Can a Dermatologist Help Me? 3 Things a Skincare Professional Wants You to Know
By: Suzanne Kvilhaug
Skin conditions are infamously bothersome. They’re difficult to hide, they can be really painful and some can be a serious cause for concern. With there being more of a demand for dermatologists than supply, by the time you decide to make an appointment, you may have a much longer wait time than you would like. To get some expert advice, I asked dermatologist Dr. Elizabeth Kiracofe some questions that could give you some valuable insight into skin problems and what to do about them. Dr. Elizabeth Kiracofe is a board-certified dermatologist providing individualized patient care with state-of-the-art medical and cosmetic dermatology training. She is nationally recognized for her excellence in dermatologic patient education and for effectively advocating for improved health policy on state and national levels. She graduated Summa cum laude from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and then went on to complete her Medical Doctorate at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. After completion of her residency in Dermatology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio where she served her colleagues as Chief Resident. Dr. Elizabeth Kiracofe moved to Chicago to start her dermatology practice Airia Comprehensive Dermatology.
#1- You Don’t Have To Wait Until It’s “Really Bad” To See Visit A Dermatologist.
People may hesitate to see a dermatologist until they are experiencing moderate to severe skin problems. Are there any types of skin problems that people commonly wait too long to see a dermatologist for?
The main things that come to mind right away are rashes and acne. People kind of have this feeling that it has to be really bad before they go see the doctor because let's be honest who loves going to see the doctor, which is a different story but a paradigm I'm personally trying to change. I have this dream where my patients don't hate going to the doctor but they look forward to it because they have a great relationship with their doctor. With acne sometimes people wait too long and they have scarring and discoloration. And this persistence of acne is something they wouldn't likely have to be suffering with if they had a board-certified dermatologist on board helping them early in the treatment. If you experience rashes and psoriasis, anything in the rash category that occurs more than twice, you should see a dermatologist.
Anyone might get a rash by doing some cleaning and accidentally touching bleach or something along those lines which is irritant dermatitis. However, some people with eczema and psoriasis get rashes that can get a little better and become tolerable but then flare up again. It’s best to see a doctor to get a plan so they can prevent these rashes from happening. What I notice is people who experience skin conditions are just so resilient. They deal with these problems and they kind of learn to live with them, sometimes to their detriment. I encourage patients to expect more from their doctor, expect more from their skin and if you’ve been suffering from something even at a low level, it doesn’t have to be something that is 10/10 bothersome to see a doctor. If it’s chronic and recurrent, you want to get a hold of it before it becomes really severe.
Then there are skin checks. People who are around 30 years old and over interacted much differently with the sun than we do now because of the lack of awareness about the dangers of the sun. A lot of people went to tanning beds, were out in the sun all day, etc., and the main thing to know is that 1 exposure in the tanning bed increases chances for melanoma by 75 percent. It’s really important if you have known risk factors like sunburns and exposure to a tanning bed to get skin checks with a dermatologist. Even if you have been taking good care of your skin, it also matters how you took care of your skin.
#2 - Getting Familiar With What Your “Normal” Skin Looks Like Can Help You Spot Changes Early.
It's been said that skin cancer is highly curable when diagnosed and treated early by a skilled dermatologist. How can someone spot potential skin cancer on their own? I once got a mole checked out and the dermatologist took one very quick look at it and said it was fine. Should people get their moles and unusual spots checked regularly even if they don't experience any change in appearance?
Yes, that is true.
For my patients after a yearly skin check, I ask them to go home after I haven’t found anything concerning and take a look at their body. Since everything that I’m seeing looks normal today, get acquainted with what your skin looks like and know what is normal for you. Keep in mind that normal for you could look different for someone else. And see if you ever notice something that is changing or you notice a spot that we refer to as an ugly duckling. An ugly duckling is a spot that doesn’t look like the rest of your spots. And I say spots because we have lots of different types of spots like moles, sun spots, etc. An important thing to note is a brand new one that has come up that doesn’t look like a family of moles or spots you have. Other things to see a doctor would be a spot that’s changing or one that has become sympathetic like itchy or bleeding or doubled in size or darker. Or a spot that isn’t healing.
The main thing to understand with dermatology after we go through all of the educational requirements is that we then spend 3 full years of specific training that helps our eyes to recognize what is and what is not typical of the skin. And with moles even though it feels quick, our eyes are trained to do that.
#3 - Virtual Dermatology Appointments May Be A Viable Option For You
Can people make online appointments with a dermatologist? Do you currently see patients online?
Yes, telehealth appointments are something that I was doing prior to the coronavirus and it has really exploded. It’s exploded in a good way in the sense that doctors are helping to make sure that we are all accessible to our patients. In addition to my patients, I do a lot of outreach to primary care doctors because there are just simply not as many dermatologists as there are patients who need help with dermatology problems. Some of my patients are 6 hours away from the closest dermatologist. With dermatology, the quality of photos patients send is the most important. Since dermatology is such a visual specialty- if we have great photos, we can do a great job helping patients with anything from acne to fine lines to wrinkles to scarring.
To learn more about Dr. Kiracofe and her practice, check out her website Airia Comprehensive Dermatology.
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