Not Another Dermatologist

13/11/2023

As a physician, I cannot imagine the difficulties that our colleagues are facing.
These people are the pride of our profession.

I stand by you. I wish there were more that I could do.

31/08/2023

August is Psoriasis Awareness month ( yes I am aware that August ends in a few hours but this still counts as an August post OK?).

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease that is quite common. About 2% of people worldwide have a form or another of Psoriasis. It can appear in many forms and affect the nails, the skin and the joints. Most of the time, patients just have a few spots on their elbows and knees that get better with some creams and some sun exposure. But for those who have more severe disease, they may need to take systemic medications like biologics ( TNF alfa inhibitors, IL 17 blockers, IL 23 blockers, just to name a few).

These medications work really well to control severe psoriasis. Our patients who had access to them enjoyed quasi-clear skin prior to the financial crisis. This is not to say that they are magical or without risk, but they did make a difference in people’s lives. After the crisis these medications were very difficult to find, and our patients who had experienced the joy of remission, of clear skin, saw their severe psoriasis come back.

I can’t express how helpless we feel, as doctors, when we know that there is a medication that can make our patient feel better but they cannot have it. It breaks my heart. Things are not as bad in 2023 compared to 2021, and some people are able access medications, but this is still a problem.

This is to hoping things will improve.

On our side, as doctors, we will keep advocating for our patients and taking care of them under all circumstances.

12/07/2023

Public service announcement: stop frying your skin with UV.

UV causes DNA damage and skin cancer. Also: skin aging.

Thank you for your attention.

16/06/2023

Awwal chi Bonjour. Chtaana.

Tene chi: do sunscreens cause cancer?

There are a bunch of videos circulating online saying that sunscreens can cause cancer.

So while keeping an open mind, I looked up the studies to check if that was true.
The answer is: there are NO studies proving that sunscreens cause cancer in humans. There are a bunch of studies that show that sunscreens actually prevent skin cancer.

Most of the articles I got about sunscreens having a bad effect on humans had to do with the following chemicals: Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3), octinoxate (OMC) and retinyl palmitate.

Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3) and octinoxate (OMC) have an endocrine-disrupting potential ( they can affect your hormones) and can be absorbed by your body when you apply them on your whole skin for several days in a row. Still, studies were not able to see an effect of these chemicals on human health. They have been banned from sunscreens because of their effects on coral reefs. Most sunscreens are now free of these products.

Retinyl palmitate in sunscreens has been said to cause skin cancer when exposed to UV. There are plenty of studies showing that it is safe.

If you are still worried about sunscreens causing cancer, please worry about the sun and cancer. We know for a fact that sunburns increase your risk of skin cancer.

Share, comment, like and Be safe!

References:

J Clin Oncol 29:257-263. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2010.28.7078

British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 161, Issue s3, 1 November 2009, Pages 78–84, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2009.09453.x

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0781.2011.00557.x

Int J Dermatol. 2020 Sep; 59(9): 1033–1042. Published online 2020 Feb 28. doi: 10.1111/ijd.14824

Cosmetics 2019, 6(3), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics6030042

03/04/2023

Ok so I know that a lot of you are not going to like this, but the UVA light that is emitted by the Gel curing lamps is a carcinogen.

There have been several reports of skin cancer affecting the hands in patients who have used this machine for a while.

A recent study published in nature (which is like Vogue but for scientists) showed that this light can cause direct damage to the cells. You should also know that UVA can cause damage to your eyes so make sure not to look at it and to protect yourself.

While we don’t have large scale studies to tell you exactly what is the percentage of people using this machine who will go along to develop skin cancer, we can tell you that this is easy to prevent: wear sunscreen, or better yet, don’t use it.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-35876-8

26/03/2023

Thanks dawleh.

26/03/2023

21/03/2023

I think it is fitting i drew this post while hiding in bathroom.

They did find me as predicted.

Happy mother’s day to all mamas but especially mine (my hero, my love, and i think she never hid in the bathroom as far as I remember!)

08/03/2023

We mark women’s day to remind ourselves that we still have a lot to do when it comes to women’s rights.

Happy women’s day ❤️

28/02/2023

Thank you your support!

Lebanese dermatologist Jinane El Khoury illustrates short stories to spread awareness and battle misinformation about skin conditions.

07/01/2023

Aging is part of the human experience (if you’re lucky to live enough). You know what happens when we age: our skin wrinkles and becomes saggy, our face looses some volume, our hair turns white.
In this day and age, we humans, have come up with a way to decrease the signs of aging. Two of these ways are botox and fillers.

Now i get this question all the time: what is the difference between them?
Botox is a toxin that paralyses facial muscles and decreases your facial expressions, which decreases expression wrinkles. Fillers on the other hand are used to give volume to areas of your face.

These techniques, especially fillers, carry some risks like: infections, allergic reactions and occlusion of blood vessels with death of skin tissue. Some locations even carry a risk of blindness. So make sure you go to a doctor that was trained to recognize the complications that can arise from these techniques!!!

Now my personal opinion (and it is my own opinion) is that i would like my body to look like it has been lived in by the time I die. I welcome wrinkles, loss of volume and all of that stuff. I’m just happy to be alive and experiencing everything it is to be human: from birth to death.
Also I don’t perform the above procedures because if you ask me: your wrinkles and lips are perfect. (Not the best marketing strategy)

What do you guys think?

As always, thank you for the arabic translation that i’ll be putting in the comments.