Showcasing Talent

Insights Into Ethnic Skin and Hair Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, M.D., will author a new column, which will run nearly monthly, titled, “Insights into Ethnic Skin and Hair.” This is a passionate topic to Dr. Woolery-Lloyd, and one that’s she’s well-versed in. As Director of Ethnic Skin Research for the Division of Cosmetic Dermatology in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Miami (where she was chief resident and completed her residency last July) Dr. Woolery-Lloyd is well suited to speak on the topic of ethnic skin and hair diseases. According to Dr. Woolery-Lloyd there’s a real need for coverage on this topic. “With the changing demographics of the United States, there are many patients who seek dermatologic care for skin diseases unique to African-American, Hispanic, and Asian skin,” says Dr. Woolery-Lloyd. “As a dermatologist, I recognized this need and wanted to specialize in the treatment of ethnic skin and hair diseases,” she continues. “Dermatologists, in general, are becoming more aware of these conditions and the unique approaches to treatment that should be considered in darker skin types.” Dr. Woolery-Lloyd also points out that the first national/international meeting on ethnic skin and hair was held in October 2001 and was a huge success. A second meeting is planned for September 2003. Surgical Challenge Speaking with Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd and Dr. Lance Brown, you get a sense of commitment and true enthusiasm. These young, successful practitioners bring a lot to their profession, and now they share their insights with the readers of Skin & Aging. This month, I’d like to introduce you to them and talk about their new columns, which are debuting in this month’s issue. Born and raised in midtown Manhattan in New York City, Dr. Lance Brown is the author of our new bi-monthly department “Surgical Challenge,” which will highlight a difficult wound and give advice on the best way to close it. As Assistant Clinical Professor at the New York University School of Medicine and Director of Cu-taneous Surgery at the Skin Insti-tute of New York, Dr. Brown has an avid interest in surgical matters. “I find surgical closures to be one of the most creative aspects of dermatology practice,” says Dr. Brown. “I like the challenge of finding the best solution for these difficult-to-close defects.” “Since dermatologists usually only receive basic training on how to do repairs and close defects after surgery,” explains Dr. Brown, “I thought this column would provide the perfect venue for building on basic wound closure concepts and applying them in a different way to achieve optimal outcomes. I hope to give readers a different approach to wound closures — one they might not have thought about.” A Peek Inside This Issue We welcome Drs. Woolery-Lloyd and Brown as regular contributors to Skin & Aging. Please let us know of your interest in their columns and about any potential upcoming topics you’d like to see them cover. These doctors are only two of the talented contributors to this month’s issue, which is our annual skin cancer and photoaging issue. This issue is full of topics related to this theme. For example, read on to find out more about how to ensure your lab’s accuracy (our cover story, which begins on page 32), an update on news and trends related to our special issue (page 40), a photo self-assessment guide, which will quiz you on rare and aggressive skin cancer tumors (page 58) and an in-depth look at treating cutaneous epithelial malignancies with topical imiquimod (page 44) — plus more. We hope you’ll enjoy this year’s annual skin cancer and photoaging issue.