The team members at Advanced Skin Care and Dermatology are (l-r) Danielle Key, Dr. Cynthia Bailey, Misha Bailey (front, sitting), Michael Dunning, Dokmay Powell and Jordan Buechler. Also pictured: Dr. Bailey in the laser room, sun protection hats, and Dr. Bailey with products from her Dry Hand Skin Repair Kit.
“It’s your biggest organ and it’s out in public, touching shopping carts and elevator buttons and the ink pen at the CVS pharmacy when you pick up a prescription,” she said. “I had time on my hands so I experimented and developed really good skin care routines. When you’re a chemo patient they teach you a lot of stuff but they weren’t really teaching patients how to avoid skin infection and how to take good care of their skin so the barrier doesn’t break down, creating what we call a ‘portal of entry’ for infection.” Because a patient’s immune system is compromised during chemo, it becomes crucial to support skin’s power to protect against exposure to germs, chemicals and other harmful elements. Skin and nails can also become drier, discolored, and more sun sensitive. Part of Dr. Bailey’s 14
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daily skin care routine for chemo patients includes using only gentle cleansers and hypoallergenic products, with warm (not hot) water, deeply hydrating moisturizers, and a broad-spectrum sunscreen. Dr. Bailey has been treating patients for various dermatological conditions from her medical office in Sebastopol since 1991, but says she sees a lot of skin cancer. In fact, the National Cancer Institute ranks Sonoma County as having the sixth highest incidence rate for melanoma in the state, at nearly double the national average. Everyone Dr. Bailey treats hears about sun avoidance and the identification of skin cancer on self-exams. Her patients leave with a lot of information to empower themselves with taking care of complexion issues and keeping their skin in good shape.