I have problem skin. My ailments include multiple difficult conditions, some with little clear evidence for management, and I am at a high risk for melanoma. When I was 13, I watched melanoma kill a close relative in her forties. Health is the subject of a fair amount of anxiety for me, and my hundreds of moles have been an acute source of constant worry.
I have worked with a half dozen dermatologists. Some were schooled at the top universities in the world (Harvard, Hopkins). Dr. Rockoff leaves them all behind. A Harvard law grad myself, I tend to intimidate people by barraging them with difficult questions when I'm tense. When we met, Dr. Rockoff took it all in stride. He was neither dismissive, nor did he indulge my anxiety (both make the anxiety much worse).
He was, in short, kind of "fatherly," in a certain stereotypical sense. Supportive, but firm. Clear and positive, but realistic. By not being at all impressed or overwhelmed by the sheer force of my personality, he was able to build the deep trust I need to let someone else handle my skin.
He's done a great job of managing the chronic stuff. But most important, he (and a little therapy!) have helped me take my nearly debilitating anxiety down so much that I rarely worry about cancer anymore. I could not have done it without his competence and expertise (he's seen tens of thousands of moles) and his spectacular bedside manner.
Thank you Doctor Rockoff - you played a large part in changing my life!
(A shout out to Megan Webb as well, who (other than Dr. Rockoff) far surpasses any other dermatologist in terms of bedside manner and projecting calm. She's spectacular. read more