Valerie Monroe Photo: Patrik Andersson Before I became a beauty
editor, I went to the dermatologist only when I had a rash—and
it had to be a pretty bad one. Now in the service of my job,
I've had many consultations. Some of them have been useful (the
mole checks). Some of them have been depressing (the ones at
which the doc instructs me to look closely into a 10x magnifying
mirror and then innocently asks if anything bothers me). But the
bottom line is that a consultation with a derm can be like
taking a rowboat out into choppy waters: Unless you very
deliberately propel yourself in the direction you want to go,
you can get battered about by waves of indecision and wind up
beached somewhere disagreeably unfamiliar. Like with a forehead
full of Botox, for example. It hasn't happened to me, but I've
come close.  There are four things crucial to having a good
dermatological consultation. Bring with you...  ...a complete
medical history, including allergies, past surgeries,
conditions, all current medications an