Other highlights included three good men. First, my dad. After one of the worst experiences of our lives, to see my 81 year old dad walking and talking like he is one year after his car accident is so amazing! As my dad said, his hard North Korean head came in handy. My mom saw the car and couldn’t believe he survived. All I can say is it was an Easter miracle. He is still practicing law.

Next, I had the pleasure of staring down Gary Sinise. The poor guy probably just wanted to be incognito, and here I was talking to my mom on my cell at the front of the hotel and I see a black town car with the “The United States of America” on it. Wondering if I’d see a Secret Service agent, I instead see a man with sunglasses come out that seems to resemble him. I stare at the guy (which I hate to do to anyone let alone a celeb) and he says hello. Oops! I just wanted to tell him what a wonderful thing he’s doing for our disabled vets and what am I supposed to do, hang up on my own mother?! I buy the guy a bag of cashews, write a card and a check to his foundation, and the concierge won’t deliver it and pretends he isn’t staying there! Sheesh! Good security on the hotel’s part! After all, my cashews could be tainted and I could be like the crazy woman who stalked David Letterman! PS-I’ll just send the check in the mail. My friend Dr Kelly had a fun time witnessing these shenanigans. If you haven’t heard about the amazing things he’s doing, look it up!

Next, comes Dr. Bennett. I am so proud of him receiving the Frederick Mohs Award (i.e. lifetime achievement award). I only wished I had videotaped it for our kids. It was beautifully presented by his former fellow, Dr. Manish Gharia. Here is the transcript:

“Good Afternoon. My name is Manish Gharia. I was fortunate enough to have been Dr. Richard Bennett’s fellow from 2001-2002. During that year and over the last ten years I have learned of Dr. Bennett’s many accomplishments and service that make him worthy of the Frederick Mohs Award and I wanted to take a few minutes to share them with you.

Dr. Bennett’s dermatology career began in 1971 at the Univ. of Penn. From there he went to NYU to train in Mohs Surgery with Dr. Perry Robins. His career took a slight detour for 2 years as he served as an officer in the US Navy where he took full advantage of the Navy’s liberal grooming policies for enlisted officers (chuckles, pic of a scrawny Doc B with full facial hair). Once out of the Navy, minus that beard, and sporting a completely new look (more chuckles, photo with long hippie hair and beads) a young energetic Dr. Bennett set out to find a career in academic medicine. Dr. Bennett’s first faculty position came at Emory University where he started the Mohs unit and a fellowship. His extensive clinical experience of having treated well over 25,000 Mohs patients and counting in his 35 plus year career is matched only by his prowess as an educator and lecturer. Dr. Bennett has been an invited lecturer at over 250 meetings in 17 countries on 4 continents. The lectures and publications, including 2 books, 12 book chapters and over 70 unique articles have also introduced many of his innovative surgical procedures. In 1984, Dr. Bennett left Atlanta and was recruited to start the Mohs program at UCLA. During that period he began work on his textbook, The Fundamentals of Cutaneous Surgery. Although the book has been out of print since being released in 1988, it is still highly sought after. At last check you can still get a copy for about $450 on Amazon. Dr. bennett will have taken on his 30th fellow this summer. The fellows have gone on to take faculty positions at 8 different academic programs and practiced Mohs in 5 countries on 3 continents. In keeping with Fred Mohs’ traditions, countless other fellows have passed through his offices as he interviews any resident and opens his office doors to all those who want to learn. He has served as the President of the ASDS over the past year and the Los Angeles Derm Society. At the Mohs College has has also served on the Fellowship Directors Committee and Slide Review Committee. He has been the recipient of the Golden Triangle Award for service from the AAD and the Samuel Stegman Award from the ASDS and many teaching awards from his dermatology residents.

Dr. Bennett’s Los Angeles practice has its fair share of Tinseltown’s elite, most of them which he doesn’t recognize (so true;) (poster of Muhammed Ali ‘Impossible is Nothing’) this poster hangs in the office and embodies what he feels can be done for all patients and instills in all his residents and fellows. Primarily to never give up on your patients, to see their care to the end. But for all the proverbs, quites and philosophies he has doled out over the years, it’s his actions that speak volumes. The most valuable lessons for his students come from his approach to patients. Now I know that at some point Dr. Bennett would like to sail off into the sunset to one of his favorite places in the world, Abaco Island in the Bahamas. But fortunately for all of us, I think he will have his hands full for quite some time still (picture of our family on an elephant). By my estimation, I think you and Dr. Shim have to do this for about another 30 years to have Amelie and Lydia be your final two fellows. So with that I introduce to you the recipient of the 2012 Frederick Mohs Award, my friend, mentor and teacher to all of us, Dr. Richard Gary Bennett.”

i just read a neat story about some Houston high school girls who made a pact not to tan before prom night. Smart and classy decision! These girls are gorgeous the way they are.

Ask the company that makes your fake tanner, or the tanning salon you go to for the name of the brand of fake tanner they use, and ask if they contain phthalates. Get the info from the company directly. Avoid fragranced products if possible, and look for phthalate-free products. Verdure products are phthalate-free skin care products.

I don’t get it. No offense to anyone, but tans to me look strange. I have a number of pale friends and I think they have beautiful milky white skin. One of my best friends, whose heritage is Norwegian/English, is one of the only true blonds I know and can’t tan whatsoever. Her skin is great! In the old days, the classier the person you were, the paler you were. Certainly in Asian cultures, that’s the way it is. Plus, tans just age your skin so you’ll look saggy someday. The patients with the best skin are usually a bit plump and pale. They also rarely get skin cancer. Interesting, no?

A skin cancer exam is a very important part of one’s general health check-up. Many melanomas can be subtle or very small.

Yes, it is true that sometimes a biopsy will remove the entire lesion if it is very small. However, just as you might get a breast biopsy or prostate biopsy, if you had cancer diagnosed, you would not consider the biopsy to be a treatment.

A biopsy is simply a test, a sampling. Cancer is microscopic and can be one to several cells thick. While this watch and wait approach would be ok on very tiny basal cell cancers on the back, I would not do this on the face or any tumors such as squamous cell carcinoma that have the potential to metastasize.

I used to love the Monkees show when I was little. It made me laugh and I loved the music. I also cherished the Brady Bunch episode with Marcia, President of the Davy Jones Fan Club (“how ’bout a kiss on the flipside?!’). Unlike most girls though, I had a crush on Mickey instead, he was more funny. So many great celebrities dying lately, but I guess I’m getting to that age. I remember my parents mentioning how wonderful so-and-so was and I’d say, “Who?” Now, my kids will say the same!

Also, I cannot stress enough how important it is to protect your lower legs from sun exposure, especially to the women out there. I have a number of lovely senior ladies who now suffer from squamous cell cancer after squamous cell cancer due to the sun damage they’ve received as well as recent trauma. There are enough fake tanners/sprays out there!