Although we may take our skin for granted, we would be lost without it. Many of us are unaware of the important ways in which our skin serves us: as a protective shield for our internal organs against injury and infection, as a cooling system that helps us regulate our body temperature, as a network that relays important sensations ranging from pain to pleasure, and as a display of our genetic heritage and physical health.

Our skin tells a lot about who we are and where we have been. As the body's external layer, skin is constantly exposed to the damaging environment around us. Sunlight, harsh weather, environmental pollutants, time, and injury can all take their toll on our skin.

Although some people devote hours of time to working on their tans, we now understand that prolonged sun exposure leads to wrinkles, sunspots, and, most seriously, to disease. Overexposure to ultraviolet radiation can cause serious health effects, including skin cancer, the most common cancer in the United States.

Dr. Suzan Obagi will begin this evening's program by addressing various topics related to maintaining healthy skin. For example, she will discuss the cellular components of skin and the clinical causes of blotchiness, wrinkles, and discoloration.

Dr. Obagi will dispel common myths promoted by the cosmetics industry, and she will share simple tips and information about medical treatments that can help promote long-term skin health.

Dr. Larisa J. Geskin will provide an in-depth description of the three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and the least common and most deadly, melanoma. Most importantly, Dr. Geskin will discuss steps that everyone can take to prevent, detect, and treat skin cancers.

According to the National Cancer Institute, incidences of melanoma in the United States are increasing more than any other form of cancer. Dr. Geskin will talk about behavior that may put all of us at risk for developing skin cancer and the importance of catching and treating the disease as quickly as possible. She will also share the "ABCDE" tips by which the cancer risk of a suspicious-looking growth or mole can be evaluated.

Finally, Dr. Louis D. Falo Jr. will conclude the evening's presentation by offering a "sneak peek" into some of the emerging new vaccines and skin cancer-fighting technologies being developed in Pittsburgh laboratories. Dr. Falo will discuss new therapies that make use of the immunological properties of our skin to destroy harmful tumors and disease.

Dr. Obagi earned her undergraduate degrees in biology and psychology from the University of California, San Diego. She completed her medical school training at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She subsequently finished a one-year internal medicine internship at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center prior to completing dermatology training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. After her dermatology training, she completed a cosmetic surgery fellowship through the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. She is currently director of the Cosmetic Surgery and Skin Health Center in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Obagi's main interests are skin rejuvenation and cosmetic surgery. While her emphasis is on a scientific approach to skin health restoration, she continues to keep abreast of the latest advances in cosmetic surgery, including the use of lasers and radio frequency technologies. Dr. Obagi has written many articles and book chapters and has lectured widely to a broad range of medical specialists on the dermatologic approach to the cosmetic patient.

Larisa J. Geskin, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology Director, Cutaneous Oncology Center

Dr. Geskin earned her undergraduate degree in biology from Lehman College, The City University of New York. She completed her medical training at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, including an internship in internal medicine and a residency in dermatology.

Dr. Geskin is associate director of the dermatological branch of the Melanoma Center at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and director of the Cutaneous Oncology Center. She is also a visiting professor at the Skin Diseases Research Center at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Dr. Geskin's research specialty is skin cancer and immunology, specifically in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. She has given numerous lectures and presentations to professional medical societies as well as to lay audiences in the Hillman Cancer Center's "Reason to Hope" series.

Color Atlas & Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology. Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, Richard Allen Johnson, Dick Suurmond, and Klaus Wolff. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2000.

Cosmetic Dermatology: Principles and Practice. Leslie Baumann and Edmund Weisberg. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2002.

Emergency Dermatology: A Rapid Treatment Guide. Alan B. Fleischer (ed.), Steven Feldman, Mark R. Hess, Charity F. McConnell, Asha Pardasani, and Marco Petrazzuoli. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2002.

Field Guide to Clinical Dermatology. David H. Frankel and William Frankel. Lipincott Williams & Wilkins Publishers, 1999.

Healthy Skin: The Facts. Rona M. MacKie. Oxford University Press, 1992.

Manual of Dermatologic Therapeutics: With Essentials of Diagnosis. Murad Alam, Kenneth A. Arndt, Kathryn E. Bowers, Rachel Reynolds, and Sandy Tsao. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Publishers, 2002.

100 Questions and Answers About Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers. Edward F. McClay, Mary-Eileen T. McClay, and Jodie Smith. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2003.

Skin Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment. Thomas B. Habif (ed.), James L. Campbell, Mark J. Quitadamo, Kathryn A. Zug. Mosby, 2001.

What You Really Need to Know About Moles and Melanoma. Jill R. Schofield and William Robinson. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000.

www.niams.nih.gov/
The mission of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases is to support research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases. It also supports the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases.

www.aad.org/
With more than 13,700 members, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) represents virtually all practicing dermatologists in the United States. The Web site of the AAD offers up-to-date information on skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, eczema, rosacea, and melanoma, as well as information about aging skin.

www.cdc.gov/
ChooseYourCover/index.htm Choose Your Cover is a skin cancer prevention initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This site emphasizes the importance of protecting the skin from the sun's UV rays and offers helpful information about how to do so.

www.skincancer.org/
The Skin Cancer Foundation is the only national and international organization that is concerned exclusively with the world's most common malignancy-cancer of the skin. The foundation's site offers detailed information about detecting, preventing, and treating all types of skin cancer.