In the 1980's dermatologists were somewhere in the basement of the doctor world in terms of reputation and reimbursement. It was always felt to be an easy job--not too much thinking, a limited scope of care, no after hours calls--but did not pay well So the American Dermatology Association hired a publicist and some lobbyists in Congress and created a generalized fear of skin cancer, stating there was an epidemic, that annual skin screens would save lives, and that aggressively removing both cancers and precancers is necessary. All the sudden it became difficult to even become a dermatologist and their incomes and reputations skyrocketed, with many earning $500,000 to $1,000,000 a year and still working less than virtually every doctor according to statistics. Yes, despite all this surveying and slicing, skin cancer deaths have not dropped at all. This has occurred simultaneously with the sunscreen craze, and now we are blocking our skin with substances that have not reduced skin cancer deaths but have likely increased sickness, including cancer, since sun hitting the skin is necessary for our immune system, and we are blocking that with all this toxic cream. We will dissect the truth of skin cancer and the role of dermatologists, and tell you how you can best protect yourself not from the sun but from snake oil salesmen who have abused your trust.