{"id":149717,"date":"2019-05-07T13:32:51","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T17:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?post_type=school-college-post&p=149717"},"modified":"2019-05-09T12:13:53","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T16:13:53","slug":"mission-save-lives-melanoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2019\/05\/mission-save-lives-melanoma\/","title":{"rendered":"On a Mission to Save Lives from Melanoma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Maritza Perez<\/a> has joined UConn Health\u2019s Department of Dermatology<\/a> bringing with her more than two decades of Mohs surgery experience for the careful excision of skin cancer, including the deadliest form of melanoma.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mission is to save lives from melanoma by catching this dangerous skin cancer in its earliest stages,\u201d says Perez. \u201cIf we can catch it early we can cure it by precisely taking the cancer out with Mohs surgery before it spreads deeper into the skin or body, and carefully repairing the skin to make it look aesthetically pleasing.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stresses, \u201cDon\u2019t wait. If you see any unusual skin changes, especially with a mole, or if a skin area is bleeding and just won\u2019t heal, see your dermatologist right away to help make a quick diagnosis of the skin issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Dr. Maritza Perez of UConn Health performing a skin check on a dermatology patient (Tina Encarnacion\/UConn Health photo)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perez recommends everyone make time to get the critical annual skin check with a board-certified dermatologist. However, if you are high risk for developing skin cancer or have had a past skin cancer, you need to be seen for a skin check every 6 months, and every 3 months if you are a melanoma survivor.<\/p>\n

When it comes to skin cancer the best plan of action is to take steps to prevent its development says Perez. She advises that if you are someone with a lot of moles make sure to limit your sun exposure, wear protective sunglasses and clothing when outdoors to safeguard your skin, and wear sunscreen every day. Importantly, she stresses for everyone to avoid any use of sun tanning lamps and tanning beds as they significantly increase a person\u2019s chance of developing melanoma.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile there are family history genetic components to one\u2019s risk of developing a skin cancer or melanoma in their lifetime, we do know that sun damage can induce genetic mutations in the skin and our moles leading to cancer,\u201d says Perez.<\/p>\n

As coauthor of the popular consumer health guide, \u201cUnderstanding Melanoma: What You Need to Know,\u201d Perez shares the latest diagnostic and treatment options, and updates on the genetics and statistics regarding melanoma. The book, now in its fifth edition, was written with her mentor, Dr. Perry Robins, a pioneer in Mohs surgery who she trained with as a dermatology fellow. Robins is the founder and former president of the Skin Cancer Foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we have access to newly available treatments for caring for patients with advanced melanoma, whether promising monoclonal antibodies or immunotherapies in clinical trials, we prefer not to use them. Prevention of skin cancer and catching it early is critical for a cure.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to skin cancer surveillance and Mohs surgery, Perez specializes also in cosmetic dermatology.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always want to help make your best way of beautiful in your own skin,\u201d says Perez who uses advanced lasers and the latest fillers on the face and hands. She also uses innovative ways to smooth skin with ablation, melt excess fat, treat troublesome veins, and remove benign skin lesions.<\/p>\n

Perez has always been fascinated by the skin, the body\u2019s largest organ.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur skin shows the most about our health,\u201d says Perez. \u201cThey say the eyes are the window to our soul, but it is truly our skin that is the opening to the rest of our body\u2019s internal health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perez now treats patients in Farmington at UConn Health\u2019s dermatology office location at 21 South Road.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to be here,\u201d said Perez who joins UConn Health from her Mohs surgery private practice in Danbury. A native of Puerto Rico, Perez has more than 30 years of clinical experience caring for patients and the educational training of dermatology residents at academic medical centers such as the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, Yale, and NYU, Columbia, and Mount Sinai Health System in New York City.<\/p>\n

Learn more about Perez, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Maritza Perez has joined UConn Health\u2019s Department of Dermatology bringing with her more than two decades of Mohs surgery experience for the careful excision of skin cancer, including the deadliest form of melanoma.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":149718,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1868],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[1873],"class_list":["post-149717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-meds"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-19 07:41:12","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/149718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149717"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=149717"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=149717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}