Dr. Marshall P Welch MD

Cold sores, also called oral herpes, are highly contagious fluid-filled blisters on the lips and around the mouth. In most cases, cold sores are not that serious, but they can be life-threatening for people who have a weakened immune system such as people with AIDS. On the other hand, canker sores,...

What are freckles?Freckles are flat and circular spots that are beige or brown in color. Their size is usually comparable to the size of the head of a small nail. People who have red hair and a fair complexion often have freckles because of the MC1R variant gene, which is responsible for the...

What is Melanoma?Melanoma is mostly referred to as cancer of the skin, but this might not always be the case. It begins from the melanocytes, the cells that produce the pigment melanin, which gives the skin its color along with hair and eyes too. Melanocytes also form moles, which is the region or...

Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1)HSV-1 or herpes simplex virus type 1 is a type of herpes simplex virus that causes cold sores. It is called "oral herpes" because it often causes sores around the mouth or on the lips. Cold sores are also called as fever blisters. However, the sores can also be found...

Skin cancer occurs when damaged cells in the skin start to divide uncontrollably forming a malignant tumor. There are three main types of skin cancer. They are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. The first two are the most common but less dangerous as they do not spread...

What is a lipoma?Lipoma is the most common benign tissue tumor that occurs in almost 1 percent of the population. A lipoma consists of mature fat cells. Typically, a lipoma is enclosed by a thin fibrous capsule. Usually, lipomas develop superficially under the skin, but they can also occur anywhere...