I think Dr. Hart may be the best doctor I've ever used in my life. She's a dermatologist for Austin Derm Care, on Spicewood Springs Road near Triumph Cafe.
Now, as long as you're not eating, picture this: Me, standing in my boxers in a sterile, white waiting room. I'm in for my yearly "mole patrol", something I have to do every year to ward off the advances of sun damage.
I have about as much melanin as Andy Warhol, and I grew up in the "Ocean State" in the days before anyone used sunscreen - hell we used to purposely get sunburned at the beginning of each summer to get our "base" color. Once, I got drunk with my girlfriend (the "first" Vicki), and we fell asleep on the beach. I woke up to a serious case of sun poisoning, and spent the next three days sitting in a chair watching huge chunks of my skin peel off.
By the time I was in my thirties, I was spending time in doctor's offices with elderly people all around me. Basal cell carcinomas started appearing on my head, arms and legs with enough regularity that I now am forced to have routine examinations to deal with anything which appears suspicious, lest it turn into something much scarier.
Which brings us back to today, with a flabby, hairy, really white guy standing in his boxers in a waiting room. Dr. Hart, besides being a complete professional, happens to be a pretty cute woman who appears to be about 28 years old. So what if the last time i saw her she had magenta streaks in her hair? When you pass 45 years old, you'll find that many of your doctors are going to be younger than you.
She circumnavigates my "inspired by the Michelin Man" body, locates three areas she thinks need further examination, and goes to work. The whole time she is chatting with me about life and travel and the kids, etc.
The nice part about being a patient of Dr. Hart is that I never usually wait long, either in the main waiting area or the little examination room. Its as if she knows that my time is as valuable as hers!
She's forthright, funny and seemingly competent. I've been a patient for several years now and have been completely satisfied with her care.
All you kids out there, trust me on this, wear sunscreen. If you're lucky enough to live a long life, the damage you do to your skin will start taking its toll when you hit 40, and there's nothing redeeming about having people take a glorified cheese grater to your skin every year. read more