Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:Obtaining a fellowship position for Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology (MSDO) is becoming very competitive. Applicant qualities desired by MSDO fellowship directors have not been previously explored in a systematic way. OBJECTIVE:To characterize the prevailing practices of selecting MSDO fellows. METHODS AND MATERIALS/METHODS:Cross-sectional study based on an anonymous online survey of MSDO fellowship directors. RESULTS:There were 34 completed surveys. Selection criteria with the highest importance to fellowship directors were the ability to work well and get along with others, interview, work ethic, and letter of recommendation from the Mohs micrographic surgery director at the applicant's residency. The criteria with the lowest importance were advanced degrees, medical licensing examination scores, and membership in Alpha Omega Alpha. Specific applicant factors that were looked upon most positively by fellowship directors include applicant from own institution and applicant's personal reasons and circumstances, whereas factors that were most unfavorable include applicant's desire to practice in the same city/area as the fellowship location and graduate of foreign medical school. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Although variations existed, MSDO fellowship directors collectively placed greater importance on criteria that reflect interpersonal skills than on objective measures of academic performance, which highlights the importance of "fit."

We report a case of successful treatment of a traumatic tattoo in a 2-year-old patient. He presented with a green discoloration on the left infraorbital region after his sister accidentally hit him with a face paint brush while playing together. A single treatment with an alexandrite picosecond laser resulted in a complete clearance without any side effects for this disfiguring condition.

BACKGROUND:An increase in nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in younger patients has been reported. Many are treated with Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS). OBJECTIVE:Investigate patient and tumor characteristics in patients less than 50 years undergoing MMS for NMSC at a large, referral-based practice. METHODS & MATERIALS/METHODS:Retrospective chart review of 1,332 tumors occurring in 1,018 consecutive patients over a five-year period. RESULTS:81.7% of tumors were BCC and 55.3% occurred in women. Patients less than 30 years were more likely to be female (P equals 0.016) and women were more likely to have BCC (P equals 0.010). SCCs were more likely with increasing age (P less than 0.001). Of all tumors, 3.6% were recurrent, 2.7% had diameters ≥ 2 centimeters, and 5.5% of all BCCs had a high-risk histologic subtype. Women were more than twice as likely as men to be referred to plastic surgery for repair (P equals 0.020). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Patients < 50 years with NMSC may represent a growing population referred for MMS, especially young women with BCC. High-risk tumor features were rare among young patients, and female gender was associated with an increased rate of referral for repair by a plastics subspecialty. Study was performed at the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York. IRB STATUS/UNASSIGNED:Approved by Essex Institutional Review Board, Protocol #MOHS40-65 <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol. 2018;17(5):499-505.</em></p>.