Pale is
the New Black
The Circuit takes skin cancer awareness on the road Thursday, 5/29 at Bare
Pool Lounge and Friday, 5/30 at Tao Beach.
"Like everything
else you think, 'It can't happen to me, not at 25 years old.' You think, 'I
can't have skin cancer.' And I did."
Blonde-haired and
blue-eyed Raw Vegas TV entertainment reporter Denise Pernula was
the picture of tan, toned, sun-kissed perfection when her trouble started.
"I was doing a
lot of swimsuit modeling so I was in the tanning beds and in the sun a lot." At
25 she noticed a round, cigarette-like burn on her abdomen. A general physician
diagnosed it as eczema, a common skin condition, and treated it with cortisone.
It seemed harmless enough. A second physician, also taking it for eczema,
treated Denise with a laser. But nothing worked. She Photoshopped it from every
modeling shot and forgot about it. After all, it was only a small spot of
eczema!
Then, a few years
later, she went to a dermatologist who took a biopsy and finally dropped the
bomb. Denise had Basal Cell Carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer.
Though slow-spreading, is its also destructive and disfiguring. Today, and ever
since her surgery, Denise has a scar to show for what she went through as well
as the bills and the memory. "It was kind of traumatic," she admits.
"I think people
think that being tan looks healthy. It's pretty but, especially when
you're out in that sun a lot, you really have to protect yourself! It's not just
skin cancer, it's wrinkles, sun spots... [Donning sunscreen] is like flossing:
it's a pain in the ass, it's a chore, but 20 to 30 years from now you'll be
thanking yourself!"
A classic beauty herself, the Wyoming native points to pale and
pretty icons like Brooke Shields and Nicole Kidman as the poster-women of pale,
healthy and beautiful. Still, as a reporter, Denise likes to glow a little glow
for the camera, though these days she says it's a spray tan or nothing at all!
Las Vegas
resident Dr. H.L. Greenberg of
Las Vegas Dermatology will provide
the pool partying public with discreet, personal, complimentary skin cancer
screenings for two days at two of the hottest pool parties in the valley.
Dr. G is the only dermatologist in Vegas to offer free skin cancer
screening through actress Marcia Cross's
Skin Cancer Takes Friends
organization, sponsored by Olay and the American Society for Dermatologic
Surgery. By combining skin cancer awareness with a fun, non-threatening event,
and by bringing that service directly to the local industry crowd, Dr. G is
telling us all to enjoy the desert sun responsibly just as our casinos
and clubs encourage us to game and party responsibly.
"I'm able to effect a change very quickly," says Dr. G about his
local dermatologic practice. "We typically don't have to wait a long time to see
positive results. There's a lot of satisfaction in being able to diagnose and
treat a problem quickly."
Please join RawVegas.TV, Las Vegas Dermatology and
The Circuit at Bare and Tao Beach this weekend for the Pale Is
The New Black Tour and show your support for skin cancer awareness by getting
checked out at the pool. Yeah baby....
Save the date and save your hide...
The Circuit
Presents The Pale Is The New Black Tour 2008 featuring
discreet, complimentary skin cancer screenings and free sunscreen samples by
Vegas' own Dr. H.L. Greenberg of Las Vegas Dermatology, hosted by Raw
Vegas TV's own Denise Pernula at the following locations:
*
Thursday 5/29: Bare Pool, 2-4 p.m.
* Friday
5/30: Tao Beach, 1-3 p.m.
Xania Woodman has never met a martini she didn't like.
