The best moisturizer I've ever used, period

So, I've finished 4 weeks of my derm. rotation. I just wanted to pass on some information for anyone out there who is possibly reading this blog. The best moisturizer I've ever found (and what I was surprised to find the dermatologists at work were actually recommending- no pharmaceutical reps are allowed to come to the academic center where I work- is the above product. I don't use it everyday, but I use it on my face and elbows when I feel like my skin's getting really really dry. You just need to use a tiny bit of this stuff and its really well priced for how long it lasts (you can find it at most major stores, I got mine at CVS). I've only gone through about half the jar in a year. Its really great for super dry flaky skin or patches.

The best shows on TV period

1. Mad Men. Sad but true, no one can ever be as cool as Don Draper.



2. True Blood. Can't beat the Bill-Sookie-Eric love triangle.



3. The Inbetweeners. A BBC show about awkward teenage boys that nobody out of the UK knows about, but is probably the most BRILL show ever.



4. Gossip Girl. OK so this is actually a really BAD show but that's precisely what makes it so GOOD. For me, its worth it for all the fashion I will probably never be able to afford.


5. Ugly Betty. Can't help it, I totally dig the over the topness of this show.

Hat and going out theory

I decided to retry the hat theory. The theory I proposed before that if you go out wearing a hat, tons of guys will hit on you. well to make sure it wasn't a one time thing and just limited to a certain geographic location, I went out this weekend and wore the same hat, in a totally different city. and the results were again the same. guys who would usually never talk to me, guys who would normally NEVER talk to me, came over, made some witty or quipy comment about my hat, either nice like they liked it or mean like asking me if I was a MJ wannabe. Either way, it ended with either being asked to dance, or asked if I would please give them my real number. I swear, this hardly ever happens when I don't wear my hat. I wish someone would try this to verify my theory...

Pediatrics gave me a present: Ringworm

One thing about peds, is that there is a lot of derm. Kids got all sorts of rashes going on. You wouldn't' believe. A couple weeks ago in fact, I saw 3 kiddos with ring worm, and then a few weeks later, i got this itchy patch on my forearm (the same place I had previously scratched when i had a hive- so i think the skin over that part of my arm was kinda raw (ie. the epithelial barrier was broken) which I think set me up for a really awesome present from these super cute kids. Anyway, I just started treating it with an anti-fungal cream. So hopefully that's what it is. And hopefully some time in the future I can conveniently run into a dermatologist in the hospital and ask for an opinion. Anyway- can you believe the nerve of these kiddos- giving me such a crummy present for taking care of em so well? No good deed goes unpunished indeed. And yes for the record, I did wash my hands and follow all the precautions.
p.s.- that's not my arm in the picture, i didn't really have a red ring like that- and thus still haven't figured out exactly what it is.
UPDATE- I think it may have just been a patch of eczema. The antifungal cream didn't seem to help at all even after 2 weeks, went away on its own in about 6 months. The mystery remains...

writing

Am trying to write an article. A pretty long one. The only problem is that between rotations, studying and my love of TV, i'm hardly getting ANY writing done. Feeling demoralized by the epic task at hand, i've started to break it down. In stead of saying to myself that i'm going to spend the whole weekend writing- a blatant blatant lie to myself- i've decided to just do small parts at a time, like a whole hour of writing without checking things on the internet. And then another whole hour after a break. Lets see if it works.
p.s.- sometimes the thinking makes my head hurt so bad that i'd much rather study or do dishes. now that's really saying something.
UPDATE- Finished what I was working on. Feel pretty damn good about myself.

if you wear a hat, guys WILL hit on you

First off, GREAT news. Scored 91%tile on my medicine shelf, much higher than I thought I would score. Was not expecting that at all honestly.
Second off, went to Philly to celebrate being done with the first half of Surgery. While there I went shopping and picked up a cheap fedora hat (a lot like the hat in the picture).
Hung out at the bar with some friends and then went to meet up with some acquaintances at a nearby club. Normally I don't really expect for anyone to talk to me. But I cannot keep track of how many guys came up to me to compliment me on my hat, or better yet, tell me how good I looked in it! It must have been at least 10-15 guys, which is um not normal for me. (normal for me is 0 in case you were wondering...)
So what I learned from this is, basically guys/girls do notice you, they probably just don't know what to say because you don't look that approachable. But wear a fun, crazy hat or any other article of clothing or accessory that is appropriate to comment on and you'll be fending away admirers.
Seriously, try this trick on your own, you will be surprised!

new face wash

am going to start using a new face wash starting first thing tomorrow morning. i had heard good things about this product through the grapevine and the thing that really got me willing enough to try it was the fact that it contains quite a large percentage of benzoyl peroxide (an antibacterial and skin peeling agent).
will report back on how well I think its actually working.

UPDATE: after one week of use, using every other day until my skin gets used to it, appears to be working. also found out that certain dermatologists actually recommend this very product to be used in conjunction with something like Retin-A-micro.
UPDATE #2: while this product does work really well. I couldn't help but feel like it really really dried my skin out, especially in the winter. After sticking it out for a couple months, I switched to a 5% benzoyl peroxide gel that I apply to problem areas after washing my face with a mild cleanser. I find this works better for me. For someone with mild acne, who is looking for a quick regimen with normal (non-sensitive) skin, this product will work really well. For someone with drier or more sensetive skin, a regular spot application of 2.5% benzoyl peroxide would probably work better. You can find this easily in any grocery store or drug store. Usually sells for less than $3 and will last you at least six months.

Surgery

I'm two weeks into my general surgery rotation now. Its a lot of blood and guts let me tell you folks : not nearly as exciting as Grey's Anatomy. In fact its really just a lot of standing and retracting and looking stupid when the surgeon suddenly asks you a question and you don't have a clue about whats going on.
What's a retractor? Its the thing in the picture. A metal device that pulls the flesh away so a surgeon can see better. And yes, I basically just hold that for hours at a time.

oh boy I need a break

8/23/08
9:46
Should have been studying. Instead I keep being distracted by random thoughts that pop into my head and then a rampant need to google or wiki it. Totally stupid things too, like who the Hell is Joe Biden, and how come I never heard of him before.
Yest I know the answer to that is because I don't follow the news, but still.
Medicine shelf exam in a week. This is a big thing. My grade on this exam means a lot. I have to hit the 75% to get honors evaluation, which is the top grade you can get. And of course something that all other derm applicants I will compete with will have. So whats with the picture? Oh its just me trying to be artsy fartsy with a camera. I like it though!

UPDATE: Ended up doing really well on the medicine shelf, well past the 75% cutoff!

What This Blog is All About

Hi there, thank you for reading this blog. Here's what it is all about. I like to keep things short and to the point and I generally post into four broad categories:
1. Life (any life events I delude myself into thinking are interesting enough to post on here).
2. Derm (I'm a med student applying into dermatology, my friends think that must mean I actually know something-I don't-but I do a quick blurb on something derm. related if someone requests it).
3. TV (I know they say TV isn't a very intelligent use of time, but I just can't help myself).
4. Random (pretty much my wastebasket category).