December 13, 2018
Dr Kerry Lavigne, MD FAAD, Skin Cancers
December 13, 2018
Buckets on the Table: Miscast Recovery Coalition
Speaker: Kerry Lavigne, MD FAAD, Skin Cancers
Dr Lavigne started practicing dermatology in 2013 in Portland, Maine and at Penbay and Waldo in 2015. In March of 2018, she opened her private practice in Rockport. Dr. Lavigne’s desire is to enrich the community in which she lives and recruit board certified dermatologists to the area. Dr Lavigne also has a Mohs surgery specialty. Dr Morris Minton has recently joined her practice! There are four areas she addressed:
Recognition – clinical visual recognition looks at the following 5 areas - asymmetry, border irregularity, color, diameter and evolution, melanomas are usually what you are seeing. Basal Cell Carcinoma, are the most common thing we see and treatment usually involves cosmetic issues. Squamous Cell skin carcinoma seen more often in men because of sun exposure, and can metastasize. Merkel Cell Carcinoma, a rapid growing pink bump, usually is found in patients over 80 years old, this one kills faster than a melanoma (and may be caused by a virus).
Treatment – Aggressive chemotherapies are out there now a days and can extend life. Mohs surgery uses a cryostat to perform removals in the office and have a 98-99% success rate . This results in smaller surgical margins and defects, and reconstruction can be performed knowing the skin cancer has been fully treated. Reconstruction can be performed a number ways with small visual defects. This also results in a decreased cost due to processing during office visits. Other means of managing skin cancers include cryotherapy, chemical peels, topical chemotherapy agents.
Prevention – Sun Screen and Cover Up! Sun Screen prevents 90% non-melanomas and 86% of melanomas. SPF 15 or highter can reduce risk, recommend SPF30. AND protect eyes with sunglasses. Zinc blockers help, Vitamin B3 (500mg twice a day) had a 23% reduction in new skin cancers! Sunscreen does expire and reduces effectiveness with age…maybe replace each year.
Breaking Updates – sunscreen effecting environment: algae, plants and coral bleaching. Coral can ingest nano-sized particles that effect life cycles. Relationship between melanoma and Parkinson’s: there is a 4 time increase of having a preexisting melanoma and a diagnosis of melanoma have increased rate of getting Parkinson’s. Data is still not strong enough but data is revealing. The relationship is still not clear.
Committees:
Bruce - chili challenge, trying to find a location then the real work will begin. Need new volunteers this year!
Christmas trees - $17800 gross so far...looking good!!
Susan: International committee is meeting 8am Monday, 9 students and 2 teachers to attend conference!
Next Week’s Speaker: Holiday Program