Physician Friday -- Dr. Mary Ann Bentz

As an amateur photographer, Dr. Mary Ann Bentz is acutely aware that her hobby bears a striking parallel to her profession when it comes to the powers of observation.

“It’s the visual esthetic,” she says. “As a photographer, it’s always my goal to see the big picture, and yet, to capture the power of detail. A really good photograph almost always has a way of capturing the importance of detail.

“In my work as a dermatologist, the same is true,” Bentz continued. “I have to look at the full person. I have to see a patient’s skin in total, yet it is absolutely critical to my work that I bring my focus in tight – to see the smallest detail which could be a sign of a serious disease.”

That ability to change focus – to see broadly and specifically – is one of the reasons Bentz loves her job.

“Skin is the biggest organ in the body,” she says. “It’s kind of the mirror on your overall health, and it’s one of my favorite things to be able to pick up clues from the skin about people’s internal diseases and internal health.”

And, as she brings her focus in closer, she is diligent in finding and fighting disease in its earliest stages.

“I love finding early skin cancers, because that means there is time to fight it,” she says. “I love being able to say to people, ‘You have a bad melanoma, but we’ve caught it in time, and you’re going to be fine.’”

With skin cancer in mind, and with spring upon us, Bentz also encourages everyone to take precautions with the sun.

“Enjoy the outdoors, but do it safely,” she advises. “Get in the habit of using a moisturizer every day that has a 30 sun protection factor. It’s important not only during that day at the beach. The sun’s rays have a cumulative effect on our skin. You should protect yourself when you’re on the golf course or in the garden. You should always be prepared and protected.”

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bentz graduated from Boston University’s school of medicine, and she had a combined residency program at Boston University and Tufts University.

She has been on staff at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital since 1996, playing an active role in the hospital as a former member of the Board of Directors and also as a past president of the L+M Medical Staff.

Bentz used to share her practice with Dr. John C. Wiles, who recently retired. Today, her Montauk Avenue office also serves as a gallery for her photography, with the waiting room and hallways adorned with eye-popping enlargements of photos from Dr. Bentz’s recent trip to Japan.

When she’s not at work or taking photos, there’s one other place you might look for Dr. Bentz.

“I also love sculling,” she says. “I’m one of those people that you’ll see out on the Mystic River rowing. It’s very relaxing. It’s kind of combining exercise and nature, to be out there in the still of the morning.”

To learn more about Dr. Bentz, click here.