barack Obama. You are the 44th President of the United States of America. You were presidential throughout the race and you were presidential last night in your victory speech. You walk with a nation's blessings and a nation's hopes from this day forward.Congratulations John McCain. You are a patriot who has served our country as very few can claim since our founding in 1776. You

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-75181946156600096552008-10-20T08:39:00.003-05:002008-10-20T14:56:52.339-05:00

Now that I have begun I feel a need to continue exploring health care reform in this blog. Truthfully I was disappointed at the minimal response I received from my last blog. In fact, all of the comments were positive, but there were so few people who bothered to write. I would think that the welfare of each of us and our families would receive a higher priority and more enthusiasm in our

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-38675951744508949532008-10-14T19:40:00.004-05:002008-10-14T20:23:53.111-05:00

I have been having a brain cramp for the past 2 weeks and have not completed my blog assignment. I seem to be transfixed on the coming elections and the incredible mismanagement of our fiscal system. I have wanted to blog about the candidates, but my past public relations manager and my current manager (can you spell "WIFE") have cautioned against it. They feel a health blog is not an appropriate

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-52934368876063620022008-09-23T21:40:00.005-05:002008-09-23T22:05:15.499-05:00

Well, I hope we all learned something from my blogs on beautiful women getting awful cosmetic surgery as they get older because they crave attention. I learned that patients are smarter than doctors. I think I knew that, I just forgot. Now an "old" friend, respected colleague, and noted cosmetic surgeon, Nelson Link, writes a comment to my blog that bears passing on:"I meant to include these

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-62123195920567205792008-09-14T16:50:00.004-05:002008-09-14T17:16:14.778-05:00

In my last blog I opinioned that the reason yellow tabloids are replete with formerly beautiful actresses that have made themselves unattractive using cosmetic surgery is that these are people seeking attention at any cost. I think the blame for such a lack of aesthetic appreciation does not lie with the physician, but rather with the patient who seeks such obviously inferior care. This is not to

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-12530567100138694692008-08-27T08:54:00.003-05:002008-08-27T09:06:27.548-05:00

I have returned from Europe and am about to complete what has been the most fun I have had with summer vacation since I was probably 12 years old. I have been overseas, seen parts of the U.S., and will conclude my travels in the Southeast states of our great nation. Once again political debate is beginning to rage with party conventions and the country feels alive. I read Freakonomics, Blink, and

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-12914972632083747402008-08-10T09:34:00.001-05:002008-08-10T09:34:20.207-05:00

xxx

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-53108487466678140192008-07-20T13:42:00.002-05:002008-07-20T13:45:25.270-05:00

As surely as the dog days of summer will arrive, so will summer discounts and MetropolitanMD is no exception. We wish to reward our loyal patients (and their friends and relatives) with our version of summer sales. From now until August 31, 2008 MetropolitanMD will be offering $500.00 discounts off surgeon’s fees of $3500.00 or more for any surgical procedure scheduled to be performed by

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-78081085073191127852008-07-13T12:18:00.003-05:002008-07-15T16:21:47.213-05:00

For the past 3 decades attempts at treating stretch marks have been largely unsuccessful. While we have had some success in treating red stretch marks soon after their appearance, once they turn white treatments have been minimally successful. Topical vitamin A, microdermabrasion, laser resurfacing, non-ablative lasers, and peels have all failed at resolving what is clearly an embarrassing

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-25481014545439336792008-06-25T08:54:00.004-05:002008-07-03T13:57:11.930-05:00

The higher the number the better it is. Right? I would rather have $1000.00 than $100.00. I would rather have a 18th grade education than an 8th grade education. I would rather bat 350 than 250. All right. I would rather have a golf score of 120 than 90. WRONG! I would rather walk up 4 flights of stairs at home than 2 flights. WRONG! I would rather use SPF 50 than SPF 15. NOT NECESSARILY!SPF

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-30761347839786919582008-06-17T10:40:00.000-05:002008-06-17T10:41:55.991-05:00

I have just returned from 5 days in Washington DC. As past President of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery I was there to attend a board meeting and to begin a process of getting to know my representatives in the Congress and in the Senate on a professional level. The Academy has initiated a program of meeting our national legislators to promote the interests of those of us who provide

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-50765542936749690982008-06-10T16:18:00.001-05:002008-06-10T16:21:26.169-05:00

Now that summer has arrived, it has arrived hasn’t it, we adjust our lives to warmer weather and begin to experience the inconvenience of hot weather and sweaty bodies. We bring along a change of clothes or an extra shirt and when possible we may take 2 showers in one day.There are people who have these problems all year long. They have a condition called hyperhidrosis which is excessive sweating

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-64766321269471251842008-05-13T07:58:00.003-05:002008-05-13T18:27:46.954-05:00

I am going to ignore the obvious answers which are true in part: they have facials very often; they pamper themselves; the smart ones and the older ones get enough sleep; the smart ones eat well; they airbrush their pictures!What they have, either through youth or the magic of cosmetic surgery, is full faces. Their faces are rounded and their cheeks are full.Many years ago cosmetic surgeons

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-19395687312472434712008-04-23T10:29:00.002-05:002008-05-03T18:30:36.727-05:00

Today I will address the use of lasers in skin rejuvenation. Lasers are very exciting. They do many things, they have exciting names, and they cost a lot of money. Few physicians realize how they work and very few consumers understand when they are applicable. Truly – an American Entrepreneurial Dream come true.Before we understand how lasers can produce miracle results we must look at the

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-62331533237836203432008-04-06T18:24:00.001-05:002008-04-06T18:27:29.169-05:00

One of the tenants or truths of life is that history repeats itself. I again experienced my truth over the past 2 weeks when a chest X-ray revealed a possible nodule on my right lung. I have had a 3 month long cough which coincided with a respiratory virus that has been going around Chicago. As so often in the past, I ignored wisdom and chose to medicate myself including the ordering of the chest

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-78425740171384076552008-04-02T09:39:00.001-05:002008-04-02T09:42:28.753-05:00

Skin rejuvenation has undergone so many changes that neither the consumer nor the physician can easily distinguish which treatments are effective vs. which treatments are hype. Nor can they distinguish between which are more efficient and which are less, which are more cost effective and which are less. The realities of cosmetic enhancement are that not all treatments fit all people and a

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-22753495503702184422008-03-24T07:22:00.004-05:002008-03-25T11:07:45.264-05:00

Sadly we are aware that Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer. Yet, as is always the case with cancer the struggle and sadness that it brings is accompanied by new beginnings and new hopes. Alas, while De Nile is a river in Egypt, De nial is a human characteristic that only accentuates suffering and grief. In a déjà vu all over again experience, with the same ridiculous deception displayed by the

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-72424457407304002102008-03-05T09:54:00.001-06:002008-03-05T10:01:40.107-06:00

I am perplexed. A woman brought her 16 year old son to see me. She wanted me to examine his body for changing moles. The boy had 2 normal moles on his body. He also had 6 scars on his chest. I asked the mother how her son obtained those scars. “His dermatologist removed some moles” she said. “Why did she do that”, I asked. She replied that the doctor said the moles were suspicious for cancer. “Oh

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-63709437207774739252008-02-20T09:36:00.002-06:002008-02-20T10:09:24.496-06:00

The economy is tight and people are watching how they spend their money more carefully. That's the cue, it always is, to resume The Doctor Wars. Ever had a carpenter come to your house to do a remodeling job and he looks around the room and invariably asks: "What guy messed up the work on this house?" It seems the last guy always did it wrong.Well, it's the same with doctors. A former employee

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-15109951674695071672008-02-13T05:56:00.002-06:002008-02-13T06:02:33.900-06:00

Aspirin has caused death from bleeding and allergic reactions. Some people should not take aspirin. Water has caused death by excessive water ingestion called water intoxication. All people should not drink too much water at one time. Now we learn of 16 deaths apparently due to botox. We learn that in most cases this was due to massive doses of botox given to children with cerebral palsy. Some

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34375465.post-1272953923743507662008-02-02T10:27:00.000-06:002008-02-02T10:54:47.271-06:00

I find the term Brazilian Butt Lift to be both titillating and euphemistic. For me it conjures up visions of nubile sun tanned young females clad in scant bikini's cavorting in the Latin sun. To be sure there is considerable historical precedent for regarding the shape of the buttocks as a most sensuous part of the female anatomy, and sometimes the male anatomy. Has anyone failed to note the

Edward Lack MDnoreply@blogger.com0